Onboarding of new employees is essential to be able to execute tasks. Development activities are essential for continuous improvement and growth.

 

Onboarding

An onboarding programme can make or break the experience as a new employee. It can also contribute to retention of the employee in the long term although this is not guaranteed. Many of our affiliates feel very alone and have struggled during their first few months to get to grips with their PV responsibilities. They often have two or three roles and have to keep on top of quality and regulatory activities simultaneously. These affiliates compare the support received from GS with other areas (Regulatory Affairs offers three-day face-to-face). The support available from GS in DK is not clearly communicated and they are often not aware of who they need to contact for what. 

 

PV training activities (aside SOP reading) are not formally part of other stakeholders’ onboarding programmes in RA, GD and PS. 

 

Development Activities

Every employee at every level is interested in personal and professional development. Development activities are just as important as onboarding and support continuous improvement. It is about timing and attending 

There is a demand from the organisation to avoid burdening employees with unnecessary training. In addition, there is a demand from guidelines and local health authorities to ensure training effectiveness.

 

No single training delivery method is ideal for all types of training. The ‘one size fits all’ approach is no longer viable today. GS must enable and support blended learning to meet the different needs of global stakeholders and ensure high impact learning. A delivery strategy should include multiple methods such as classroom, on-the-job instruction, eLearning and mobile learning. Figure 2 below shows some examples of learning delivery methods.

 

An ideal combination might be teaching basic fundamentals online and then teaching advanced skills in the classroom. Or it might be providing on-the-job training for new employees followed by refresher training via a mobile device. Training activities can stand alone or be combined as part of a ‘training package’ taken over time.

 

The benefits of a blended approach:

 

·         an instructor is not limited to sharing knowledge in the classroom – it can be shared across geographic boundaries by uploading e.g. videos and other valuable content

·         including eLearning ensures employees receive the same information because it is presented consistently

·         face-to-face can focus on higher level skills since the basics are known 

·         learners can ‘control’ their learning in terms of time, place and pace