This report is based on Joseph Holts Brewery a Manchester Company dating back to 1849. The company own very traditional public houses but has over the last few years has looked to the future and is making changes their business plan. The company decided that a number of its units should sell a larger range of products from other suppliers and studied at the costs under unit manager’s control. The new products and the controlling of costs have to be backed up with training and to some extent this has been done with the permanent managers on a trial basis using outside consultants.
In their book ‘Essential Managers Manual’ Robert Heller and Tim Hindle stated ‘ despite the expense involved in training it is cheaper than the cost of persisting without it, which will be damaging to performance. ‘ In our company it is not only the permanent Managers that control costs but their replacements. So by identifying a training need for the Relief Management team will help the company reach its business goals. THE ROLE The Relief Manager has the role temporary unit management in the manager’s absence sometimes in very hard circumstances, such as a dismissal of the permanent manager.
They should approach the running of the unit with the same cost controls as the permanent managers. The need for business oriented Relief Managers is vital for the success of each unit as well as the company. We have an experienced relief management team with 64% having taken control in over 11 units. The Relief Manager does not get any structured training, just some in-house with a permanent manager in a ‘sit next to Nelly training program’.
I aim to show that a training gap exists between the current performance and required performance in present Relief managers and that they would also benefit from a training program to bring increased efficiency and savings for the company. BENCHMARKS A training program for the Relief Manager would have to show improvements in the following measurable areas, Stock Control, Turnover and Staff Hours. These are the company benchmarks for judging performance. It will also bring effective changes in the skills and knowledge of the Managers with a change in attitude towards the company.
The new company policies such as merchandising have not yet reached the Relief managers but are in place in units under their control. It is evident in some of the research that they do not feel the company appreciates their role and certainly, some of the permanent managers and staff at the brewery regard them as second-class management. Therefore, within other training programs run for the permanent Managers there is need to change views concerning the Relief managers’ position within the company. Also motivating the relief managers by including them in training programs.
Analysis of the training need Training need analysis according to Ian Fleming in his book “Training Needs Analysis for the Leisure Industry” consists of four main stages, the identification of the training needs, deciding on the training needs priority, then providing that training and evaluating the success. This being the training cycle, the last stage of evaluation then becomes the start of the next training need analysis as results of the training will show the need for further enhancement to the training program.
The need for a training program can arise from external sources, such as, the competition, change in legislation effecting our industry and changes in customer needs. For example, we have recently seen the increase in the minimum wage and in the memo from Mr. T Dempsey Tied Trade Director stated ‘the extra company wage bill annually will be over i?? 400,000 so costs have to be tightly controlled. ‘ We also see internal factors that can point to the need for a training program.
The lack of motivation, performance standards not being reached and the basic need of refresher in the code of practice and company policies for Managers. To identify training needs qualifiable data is collected and collated many ways through questionnaires, interviews, benchmark results against standards required, observation of the workplace, staff appraisals and recording of incidents. All have advantages and disadvantages and to rely on one approach could give a skewed view. For example the method of staff appraisal, too many managers see this a chore and the employee gives false feedback to try and impress.
In a Dilbert book by Douglas Adams that said “they are like finding a dead squirrel in your garden and throwing over your neighbours fence, who promptly flings it right back because he thinks it is the right thing to do, everyone is happy except the dead squirrel”. So to identify training need we have to look at the perceived problem with a number of methods. In this case, I have collected the data from face to face interviews with a number of Managers. A questionnaire on attitudes and personal views on performances also completed.
The benchmark standards of company and results actually returned whilst involved with the management in a unit were compared. In their book ‘Identifying training needs’ Tom Boydell and Malcolm Leary state that there are three levels of training instruction, Implementing (the being competent at existing requirements of position), Improving (Having and using improved skills and processes) and Innovating (able to work differently and create new ways of working). In the case of the Relief management team here at Joseph Holts the training operates on the first level to improve we need training at the second level.
