Conducting a needs assessment for roofing supervisor safety training

In the construction company, safety management training is very important. With the help of training, the employees gain information about various activities of roofing supervisions and the problems which are faced by them. The present report is based on Bancroft Construction Company which is an USA based company.  The company conducts safety training program for improving the skills and knowledge of the construction firms. Along with this, it has also highlighted on the reward system of the business organization.

IA) Needs Assessment For The Roofing Supervisor

• Use of need assessment in training program

The ultimate goal of the need assessment is to determine the current and future desired performance.  The differences or the gap between the two is the learning that must occur on the basis of good training design (Demirkesen and Arditi, 2015). In the safety training program, through the need assessment, the Bancroft construction can find the required skills which are essential to maintain safety at the workplace.

Advantages of need assessment:

• Through the need assessment, the Bancroft construction can construct sound training and add value to the training process
• Need assessment analysis helps the Bancroft construction to understand the actual performances of employees and it helps to develop a standard to achieve targets,  
• The need assessment helps to measure the gap in employees and smooth the progress of the learning and development of new skills and knowledge to mitigate current performance gaps (Sacks, Perlman and Barak, 2013). In addition, it helps to deal with future learning needs and development.

There are several reasons when the company may not conduct the need assessment. The aim of the need assessment is to fill the gap in between current and future training needs.  Following are the reasons because of which a company does not adopt need assessment:

• The Bancroft construction may fail to analyze when they want to develop the performance of the employees (Evanoff, 2013). The need assessment only identifies those skills which are required but in order to improve the overall performance the company needs to use other elements.
• The company may also refuse the need assessment when they already know what objectives need to be included in the training assessment.

3) Stakeholders group involved in need assessment

3a) Following are the three stakeholder group involved in need assessment

• Employees
• Owners
• Supervisors

The entire above stakeholder’s group should be involved in the needs assessment. The reason to be involved in the need assessment of the employees so that they can identify the actual skills, which the employee are lacking and what are the future needs of the company. In addition, with these, they are also share about the skills gap. Involvements of owners are important in need assessment so that the owners can deliver their expectations from the employee training (Dawood, Miller, Patacas and Kassem, 2014). By involving owner, in need assessment, the company can provide the standard skills which can raise profits of the Bancroft construction. The Reason for Involvement of supervisors in need assessment is that all the activities of employees are supervised by them. It actually provides brief information to skills gaps which need to be involved in training.

• Employees- For conducting the information from the employees the company can use focus groups.
• Owners- In order to conduct information analysis, the owner-trainer can use questionnaire which has different types of questions about the training and needs assessment.
• Supervisors – The method for collecting information from the supervisor is by taking interviews based on the series of questions.  

3b) Method used to gather Information from Each Stakeholder Group

1. Advantages of information methods

Focus group- In order to collect information from employees, the company should set a small group of people by which they can ask a question to employees regarding need assessment (Roy and Jacob, 2015). The advantage of using this method is that the group members influence each other by responding to ideas and comments.

Questionnaire- Through this method, the business can evaluate employee’s ideas and belief. It is time-efficient and cost-effective method which can be used by the company in order to research or collect information.

Interviews- Through the interviews, employees can collect all information about a single topic in a frequent way and through this; they can also generate ideas or feedback about need assessment.

Focus group- The main disadvantage of the focus group is that the employees are not involved in the discussion with group members, so natural observations can be made (Del Puerto, Clevenger and Glick, 2015). For collecting information, employee’s active participation required.

Developing a comprehensive training plan for roofing supervisor safety training

Questionnaire- With the help of this method, the company can collect only limited information from the owners.

Interviews- For gathering information from the interview, business receive only limited time. The supervisors of the company are involved in different activities so, maybe there is lack of time.  

Following are the four skills gaps which can be associated with roofing supervisors.

• Manual Dexterity
• Organize roofing material
• Read and interpret drawings
• Time management

4a) Safety-related Learning Objectives and Behavioral Changes 

• Develop knowledge about the labor safety at a construction site and gain learning about the carpentry, pouring cement, installing drywall, and the installation of specific types of equipment through the training.
• In the construction of other business, it is required that budgeting, planning, recording, and marketing are conducted (Teizer, Cheng and Fang, 2013). Through the training need assessment, the employees can become familiar with word-processing, spreadsheet and publishing software.
• All the construction workers need to develop a deep knowledge of the design and planning so they can effectively overcome with all types of risks. With the help of the training, the employees can learn about all types of safety equipment.
• The construction workers should be smart and be able to handle work according to situations. So, the learning objectives of training need assessment and the training program should be designed accordingly. The behavioral change is that workers receive complete information about the correct lifting posture, and careful attention to safety.

4b) Non-Safety Skills 

The non-safety skill for the roofing supervisor is lack of communication skills. Due to the lack of communication, accidents can occur. The communication must be completed between sender and receivers with the correct meaning (Kaskutas, Dale, Lipscomb and Evanoff, 2013).  If the communication is not effective between two parties then misconduct may occur.

5) Two Strategies that may Improve Training Transfer at Each Stage 

1. Before training takes place

• Carry out the thorough training needs analysis
• Align learning outcomes with business goals and on-job tasks

1. During the training program

• Draw upon the learner’s prior knowledge to create associations
• Use instructional strategies that establish relevance

1. After training takes place

• Associated training with social learning
• Arrange post-training follow-up sessions.

• Effective delivery methods for  safety training methods
• Lecture method
• Discussion methods

1. a) Reason for selection of safety training methods

• Lecture method

The reasons for selecting the lecture method are that they provide a general understanding of the topic. It is based on one-way communication method through which the trainers can provide complete information about the material (Zhang, Boukamp and Teizer, 2015). The lectures are logically sequenced so the trainees can follow each topic. During the lecture, trainees can listen, observe and take notes. With the help of this delivery methods, training can be provided to a large number of employees at the same time.

• Discussion Methods

The discussion is a two-way communication in between the lecture and the trainers to increase learning opportunities. The method includes short lectures to provide the basic information about the trained. This is followed by a discussion among the trainers and between the trainees in order to support safety training methods (Choudhry, 2014). These methods allow verbal and non-verbal feedback from trainers and help the trainee to receive desired learning methods. Discussions take place during the training which enhances employee’s performances.

1. b) Recommendations

The best place to facilitate training methods is at Bancroft construction campus. Lecture method and discussion method can be given during the on the job training under the supervision of managers and executives.

2) Type of Training Designed 

In order to provide the safety training, there are mainly two type of training methods i.e internal and external methods (Guo, Li, and Li, 2013). The best method to provide training employees is an externally designed method.

• All the works of the construction company are taking place outside of the company. So for the workers, it is important to gain knowledge at the real construction sites through which employees can gain information about the company’s affairs.
• In the external business training, the company can give knowledge to employees about the use of equipment and tools which are majorly used at the construction site. Through this method, employees can gain all essential skills such as time management, presentation skills, and physical skills.

 3) Person facilitate the safety training

The safety training required to fulfill the specific qualifications of workers in the safety training. As according to the OSHA’s training standards, the training must be effective and its goal should provide high level of education to workers. In the construction company, the training must be provided by the safety manager (Park and Kim, 2013). The manager is known for each activity which is related to the safety of construction site. Through the safety managers, employees receive all required information and also they can learn to handle construction operations related to the roofing.

4) Process of Pilot Testing in Safety Training Method

A pilot test is a test in which the Bancroft construction takes training program for a trial run. It is the first phase training program, through which the company can evaluate the performance of employees at the first time. It is designed to evaluate whether the training program will work or not. Following are the process of pilot test:

• Conduct the Physical Classroom

Effective strategies for training program evaluation

For the classroom training, it is important to have audiovisual and computer equipment. The set of the classroom according to the standard setups and easily accommodate the number of learners for the pilot (Teoh, 2016)). The virtual classroom should include all technical capabilities so the training program can easily be displayed to the learners.

• Select 8-15 learners for participate

In order to make the training program effective, it is advisable that pilot test should include 8-15 learners in their training program so the delivery of program can be effective. Along with it, Bancroft construction can also appoint the instructor, who helps in evaluating the effective need of training.  

• Send a Reminder to Learners

Before starting the pilot program, it is essential for the company to send a reminder to learners via email. So they must be aware of schedule.   

• Prepare the materials

In the physical classroom training, the Bancroft construction’s trainer can provide materials by including copies of slides and distribute the materials when training program starts. For the virtual classroom pilot program, the organization need to make sure that before starting classes learning materials should be to learners.

• Create Awareness to Participate in the Test

Before starting the training, awareness should be created for the learners so that the employees can be motivated to participate in the training. So, they must become aware of the instruction and if there is any problem related to the learning material they can also be informed.

• Collect Appropriate Feedback in Training Intervals

During the training period, the individuals can be asked to provide feedback at appropriate intervals (Wang, Li and Tam, 2014). The instructor can select any interval for receiving the feedback from employees about the materials and can obtain clear knowledge about the instructors.  

• Collect a Debrief

At the end of the pilot test, the organization should conduct a debriefing program that considers the entire training program. The provider can ask about the effectiveness of training and parts of the program which need to be revised. Pilots can also provide suggestion so that the service providers can ask changes in techniques.

• Assess the Results

In this step, learner’s performance needs to assess on test and activities so that it can be made sure that the questions and activities really address the objectives (Wang, Li and Tam, 2015) The learners should understand the instructions questions and that learner have really been taught the material so they have an opportunity to perform successfully at the assessments

• Reviews of notes

After completing the pilot, the organization should review notes. By making categories in the program, the service provider can make priorities as a guide, revise the training program and also address issues before completing the program.

5) Two Strategies for Motivating Employees to Participate in Training 

There are different ways in which the Bancroft construction can motivate the employees to participate in the training program. Some of them are given below:

It is possible that workers may be frustrated with the company’s job or position because there is no career advancement available for employees. If the company provide training to them, then they feel progressive and will attain a chance for promotion of self-improvement (Choudhry, 2014). The training always shows the employees about the work and provides career goals to them.

Best practices for performance management of roofing supervisors

Rewards

In order to motivate employees, company can also provide rewards. Through the cash prize, the business can increase the involvement of workers in training. At the same time, the company can also provide information regarding how training course can positively impact on future career goals.   

• After proving the training to employees it is essential to evaluate the training program. There are mainly four stages which are involved in training program evaluation.

Reaction

It refers to the degree to which the participants find the training methods useful and relevant. The first phase for evaluating the training methods is to ask about the learner’s reaction and their experiences related to the training. It can elaborate on ways, training can become useful for them.  

Learning

It means to evaluate the skills, knowledge, attitude, and confidence of participates based on the training (Demirkesen and Arditi, 2015). The intended use of training is to improve the knowledge and skills of participates and their learning. So for a company, it is essential for evaluating, the ways in which the employees improved their learning.

Behavior

It refers to observing the behavior of the employees at the workplace when they are back from the training. After receiving the training, employee’s performance and behavior are evaluated by the business firm If the behavior is positive then training can be referred as successful and if not then further changes are required in future training.

Results

The last stage related to the training methods is evaluating results of employees. It means to evaluate the degree of outcome from training. All the training which is provided by the company is intended to develop a certain type of skills for improving their future needs. So, the outcome of training should be according to future needs.

There are different types of the behavior changes which take place in the Bancroft construction while evaluating the post-training charges. After receiving training employee behavior can be changed. There are many types of methods for measuring the post-training behavior changes such as knowledge acquisition, measuring the employees’ level of confidence and return on the investment.

The best method for determining the changes is measuring satisfaction and participant reaction. The most basic method for evaluating the post-training changes is to check the satisfaction of level of employees. The company can use the electronic survey to measure the satisfaction reaction after the training which helps the company to evaluate the changes occurred after receiving training.

IiA ) Best Practices For Setting Employees Expectations

Following are the best practices for setting the employee’s expectations

• Advancement in career goals
• Providing financial rewards
• Providing feedback
• Involving in decision-making process

1) Performances outcomes used for construction supervisors

After receiving the training, it is important to evaluate the performance outcome of the employees. In order to measure the presentations outcomes, employees of construction and labor should make comparison with standard expectation and the actual outcome. The aim of the safety training is to increase knowledge of employees regarding the accidents which appear on the construction site (Evanoff, 2013).  By making the evaluations of performance outcome with the standard outcome, the company can actually evaluate the effectiveness and employees expectation.  Under this method, the company can set the standard for employee’s performances and after conducting the task, they shouuld evaluate the actual performances given by the employees. Through this method, company can easily determine the level of outcome from employees.

Following are the characteristics which can be obtained from performances expectations:

• Through the employee’s performer’s expectations, creativity of employees can also be increased. (Dawood, Miller, Patacas and Kassem, 2014). The employees, in order to achieve the business goals and rewards, increase their creative and innovative thinking and provide better work to employees.
• By setting the performance outcome, the company can increase the current skills and performance of employees. The practices set by the company help the employees to measure their own level of enactments.
• The third characteristic of employee’s performance expectation is to establish healthy competition in the business environment. The employees of the company feel free to ask their questions and also they try to provide better work.

In order to increase the performance of employees and management, different types of the practices can be implemented within business environments (Teizer, Cheng and Fang, 2013). Through such practices, the business can evaluate and determine the presence of workers. It is one of the best practices for increasing employee’s performances is observation.

The observation is that technique in which employer make an observation of employees. Through the observation, the employer can understand the actual changes which occurred in the employees through the training. The observation provides deep knowledge regarding determination of employees and their views. The manager can monitor the employee’s daily activities with the workplace, during the meetings and another area so they get a fair idea how effectively and efficiently performance of employees can increase and the way in which it is giving benefits to the company.

2b) Best practices for Improving Employees Performances

Observation – The best policy which can be adopted by the company for providing observing employees is to make research policy (Kaskutas,  Dale, Lipscomb and Evanoff, 2013). Through the research policy the individual need to make a research on employees for observation.

Coaching –The best policy for coaching the employees is to provide coaching with lecture methods. Through the lecture method, employees can improve their coaching technique and it helps them for improving the skills and attitude.

Feedback – The Company can adopt the policy to provide feedback to employees by constructive criticism. Through the constructive criticism, managers of the company can improve performance and also help them in achieving future goals.

• Four problems in the observation and evaluation techniques

Following are the four problems which can become error in observation and evaluation techniques

• Through the observation and evaluation, only performances of the employees can be improved, not their attitude (Choudhary, 2014).  
• Instruments and tools are very costly under the observation and evaluation of techniques.
• Past problems cannot be studyied through the observation
• It is time-consuming process. Thus, management required time for managing their activities.

Strategies for Managing Problems in Observation and Evaluation Techniques

• In order to evaluate the attitude of employees, a business can provide real-time situation or conduct an aptitude test
• There are other instruments which are also available through to provide observation.
• To study the past problems, the company can create its own data management
• The time can be effectively used by setting criteria for employees.
• Five characteristics of a Legally Defensible Performance Appraisal System

There are mainly five characteristics of a legally defensible performance appraisal system:

• Providing the job descriptions of each employees working in the Bancroft construction and provide standards job profile to the employees.
• Helps in creating value process on the basis of the job description and using rating system the pre-established standards (Teoh, 2016).
• Another characteristic is that it provides objectivity on the base of the evaluation period and also provides specific behavior.
• The system should be able to provide the regular feedback to employees and also address their problems which occur during the performers.
• The system should consistently provide a rating on each process and task which is completed by employees.

The party which makes a contribution in informing the supervisor about the skills and caliber of  labor and employees are the person who supervises the legally defensible performance appraisal system. The skilled employee should understand each aspect and the technical knowledge of the system. Through that person, the company can report the performance appraisal of workers (Wang, Li and Tam, 2014).  It is also essential because through that person the Bancroft construction receives the fair report on the employee’s performance and provides a brief review to improve deficiencies.

• The first strategy is to establish the purpose of the meetings. The meeting for the employees should not be based on surprise. It should be well known to everyone in the workplace. Along with this, the company should also need to describe the purpose and agenda for the meetings.
• Another strategy is to discuss the challenges and successes of the employees. In the review meetings, the managers need to discuss with the employees regarding positive and negative feedback. In the review, the managers should conduct each performance if each factor and provide constructive criticism to employees.
• The last strategy is that the employees should agree upon the specific actions that taken by the employees. Both managers and employees need to leave the meeting with items on their to do list.

• Deficiencies in Current Reward System

The current reward system of the company is based on providing the bonus system. So, the companies need to make an effective evaluation system for improving this.  There are different types of problems which Bancroft construction can face in the current bonus system.

• The current reward system is based on fulfilling the short-term objectives of the company only. It does not precisely measure the actual performance of workers.
• In the current reward system, the employees can rush the performances and creativity of workers. Due to the variable bonus system, the company cannot determine actual financial incentives and the unable to review the actual performance of workers.
• Modifications in the current reward system

By identifying the current reward system the Bancroft construction can remove the problems from the current reward system.

• The first strategy which can be adopted by the company is to link reward system with performances (Wang, Li and Tam, 2014). At present, the company reward system is based only on proving the services on the basis of work. The reward should be linked with positive performances of the company.
• Rewards should be based on objective performance data. Through the rewards performance data, the company can provide all fair data to employees. With the help of this performance data individual‘s enactment also get improved.

3) Strategies through which Workers to accept Constructive Criticism 

In order for the employees to accept the constructive criticism, following are the strategies.

• The first strategy to include is to provide constructive criticism in which the employees can ask to specific issues from them (Teizer,  Cheng and Fang,  2013).
• By asking about the specific needs and listening to the actual problems, the company can try to develop a habit to accept the criticism.
• The second strategy is to provide a mentor to employees. By receiving the mentorship, the employees can overcome their problems and easily accept criticisms.

Conclusion

Summing up the present report, it can be concluded that for the Bancroft construction to successfully manage their safety training program. Through the safety program, the employees of the company get aware about the safety equipment at the workplace and overcome with future problems. In the above report, the business is developing different types of the training program so the employees can enhances their present skills. In addition, for improving the performances of employees company is also providing the bonus based reward system.

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