Jeff McLanahan
Contributing Writer
Contributor

Have you heard about the newest gift idea from FurReal Friends?  It is a robot dog named Rick, the Trick-Lovin’ Pup.  Rick is available for delivery to your home from Kohl’s for $110.49 and does all of the following:

• Responds to 100+ sound and motion combinations
• Can balance a bone toy on his nose, and with a voice command, flip it into his mouth
• Reach for his paw and he’ll raise it for a friendly handshake
• When he’s excited, he’ll shuffle his paws and bark happily
• Reward him with an included doggie treat…. then pat his back for toots and poops

What a great idea!  You can get a family pet without any of the headaches.  This dog does not require potty training, daily walks, kennel during vacation, or grooming.  There are no chewed furniture legs, veterinarian bills, or pile of poop to be scooped.

Many of us want employees like Rick.  We would welcome employees that follow our orders, require very little attention, and that are happy and pleasant to those around them.

While Rick, the Trick-Lovin’ Pup is real and available now, pre-packaged employees are not.  This is where training and development can be a huge asset to your organization or a big liability.

While it is a challenge to recruit and select good employees, once they are hired it is critical to equip them for success on the job if you have any hope of retaining them.  Too many times we make the mistake of thinking that all people instinctively know how to do tasks that are familiar to us.  We rationalize that we do not need to training certain tasks because they simply require “common sense.”  But as the saying goes, “common sense isn’t all that common.”

Train employees how to successfully perform the job they were hired for.  Even if they have previous experience with a similar company, they have not performed the job with your company.  If they learn quickly, you can always move on to the next task.

Unlike robots, most employees want to have continuous opportunities for learning.  Once an employee masters their primary job, provide opportunities for them to receive training on other tasks that will help them grow.

Training and development require effort so get started creating and implementing your process today.  Or, you can sit back and wait for that neatly wrapped, fully trained employee to be delivered to your doorstep.