In his article entitled "Employee training leads to better service, more profits" Walsh provides an overview of some of the techniques that hotels are utilizing to train individual employees. While the advice provided by Walsh appears to be quite salient within the context of developing training programs for employees, one cannot help but wonder if the suggestions made by those in the industry is actually relevant to improving the efficiency and productivity of the employee and hence the organization. In order to assess the relative viability of the training methods mentioned in the article, this investigation considers a comparison between training methods and the viewpoints of other scholars on the issue of training will be considered. By exploring the specific needs for training in the organization overall it will be possible to demonstrate the nuances of training overall.
Examining first the methods used evaluated by Walsh, the author notes that at one hotel chain, the quality of guest services is stressed.
English: Office of Federal Contract Compliance Pro...
Walsh's Royal Mail and Day Car
Leadership of the Secret Teaching OrganizationTraining is provided monthly and reinforced weekly, with an in-house training staff. The costs are calculated based on the individual employee rate of pay and the amount of time needed to conduct training each month (Walsh, 4). Comparing this to what the American Society for Training and Development notes in its 2002 Learning Outcomes Report, this type of training may not be a viable method for improving the quality of service that guests receive at this hotel chain.
Considering the specifics of the report, the ASTD notes that the most useful types of training for employees include "sales and dealer training, new employee orientation, product knowledge training and information technology skills" (ATSD, 14). This contrasts to what employees see as non-useful training, which includes "course on quality, competition and business practices" (2). Given that the hotel chain's training...