NCJ Number
201147
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 51 Issue: 6 Dated: June 2003 Pages: 38-40,42
Date Published
June 2003
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article describes the components of a police department's transitional training program, which is designed to ease an employee into a new job position, so as to reduce stress and assist the employee in quickly and easily becoming proficient in the new job.
Abstract
Whomever the department selects to be the mentor for the new employee should be familiar with both the daily tasks of the new job and the administrative aspects of the job, the division, or the bureau. First, the mentor should explain the nature of the assignment and the role the new employee will play in the assignment. This should include a description of a typical workday, with attention to the types and kinds of tasks usually encountered during the day. The mentor should explain the goals or objectives that have been set for the assignment, with attention to the current status of those goals and objectives. All resource material, manuals, guides, directives, policies, and other written material the new employee will need for the job should be provided and explained by the mentor. The mentor should introduce the new employee to all the personnel with whom he/she will be working and explain the other employees' roles within the assignments and the types of employee interaction that will be required in the job. Management procedures should also be explained, so the new employee will understand how decisions are made and assignments delegated. This should include an explanation of the various types of decisions the employee will be expected to make in his/her specific job. The most difficult and complex tasks of the job should be identified and tips offered for addressing them. Any work deadlines or scheduling should be noted. Common-sense suggestions for "do's" and "don'ts" in job performance should be offered.