Us Postal Service Orientation Case Summary

1. Describe the nature and causes of the U.S. Postal Service orientation problem in the case.
I offer that the causes of the U.S. Postal Service orientation problem are that the informal orientation and training structure is not defined clearly and it lacks the structure to ensure new employees are adequately prepared for their jobs as letter carriers. The poorly designed orientation and training process that is offered beyond that provided by Burgess is based on assumptions and is not reflective of well-planned design, implementation and evaluation phases of training as defined by Nick Blanchard and James Thacker.
Direct supervisors are not trained to ensure consistency when training employees at worksite facilities. The trainees were

Mentor orientation can be described as “Employees who have seniority… to oversee new hires for a certain time-period and are ultimately responsible for providing much of the training that will take place at work.” (Taylor, 2011) This enables newly hired employees to receive consistent support after the formal orientation and 3 days on the job training. The mentoring support should be planned based on the lessons in the formal orientation program identified above. Since supervisors must continue to do work-related tasks association with leadership at the job-site, mentors can direct, supervise and help new employees refine skills needed to become successful and productive. In the case, it seems that the worksite has a demand for multiple routes to be run possibly in the absence of other letter carriers. While this is a great way to allow a new employee to become knowledgeable of the all the routes served by this site, it can be overwhelming for an employee learning the prerequisite skills of the job. With a mentor assigned, the employee can safely and productively meet the needs of the worksite with the support of an experienced

Supervisors are acting as trainers when implementing the formal orientation and OJT process. It is important that they thoroughly learn the content of the orientation process, as well as learn how to implement the process with new trainees. By implementing the Train-the-Trainer Model, Burgess is ensuring that each direct supervisor, receive the same training and have common KSA regarding the support and preparation of new employees. She increases the likelihood or consistency for the job site training offered each need employee. Additionally, with Train-the-Trainer model, direct supervisors can understand their roles in the process and it further increases their accountability regarding the success of new hires at their