Hr - Training And Development

"There is nothing training cannot do. Nothing is above its reach. It can turn bad morals to good; it can destroy bad principles and recreate good ones; it can lift men to angelship."

Mark Twain

"Failure is success if we learn from it."

Macolm Forbes

'In the simplest sense, a learning organisation is a group of people who are continually enhancing their capability to create their own future. The traditional meaning of the word learning is much deeper than just taking information in. It is about changing individuals so that they produce results they care about - accomplish things that are important to them.'

Peter Senge

The work of Peter Senge at MIT's Sloan School of Business has been influential in convincing companies that the ability to learn is a key success factor. However, the success factor of any organisation does not focus solely on the ability to learn. Feedback on how a person is performing is necessary in training and development and individuals need no know how they are doing in order to continue to learn effectively .

How can employees find out whether they are in line with procedures and what is expected out of them? Performance appraisals are one of the methods most frequently used. Recent estimates are that more than 97.1 percent of all organizations in the United States use some sort of performance evaluation or appraisal system . Although these systems are used for various purposes, managers tend to fail to use performance appraisals accurately, so the systems fail to achieve their intended purpose. The results of a recent survey state the following, that 70 percent of employees say that performance appraisals do not provide them with a clear picture of what is expected of them. In addition, only about 10 percent of employees felt the performance appraisal system was successful. Most of the employees felt more confused after their appraisals than before. Although performance appraisals have many advantages, this is one of the negative aspects - that if it isn't applied in the correct manner or by the right person it may have serious negative implications.

Taking a look at the local scenario, performance appraisals are conducted in different sectors of the market - it is used in the manufacturing industry (ex: Methode Malta) and also in the service industry (ex: The Victoria Hotel). Since the end product is different in both companies, then the type of performance appraisal will have to be different. This is due to the fact that, in the service industry, the appraiser will focus his attention on the employees' personality and individuality. This is essential since the hotel clients also get this treatment, therefore one must treat the staff the way you want them to treat your clients. The General Manager of the hotel says that "The Victoria is a unique hotel to the island, perhaps I'm a little biased when saying that, but definitely a unique piece in its own category. As a start, it is a boutique, offering quality with individuality. Our guests refer to us as being a hotel with a customized, personal approach."

At The Victoria Hotel, management is more an activity rather than a badge of status or class within the firm. Across the years, the organisation has evolved into one that has few hierarchical levels; wide spans of control; continuous staff development; self managing work teams; commitment to quality; information sharing; a common corporate vision; and participative leadership styles. At this stage one can ask himself, 'But why are performance appraisals carried out, when they incur a cost since it means time lost for management and employees from their duties?' Performance appraisals attempt to involve individuals in the regular clarification of their work tasks, goals, and achievements, at the same time making them more accountable for them . Appraisals can be extremely effective, fair and useful at their best but may evoke potential weaknesses and disadvantages. For one thing, receiving 'negative' performance feedback can be intimidating, apart from being difficult to give. Experience within the Victoria Hotel shows that while employees may have trouble receiving feedback, providing feedback is troublesome for some appraisers. It is for this reason that this task is left in the hands of one experienced person, the Human Resources Manager. He handles this task with great care and professionalism since he has been in the trade for a number of years and experience teaches you certain tricks of the trade that textbooks will not teach you. On the other hand, managers also undergo performance appraisals however these will be conducted by the General Manager. After each employee appraisal, the HR manager is bound to report back to the General Manager.

To be listened to, to be regarded with care, to be included in trust are of enormous value to the employee during the appraisal . This is for the simple reason, that s/he will feel important, that his duties are of value for the organisation and that s/he is not just a number in the workforce of the organisation. The Victoria Hotel recognizes that employees are its most valuable resource and is committed to investing in the development of its employees by providing educational opportunities that enhance job skills and knowledge, and maximize job performance in its diverse environment. The General Manager claims the following: "Performance appraisals keep staff on their toes. They know where they stand with us and we know where we stand with them. It is crucial. It takes no longer than 45mins. Also they serve as a reference when evaluating an employee's performance, in case of promotion or demotion or dismissal or any other decision that needs to be taken".

Taking the Banking local industry, in one of their reports they stated the following: Why does BOV need Performance Management?

* We know that the only way we can achieve our business objectives is through our employees

* Companies who use Performance Management systems are more successful than those who do not - what gets measured gets done.

Organisations, irrespective of structure and type, should ensure that their employees have all they need in order to be able to perform effectively and to help the organisation reach its objectives. People do not simply need equipment in order to perform; they must also have the necessary level, type