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Companies need to invest in training to reap productivity gains.Douglas E. Welch.InfoWorld, Dec 6, 1993 v15 n49 p60(1) COPYRIGHT InfoWorld Publishing Company 1993 Most companies wouldn't hire a secretary who couldn't type or a machinist who couldn't operate a lathe, but they don't hesitate to hire computer illiterates for jobs that require computers. The productivity gains that computer manufacturers promised haven't materialized, and companies have -- in part -- themselves to blame. They need to change the way they hire their employees and dedicate themselves to computer training if they want to see their computer systems deliver on those promises. It is high time companies started expecting their employees to use the tools of the trade, especially computers. Every day we in systems support roles hear people who willingly admit their ignorance of computer operations. Even worse, some seem proud of it and refuse to learn more about computers. Because of this willful lack of education, profits are buried in an ongoing cycle of condoned ignorance. It starts with hiring practices. The IBM PC was introduced more than 10 years ago, yet most human resources departments act as if personal computers don't exist. Instead of testing a new candidate's skills using common software packages, they are still timing shorthand and typing speeds or testing filing ability. Although these skills are useful, they really don't help that much when all correspondence and documentation are prepared and stored on a computer. Companies need to cease hiring those people unprepared for life in the modern computerized office. Human resources departments aren't the only ones deluding themselves. Often managers do not understand the importance of computers to their own operations. Some look at a personal computer as if it were a typewriter. They assume we can plunk it down on an employee's desk, and he or she can immediately go to work. That assumption is the equivalent of placing someone used to driving a Chevette into a Bradley M-1 tank and sending him or her into battle. The complexity of the computer requires knowledge and training. Workplace stress is high enough without compounding it with complex systems and a manager who expects results yesterday. If companies continue to hire employees lacking in computer skills, then they need to take on the heavy responsibility of training their employees. To expect results without training is unfair to the employee, unwise of the manager, and unprofitable to the company. Without training, no amount of computer purchases will increase company productivity. Too many expensive computer systems turn into a convenient place to stick Post-it Notes. Instead, new employees who lack computer skills should be immediately enrolled in classes so they can quickly start producing reports, memos, and spreadsheets. In addition, these classes should be designed for the organization. Plain vanilla courses are fine in the abstract, but once you know your application suites, you can define the focus of the coursework. Once the employees are trained in computer skills, learning does not stop any more than technology stops improving. And companies must provide an incentive to continue computer learning. Computer skills should be part of any yearly review program. Software skills and computer training goals should be updated and reviewed on a regular basis. Employees deserve input regarding what training they need to increase their value to the company. Give each employee a hand in his or her own success. The final, and sometimes most difficult, part of workplace computer literacy is the need to dismiss employees who refuse to become computer literate. Like a carpenter who refuses to learn how to use a hammer, these workers are worthless to themselves and the company. Frankly, these employees are disruptive to business and other employees as much as if they refused to learn how to operate a copy machine. They begin to depend on other employees to do their work for them and destroy not only their own productivity but the productivity of those around them. Computer-based productivity gains are there for the organizations that are ready for the technology. Companies that want to see productivity gains of computers in the workplace need to take immediate steps to ensure the computer literacy of their current employees and cease the economically unfeasible practice of hiring computer illiterates for computerized jobs. Douglas E. Welch is a PC network support specialist with a Southern California entertainment company and a member of the InfoWorld Corporate Advisory Board. |