Question

Case Study 2. New Employee Training at Black and Decker. Page 385 Strategic Human Resource management by Jeffery A. mello

Towson, Maryland–based tool manufacturer Black and Decker (B&D) has developed a new
employee training program that literally puts employees to work. College grads who gain
entry-level professional employment in sales with B&D traditionally received their training
via a three-ring binder that provided information about B&D products. New employees
would study and learn the material to assist them with their selling. Establishing credibility
was not part of the training equation, and many trainees never even touched the products
they were selling, let alone used them. Black and Decker has recently revamped its sales
training for new hires to combine classroom training, online courses, and, most important,
a training floor where new hires engage in hands-on learning about construction and tool
use. This program, a component of Black and Decker University, enrolls 100–200 new sales
and marketing employees annually. B&D University has a staff of 15 employees and an
annual budget of $3 million. As part of their training, sales and marketing trainees take an
online course that explains the four basic applications of tools: cutting, removing, fastening,
and making holes. They then go to work in a product training area, where they must use the
tools to build things, such as roofs, moldings, and stairs. Such experience allows them to go
to retailers and fully explain product features and benefits. As a result of its program, Black &
Decker has drastically reduced turnover, sent out more credible sales staff, enhanced the Black
& Decker name, and reported higher employee satisfaction and loyalty.

Answer 1

Explanation:

Black and Decker Corporation (B&D) is an American company (established in 1910) that manufactures power based tools, hardware & accessories, home improvement products etc. Its headquarter is in Towson, Maryland. After merging with Stanley Works on March 12, 2010, it has now become Stanley Black & Decker, being a wholly owned subsidiary of Stanley Works.

The company emphasizes on driving the bulk recruitment process with a goal of keeping talent pool ready ahead of time.

The case enlightens the new employee training program that gives a complete overview of the product manufacturing & delivering process to new employees in their training sessions. The focus of the new training module is on –

• Classroom training – Basic details about the company and its work
• Online courses – Product related expertise to excel in the field like cutting, removing, fastening and making holes.
• Floor training – Usage of tools to build products and things like roof, staircase, repair work etc.

Pros:

• A fully-understood product assortment leads to better description of products and offering to the retailers.
• The new learning and training modules has provided confident & expert employees resulting in higher job-satisfaction and lower turnover rate.
• The credibility of the products has been improved in the eyes of middlemen and end users.
• Enhanced employees loyalty has automatically lead to the growth of the organization.
• Reduction in the number of underachieved employees.

Cons:

• The training process has become long and complex.
• The time span of the learning modules has increased resulting in increase in cost of HRM.
• Sales and production are two different streams. The employees, who excel in sales, may sometimes fail to understand the deep complexities of production and usage of tools. This may lead to poor performance during training and dissatisfaction among the employees.