The paper proposes how United Airlines can develop effective communication and training strategies. It also analyzes the significance of orientation and training. In most cases, company management is often quite busy and forgets to share information with workers and loses sight of communication in the workplace. Most employees desire to be successful in their careers and they want to know the organization’s future plans. The company needs to communicate its strategic goals, vision and mission with its employees ( Han et al., 2017) . Furthermore, it should state its expectations. However, most workers do not feel involved or trusted with the decision making process. In most situations, employees find out information through rumors, memos, or notices. An effective communication strategy ensures that there are proper communication channels between management and employees.
Moreover, employees learn how to communicate with customers from internal communications between colleagues and the top down communication between the management and employees. Managers spend about 50% to 80% of the time in a company communicating in different ways ( Han et al., 2017) . It amplifies the need for not only the managers but also employees to become good communicators. If the business has strong internal communication processes, workers tend to feel appreciated and engage in decision-making processes. Also, employees tend to believe that their efforts are appreciated and that their opinions matter. An effective communications strategy should involve creating a communication process, multiplying the information or message, and processing feedback.
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Training offers an essential opportunity for United Airlines to improve the knowledge base of its employees and how they handle issues. However, most companies find training and development programs to be costly. Annually, the main corporations globally spend millions training their employees. Some employers also fear that attending training programs may cause employees to miss some work days and delay the completion of projects ( Rodriguez & Walters, 2017) . Nevertheless, the benefits of training programs outweigh the potential drawbacks. Training programs not only benefit the employee but also the entire organization making the time and costs a worthy investment. The training programs will allow the company's employee ' s to become good communicators and teach them how to handle issues within the company.
There are various benefits of training programs such as enhancing company profile and reputation, improving employee productivity, reducing turnover, motivation and morale, increasing innovation in new products and strategies, addressing company weakness, complying with industry and quality standards, and ensuring consistency. Employee training is essential to both experienced and new employees. Training describes the process of improving employee knowledge, skills, and capabilities regarding a particular responsibility or job. Training not only improves the thought process of employees but also improves how they react to particular issues and problems. It should be a continuous process in the organization. Ultimately, the communication and training products will improve United Airline’s productivity.
United Airlines
Han, S. L. C., Henninger, C. E., Apeagyei, P., & Tyler, D. (2017). Determining Effective Sustainable Fashion Communication Strategies. In Sustainability in Fashion
(pp. 127-149). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
The time and effort that employees and companies spend on communication are critical to the ethical and financial health of the business. If the business has strong internal communication processes, workers tend to feel appreciated and engaged in decision-making processes. Also, employees tend to believe that their efforts are appreciated and that their opinions matter. Moreover, strong communication channels ensure that all stakeholders are focused on the vision and all employees are dedicated to the company's mission and strategic vision ( Han et al., 2017) . An analysis of United Airlines indicates that both staff and management realize the significance of effective communication channels and that they should make improvements.
The first step is developing the communication strategy. United Airlines should get all employees or a group of employees into a hall or room and then decide how the company should communicate with its employees. The selected team should brainstorm and then define the purpose and process for better organization of communication management. The communication strategy should state how the information should be delivered, who should know, when they should receive the information, and what information should be delivered. The next step involves creating a communication process. Research shows that only 9% of employees are aware of all decision made in a business while 55% feel partially informed ( Han et al., 2017) . United Airlines should have a consistent communication process. Consistent communication may be as simple as taking notes during a meeting and sending the minutes to all employees. It may be a simple technique, but it will ensure all employees are informed.
Grappi, S., & Romani, S. (2015). Company post-crisis communication strategies and the psychological mechanism underlying consumer reactions. Journal of Public Relations Research
, 27 (1), 22-45.
The third step involves multiplying the message. The business should communicate its strategic goals and message through all available forums such as video delivery, email, text messaging, newsletter, town hall meetings, bulletin boards, staff meetings, business website, social media, and intranet internet. The more United Airlines communicates the intended message, the more likely company employees will learn to communicate effectively while complying with company policy. The next step involves explaining the why. In most cases, United Airline's management has come up with great ideas, explained how they planned it, stated how they will implement it, and even communicated it to all employees ( Grappi & Romani, 2015) . However, they did not explain why the particular decision was made and the importance of the decision or company policy at a given time. Therefore, the management should fully explain why a particular decision is essential to the organization's future and how it supports organizational strategy and business goals.
Kassim, H., & Ali, F. (2010). English communicative events and skills needed at the workplace: Feedback from the industry. English for Specific Purposes
, 29 (3), 168-182.
Also, the company should create a feedback process. In most cases, one-way communication processes have proven to be ineffective. It is critical to have a forum where employees can provide feedback and ask questions. The process ensures that the information and message were received as the management intended. The feedback sessions can be carried out on an online employee forum or in staff meetings. Regardless of the organizational process or structure, all employees should feel that their opinions and thoughts were heard and appreciated ( Kassim & Ali, 2010) . The feedback process will assist United Airlines in identifying its weaknesses and the areas that should be improved. Workers spend a significant portion of their lives on a job. Therefore, interacting and connecting with the company vision and mission is one of the effective ways of encouraging and fostering employee engagement.
Rodriguez, J., & Walters, K. (2017). The importance of training and development in employee performance and evaluation.
An observation of the current trend in United Airlines indicates that new hires should undergo effective orientation while other employees should undergo training so that they can be well prepared to face and address issues. Company orientation creates a first impression to new hires. Although the orientation process may only take a few hours, it may be essential to the days, weeks, and years that the employee will work for United Airlines. All in all, orientation and training gives employees time and skills regarding their duties, coworkers, surroundings, computer programs, and equipment ( Rodriguez & Walters, 2017) . Although the orientation process occurring on the first day, it will be essential in the career development of the individual.
Orientation and training programs ingrain loyalty. Positive first impressions and improving the skills of employees will fill workers with pride and excitement, thus boosting their loyalty to United Airlines. Instead of beginning the orientation and training programs with firing rules or strict policies, United Airlines may begin with a summary of growth plans, introductions, benefits of working at United Airlines, goals, mission statement, company culture, and the vision statement ( Rodriguez & Walters, 2017) . The programs should always begin with earnestly welcoming the employees.
Aguinis, H., & Kraiger, K. (2009). Benefits of training and development for individuals and teams, organizations, and society. Annual review of psychology
, 60 , 451-474.
Orientation and training accelerate learning. If the programs involve lengthy conversations without breaks, the employees may end up feeling baffled and exhausted. Also, cramming too much company information within a single day may cause the collapse of the orientation and training programs. Therefore, the programs should clearly outline the strategic goals and company description in manageable sessions (Aguinis & Kraiger, 2009). Giving employees breaks within the session reduces confusion. When the company ensures that the initial information is easy to understand, it assists in accelerating and streamlining the learning process.
Furthermore, it promotes communication. Ideal training and orientation processes make employees feel supported, welcomed, comfortable, and free to communicate. When employees are properly trained, they can easily understand company processes and how to approach problems. While the facilitator is explaining the chain of command at United Airlines or essential company processes, he or she may occasionally stop and ask the new hires and employees if they questions. The process of encouraging questions and appropriately answering them assists the company to develop a rapport with employees while nurturing their communication skills (Aguinis & Kraiger, 2009). The stronger the communication strategy in United Airlines, the more likely that the company will achieve the strategic goals.
Jehanzeb, K., & Bashir, N. A. (2013). Training and development program and its benefits to employee and organization: A conceptual study. European Journal of business and management
, 5 (2).
Orientation and training programs improve company productivity. If properly implemented, the programs ensure that employees can perfectly execute their responsibilities. Ultimately, when employees align their individual goals with the company's strategic objectives, the overall productivity of United Airlines will increase. The business should ensure that all employees are aware of company policies by posting regulations and rules in convenient places or sending a copy to the employees' email or providing newsletters ( Jehanzeb & Bashir, 2013) . The company can also have an orientation handbook that may act as a critical source of information that will increase performance, establish a solid foundation, build confidence, and boost efficiency.
Additionally, orientation and training programs will reduce turnover. No company desires to lose their top talent because of poor communication strategy or training especially after spending weeks and months recruiting and training. Unless the company appreciates and values employees, it is likely that turnover may be a serious issue ( Rodriguez & Walters, 2017) . A proper training and orientation program accompanied by an effective corporate culture will be essential in reducing turnover.
Keep, E. (2014). Corporate training strategies: the vital component?. New Perspectives , 109-125.
Managing employees requires a lot of communication, time, and patience. United Airlines should train the employees on specific processes in the business, the company's expectations, the evaluation process, and how the employees can address common issues and avoid common mistakes. Furthermore, the company should realize that employees understand and learn in different ways and at different rates ( Keep, 2014) . Although the task of properly training employees may appear overwhelming, with proper training strategies and focus, the outcomes and rewards of the processes will be worth it for both the company and its employees.
There are various rules for developing a training strategy. The first rule is to teach skills and not traits. Instead of attempting to change employees’ characters, the company should focus on training particular skills that can be learned and taught. For instance, a supervisor may be responsible for a customer care agent whose work is to receive and address customers’ needs. If the employee is naturally introverted, (a trait), it is unnecessary to convince the employee to become extroverted, (a trait). Instead, the company should train the employee to become a more active listener (a skill) and how to solve issues and communicate effectively using the right terminology (a skill) ( Keep, 2014) .
Salas, E., Tannenbaum, S. I., Kraiger, K., & Smith-Jentsch, K. A. (2012). The science of training and development in organizations: What matters in practice. Psychological science in the public interest
, 13 (2), 74-101.
The company should teach the appropriate skills. United Airlines should only teach skills that will offer immediate and tangible results according to the job description of the employee. For instance, the company’s sales team consists of farmers and hunters. Hunters continuously look for new clients while farmers manage the existing company relationships with their clients. Therefore, it will be a waste of resources to train the entire sales team regarding cold calling techniques. Cold calling techniques should be limited to the hunters while the company should offer training to farmers regarding relationship management and customer service ( Salas et al., 2012) . After teaching the appropriate skill, the organization should focus on reinforcing and supporting the skill. After training employees, the company should offer multiple opportunities to analyze how well the worker is executing the skill and how to improve his or her skills. Learning new skills should also involve making it a habit. Although overcoming the undesired habits to acquire the desired habits is a difficult task, employee coaching will allow the company to reinforce the desired skills ( Salas et al., 2012) .
Beier, M. E., & Kanfer, R. (2010). Motivation in training and development: A phase perspective. Learning, training, and development in organizations , 65-97.
The fourth step involves implementing skill-based metrics. If United Airlines wants its employees to utilize and integrate a skill in their daily activities, they should measure the efficiency of the application of the skill. For instance, if the sales team was trained on particular aspects of the sales process, instead of measuring the financial outcomes at the end of the first quarter, the company can measure the outcomes after every stage and process of the skill. Change management is a challenging process that should be implemented carefully. Employee training is essential to the success of United Airlines. However, the entire process would be futile if the company does not reinforce the acquired skills within the corporate culture ( Beier & Kanfer, 2010) . Also, it is significant to measure the outcome of the skill to ensure that the company is teaching the correct skills. Ultimately, the success of the training and orientation programs will be dependent on how well United Airlines handles the change management.
References
Aguinis, H., & Kraiger, K. (2009). Benefits of training and development for individuals and teams, organizations, and society: Annual review of psychology , 60 , 451-474.
Beier, M. E., & Kanfer, R. (2010). Motivation in training and development: A phase perspective: Learning, training, and development in organizations , 65-97.
Grappi, S., & Romani, S. (2015). Company post-crisis communication strategies and the psychological mechanism underlying consumer reactions: Journal of Public Relations Research , 27 (1), 22-45.
Han, S. L. C., Henninger, C. E., Apeagyei, P., & Tyler, D. (2017). Determining Effective Sustainable Fashion Communication Strategies in Sustainability in Fashion (pp. 127-149): Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Jehanzeb, K., & Bashir, N. A. (2013). Training and development program and its benefits to employee and organization: A conceptual study. European Journal of business and management , 5 (2).
Kassim, H., & Ali, F. (2010). English communicative events and skills needed at the workplace: Feedback from the industry. English for Specific Purposes , 29 (3), 168-182.
Keep, E. (2014). Corporate training strategies: the vital component? New Perspectives , 109-125.
Rodriguez, J., & Walters, K. (2017). The importance of training and development in employee performance and evaluation.
Salas, E., Tannenbaum, S. I., Kraiger, K., & Smith-Jentsch, K. A. (2012). The science of training and development in organizations: What matters in practice: Psychological science in the public interest , 13 (2), 74-101.
