Thoughts from Training Time

I gotta train them on WHAT???? WHEN???

noreply@blogger.com (G Neil) — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 18:47:00 +0000

Okay, I've written enough over the past couple of years...it's your turn now. I want you to ask ME a question....

Below is a "Linky Tool" that will let you ask a question. Put your question(s) about HR, training or employee motivation into a post on your blog, then link to that post here using the tool.

I'll follow the links, go to your site, read your questions about employee training, and then post the answers here. Simple, right? Just like asking a question over the cubicle wall...except not because there are electrons and screens and ...you get the idea!

Ready to play?

A training must for marketing departments: customers DO talk about your company!

noreply@blogger.com (G Neil) — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 14:34:00 +0000

Okay, maybe it's just me. But it seems that there is a blissful ignorance in marketing departments across the country. It goes something like this....

Marketer 1: Do you think customers will notice if we double the prices and start using much cheaper materials in our products?

Marketer 2: Nah. They're all too busy talking on Facebook and Twitter to care.

Why do I think that? And what in the heck does this have to do with company training? Let me tell you.

I just read a rant on a site called "Search Insider: The inside line on Search Marketing"... here's a little taste of what author Gord Hotchkiss had to say:

"...where do hotels get off charging exorbitant rates for WiFi access and then give you a thin dribble of bandwidth that shuts on and off like a bad neon light? Multiply 13 bucks a night by 200 or 300 rooms for an average-sized hotel. That's about $3,000 every day, or a million dollars a year. This isn't rocket science, people. For that money, I should have a data pipe the size of a Volvo plugged into my laptop."

Conversations like this, albeit maybe without Gord's style, are going on, online, every single day!

And yes, they happen on Facebook and LinkedIn and Twitter... (and maybe even on MySpace, although I think most of those are limited to random posts from non-existent Scandanavian models looking for cash, I mean American husbands...) but most marketing departments seem to be blissfully unaware of what's being said.

And the people in the big offices upstairs? Even more unaware.

So here is the training part:

Make sure everyone in your company knows how to use social media.

Teach everyone in your company how to monitor social media.

Get people in the habit of using it by creating company blogs, Facebook pages for employees, in-house Twitter accounts and other social tools. As a plus, not only will you be training people on the how-to's, you'll be increasing employee retention because connection=retention.

Not sure about the online world yourself? Look for webinars on social media, listening to buzz online and social marketing, then share the webinars and your new-found knowledge with the rest of the company.

Putting out the fires for employee burnout

noreply@blogger.com (G Neil) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 16:58:00 +0000

We all know the story. More work, less people, no extra money for raises, costs going up for everything else...put it all together, and what do you get?

Nope, not the hokey-pokey. You get employee burnout. Not your problem, you think? After all, lots of people would be happy to have a job, right?

Wrong.

Employee burnout is very much your problem as an employer or a manager or an HR specialist. Did you know:

Employees most susceptible to burnout tend to be your best employees. Yes, these are your star performers, your idea-machines, your "nothing is too hard for me" champions. So when they go down....well...you get the picture.

Burnt out employees tend to self-treat by working harder. Which makes them burn out even faster. And deeper. Sounds counter intuitive, but it's true. They push and work and try to get through their burnout by giving more. And if you're like most employers, you encourage that. Reward it, even. Until they crash or quit or make some dangerous mistake...which brings us to our next point

Burnt out employees make mistakes.
Lots of them and bigger ones. and because these tend to be your stars, odds are they have the access and the authority to do a lot of damage when they mess up. And those mistakes can cost you a lot of money.

Employees suffering from burn out at work usually start messing up other aspects of their life. Now, I'm not saying they're going to go postal or anything, but it is pretty well documented that employee burn out leads to marital and family problems, and is apparently correlated with increased auto accidents, family abuse issues and illness (including serious illness.)

So what can you do?

First, know the symptoms. Sudden increases in work hours, projects accepted and deadlines set can be a sign. But it's tricky. Another sign can be when a developed employee starts spending hours surfing the web or talking on the phone. Basically, it's a big change in behavior. Work behavior.

Look for the causes. Has this employee been charged with the work of several? Are expectations rising faster than any one can meet? Has there been a recent or radical restructuring of tasks or roles? Is there a constant threat of job loss?

Do something. Sure, it's great if you're saving the cost of two employees. But if that means your star employees are going down, the risk isn't worth it.

Provide training for managers and supervisors to help them avoid overloading staff. Teach them about the symptoms and the risks of employee burnout. Teach them why it matters.

Offer relaxation options like yoga or meditation or just a quiet room to sit and think.

Discourage working late and coming in early, as well as taking work home. Insist that vacations days are used, even if it's just for staycations. Make it a company policy, if you need to. Employee burnout is both caused by and symptomatic of an imbalance in work/life time. The few extra hours of work you may "lose" will be more than balanced by keeping your best and brightest employees happy and productive.

Are you seeing burn out at your company? Are you experiencing it? Leave a comment and let me know what you are doing about it, what caused it, or what you wish could be done. Let's share and see if someone has a way that works.

We're back!

noreply@blogger.com (G Neil) — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 14:16:00 +0000

For the past several months, changes in priorities and roles have left this blog hanging out there somewhere in the netherworld. But I am happy to say, we are back, and I am excited about bringing you more information about employee training, motivation and performance improvement.

There are a few changes I'll be making. One is that I will be actively seeking guest posters to share their expertise. I will be adding a "Contact us to suggest a guest post" button, but in the meantime (like for the next day or two!) jsut click on the hot link in this post, and drop me an e-mail. Let me know what you'd like to write about, and tell me a bit about your area of expertise.

Looking forward to getting back in the conversation! :-) See y'all soon!

How many lines on a labor law poster can your employees read?

noreply@blogger.com (G Neil) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 21:34:00 +0000

In almost any kind of workplace, there are at least few "official" posters. There might be an industry-specific safety poster. Odds are there's a minimum wage poster. And most businesses will have a number of small posters or one combination labor law poster covering relevant federal laws, regulations and guidelines. State labor law posters and even local labor law information posters may be posted in some areas, too.

That means that the average employee is presented with at least 2, and as many as a dozen posters at work.

Now for the big question...how many of them have they read? How often do they notice when the posters change to reflect new rules and laws?

Odds are, the answer is none. And never.

When most employees are questioned, they say they either just know that something is on the wall (or in the poster display case) or they've never really noticed the posters at all!

So we need to do some training! Why? Training employees on the how and what of labor law posters could:

Prevent injuries to the employees, to co-workers or to customers
Reduce the likelihood of lawsuits for missed or misunderstood benefits like FMLA or ADA accommodation
Reduce the amount of time HR staff has to spend explaining protections and obligations covered in the posters

Some tips and suggestions for good labor law poster training

Focus on:

The reason the posters are there
The reason reading them is important to employees (they may miss a benefit until it's too late, etc)
The locations for the posters
An overview of the content

Do not:

Read the entire poster set to employees, unless reading skills are an issue. The focus should remain on the employee's obligation to see and read this material. Reading it may also set you up for a future lawsuit if an employee claims "that's not what so-and-so said when they read it to us!"

This little training could yield big results for your employees and for your company.

Is it sexual harassment to teach about sexual harassment?

noreply@blogger.com (G Neil) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:01:00 +0000

Awhile back I read about a woman who refused to attend the mandatory diversity training sessions at her company because the content violated her religious beliefs (she did not believe all people were equal -- specifically gay people.) The case went to court, and last I heard was being appealed.

But seeing a note to myself about that training issue made me think. What if the very nature of sexual harassment training, with all its talk of unwanted advances and inappropriate touching was deemed a form of sexual harassment by some employees? It could be seen by some, I suppose, as creating a "sexually charged atmosphere" while others might view the training content and.or images as offensive.

I'm wondering if any of our readers have encountered a situation like this. Has anyone at your company, or anyone you've known of, ever sought an exemption from sexual harassment training because of the content? And if so, how was it handled?

OOPS! Missed something in training and now the bank is on fire!

noreply@blogger.com (G Neil) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:18:00 +0000

Okay, maybe not the whole bank, but at least the ATM!

That's what happened to a fellow HR pro in a previous job. Just one missed element in his training, and boom! The ATM is in flames!

When you're training your new employees, have you covered all the bases? Sure, you know all the little do's and do not's, but are all of those in your training program?

Take a step back, and review every element of a task. Is there something you do, (or the person who is skilled in that job does) that is missing from the training, but matters? Maybe missing that step won't set an ATM on fire, but it might shut down a product line, accidentally cancel a critical order or cause your company to miss an important deadline.

So while you read about Ben's flaming ATM experience, think about your company training? Are there fires you could prevent now with the right training?

The blurry facts about sexual harassment training

noreply@blogger.com (G Neil) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:45:00 +0000

I guess it all depends where you look.

One study says sexual harassment in the workplace is down. Another one says it's up.

And then there are the stats on who exactly is being harassed. Used to be assumed that it was all women. Then gay, lesbian and transgendered employees moved up on the list. Now straight men are filing an increasing number of sexual harassment complaints, usually aimed at their female bosses.

As if all of this wasn't confusing enough, there are questions about what to do to stop, or at least reduce sexual harassment at work. Heck, most of us can't even agree on what is really is. Some things are easy to define as sexual harassment, like when sexual favors are a condition of promotion or even hiring (think the proverbial "director's couch.")

But other things are trickier. When does a compliment become sexual harassment? Or a hug or a pat on the back? Is it only the big things that count, or is everything potentially open to interpretation as harassment?

Amid this maelstrom of uncertainty, there are a few things employers can do to reduce the likelihood of sexual harassment at work. And as you probably expect on this blog, I'm going to list training first. So here goes...

1) TRAINING!

Yup, this is yet another case of what we don't know CAN hurt us. If your employees and your managers can't even come up with a clear definition of sexual harassment, how are they supposed to:

A) Recognize it
B) Prevent it
C) Deal with it when it happens

Now for the good news. Sexual harassment training does NOT have to be boring. In fact, it probably won't do a heck of a lot of good if it is boring. People who are falling asleep, daydreaming or doodling probably are not learning very much.

Look for a sexual harassment training program that gets people involved in the process. Something with role playing, humor or an interactive component will be much more effective than a lecture (remember that earlier post about why lectures are a bad way to teach? Well, here's your chance to apply that knowledge!)

2) Create a culture that doesn't enable sexual harassment

It can be as simple as open door policies for small meetings. You can also make sure spouses and partners are invited to social events on a regular basis. Let your employees, from senior management on down, know that any instance of sexual harassment will be investigated and dealt with promptly. No exceptions.

3) Remain observant

It's estimated that up to 70% of sexual harassment events are never reported, so it's up to you to be aware of the mood and tone of employee interactions. If meetings often include off-color jokes or references, it's time to pull in the reins and get that behavior under control.

Management needs training too!

noreply@blogger.com (G Neil) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:00:00 +0000

There is no nice way to put this...

Lots of managers are terrible at being managers.

Some are manipulative, some are glory-hogs taking credit for staff accomplishments, some hide behind rules instead of taking the lead, some are know-it-all's, and some are control freaks who micromanage employees to death.

If you're in the HR department, you know I'm telling the truth. You see it, hear about, and all too often, try to clean up the messes bad management leaves behind. So what is HR doing about it?

Are you training your managers? Odds are, the answer is no.

Somewhere, somehow, we got the idea that training was for the rank and file. Managers occupied a glorified, exempt realm where they were free from all training needs except for the odd time-management seminar or maybe an intro to the newest corporate initiative to reorganize the rank and file.

And that's sad. Because the right training at the right time could transform those rule-huggers and glory hogs into leaders. A properly designed workshop could teach managers why their success depends upon letting their staff do what they do best without the pressure of micro-management. Good management training can introduce an emotionally-distant manager to the idea of collaborative success through listening, engagement and participation.

No, it is not a cure all. Some managers are just wrong for the job, and will spend the rest of their tenure exemplifying the Peter Principle, as they continue at their level of incompetence.

But with training, the majority of bad managers can become, at the very least, less bad. Lots can become pretty good. And a few, with the right tools and training, will become leaders.

The very un-glamourous training hardworking employees need

noreply@blogger.com (G Neil) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 18:49:00 +0000

There was a time, not too long ago, when employees who worked in hazardous areas or at hazardous job had to supply their own Personal Protective Equipment, also known as PPE.

I guess that seemed like a good policy at the time. It saved the company money, because the cost came out of the employees pocket. And in theory, since the employee was protecting themselves, they would be extra careful and make sure all the bases (or the fingers or whatever) were covered.

In theory.

But in reality? Let's take the case of Pat. A good name that could apply to a woman or a man, so no one will be offended...or everyone will. Especially the Pats. But I digress...

OKAY....Pat comes to work. Pat is a machine operator who also has to use caustic chemicals from time to time. By industry standards and OSHA guidelines, Pat is supposed to use:

Protective goggles
A hard hat
Steel-toed boots
Heavy-duty, extra long gloves
Long sleeved shirts and long pants
A lab coat or smock over street clothes
A dust mask or respirator
Ear plugs

Now Pat only makes $9.75 an hour. And PPE can get expensive. The boots alone are well over $100. So Pat skimps. Regular workboots from the discount store, no steel toes, go for $22.95. Heat and chemical resistant gloves? A pair of garden gloves instead. When it's hot, Pat wears a t-shirt. There haven't been any lab coats around the plant in years, so that's out. The rest of the stuff? Pat just doesn't have the money -- $9.75/hour only goes so far.

This went on for years. Then the rules changed.

In Rule 72:64341-64430, enacted in late 2007, OSHA declared that an

employer must pay for required PPE, except in the limited cases specified in the standard. Safety-toe protective footwear and prescription safety glasses were excepted from the employer payment requirement, in large part because these items were considered to be very personal in nature and were often worn off the jobsite.

Unfortunately, years of ignoring the standards for PPE have made employees lazy. And years of not having to pay for PPE has made employers lazy, too. But with OSHA stepping up enforcement, and industrial accidents rising, employers need to train their workers -- and themselves in safe PPE practices.

With the increased attention OSHA is paying to violations these days, training Pat -- and providing all the necessary PPE could save your company thousands.

Getting training out of the box, Part 3 --- Finally!

noreply@blogger.com (G Neil) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 13:38:00 +0000

Okay, okay, so it wasn't the next day. But hey, it was New Year's Eve. And if you're like most of us here, that first week back after the winter holiday madness was, well, more madness!

But now we're a week into 2010 and it's time to get back on track. So where was I? Oh yes, your objections to opening the box on training.

Number 1

It costs too much.

This one had the most hands waving in the air, I'm sure. Budgets are tight. Got it. But how many people at your company are now expected to pick up the slack for those who have left -- or were let go?

When you eliminate a position or leave one vacant, you've not only cut costs, you've cut expertise and experience. Aside from the question of whether that saves you any money, there is the issue of keeping the business going.

So you need to, got to, have to, MUST train the remaining people so they can do their jobs AND the new job, too.

Hoping they'll "catch on" or figure it out is not a valid game plan. Too much risk for mistakes, and in today's sue-happy climate, that could cost BIG $$$$$.

And looking ahead, what happens when someone leaves unexpectedly, taking their expertise with them? People are still moving on, taking other jobs. Are your employees cross-trained well enough to pick up that now-vacant job, even for a short time if you do hire someone new?

And ALL OF THAT ASIDE....

Good training doesn't really cost that much. But you already knew that, didn't you. So on to the next excuse....

Number 2

It takes too much time away from work

Did I hear you right? Training people to do their jobs better, or to feel better about their jobs is a waste of time???

We live in a world where nearly half of all employees DO NOT LIKE THEIR JOBS. And we all know that people who are happy at work perform better, work harder, and make less mistakes.

And yet people are waving those hands in the air claiming that training is a waste of time? That means one of three things:

1) You have bad training, and no one should be going. So you need to fix what's broken rather than consider it a plus that you're forcing only a small number of your employees to suffer through miserable training.

2) Your training is not useful to your business. Sure, it might be fun. Or it might be your trainer's favorite topic. But if it isn't really useful to your business and your employees, it's time to replace it with something that does matter. And then invite more people to share in the wealth.

3) You are too focused on the short-term, at the expense of the long-term. Sure, maybe Sally in IT isn't a manager yet. But she wants to be. And she's a good employee. So let her go to the management training class. It will benefit the company in the long run, whether she moves into management, or just learns some new skills to apply to her current job. Or even gains a better understanding of what managers do. It's ALL good.

The Big Number 3

There's one more excuse, but this one is usually not accompanied by waving hands. It might be whispered. But usually it's not even spoken.

We are afraid that if "they" know too much, "they" will think they have a right to make choices. To think for themselves. Maybe...and this is the scariest part...shoot for OUR jobs. Gasp! I said it! I broke the code of silence!

It's nothing new. It's the reason so many cultures through-out history have clamped down on education. The more the masses know, the more dangerous they are. Or could be.

But as an excuse, even a silent one, for holding back on training in 2010, it stinks. If managers are so insecure in their skills, they need to get better at what they do, instead of acting as roadblocks to improving the skills of their teams.

Worst of all, if this is the real reason and it's coming down from the top, your organization is in a heap of trouble. And at that point, training is the least of your worries.

So which is it? And why are those gates still closed? Are there reasons I haven't covered? Let me know. Post your thoughts or drop me an e-mail at trainingtimeblog at gmail.com.

And while you're at it, I'd love to hear your thoughts for topics I should cover. (BTW, MLM, discount pharmaceuticals, or the latest gadget you're selling are NOT open topics, so skip those e-mails and comments please.)

In case you needed some more reasons

noreply@blogger.com (G Neil) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:27:00 +0000

Okay, I promise, this is the last post (for awhile!) on why you have to, must, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY need to train your employees!

I was on Facebook, and came across a post from Milton Corsey, linking to a truly awesome article by Bill Bartmann over at Entrepreneur.

Bill listed the six myths about training employees (including the all-time fave "It costs too much" that I just dealt with in my last three posts.

If my rants and tantrums haven't convinced you that training is a non-negotiable MUST for the very top of your professional to-do list, check out his 6 points, then let me know what you think.

Getting training out of the black box - Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (G Neil) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 18:05:00 +0000

Now that you know what training is wanted/needed, it's time to share the news.

In chatting with other HR pros, and even through my own observation, I hear a lot about training being available only to a select few.

Excuse me??

We are talking about something that will create a better informed, more productive, more motivated, and more committed workforce, and you are keeping it a secret from most of your employees?

All I can say is you are nuts! (headwag and finger shaking to be imagined here!)

You have someone working on the factory floor who has aspirations of becoming a supervisor and wants to be able to do it well from Day 1 when the opportunity arises, and you are only letting people who are already supervisors in the door to that class?

You have a clerical employee who writes code on the side at home and you are NOT going to tell her about the database application class because it is not in her job description -- yet! Are you kidding me?

Stop thinking of training as a limited resource!

I will say it again! Training increases productivity, improves morale, and boost employee commitment. It is a tool like almost none other you have in your HR toolbox. So open up the box, and take it out!

How?

Publish a training schedule and let people pick the classes they want to attend. If there are a few people who NEED to attend a given class, put their names down first. Then let ANYONE sign up for the rest of the slots. ANYONE!

Send out in-house e-mails about upcoming training. Post signs on walls. PUBLICIZE IT! Think school dance -- the more signs, the more excitement, the more people attend. Same principle here, except your company benefits from all the people showing up and getting training! Pretty cool, huh? And you don't even need someone to watch the punchbowl!

Reward people for attending, reward improvement in areas that had been lacking, reward new ideas that came from the training. Pay attention to the after-affects of the training. When people do good things because of it, reward them. Chocolate bars, gift certificates, plaques, whatever you choose. Just follow through.

Tomorrow...your objections to this idea. Yeah, I can see those hands waving out there. And the "But...but..." excuse pouring out. Share yours. I'll share the ones I've heard. And tomorrow, we'll deal with them all.

Taking training and rewards out of the black box -Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (G Neil) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 21:42:00 +0000

In my previous post, I talked about making training into a reward. One of the biggest obstacles to doing that is getting the word out about:

1) Training needed/wanted
2) Training available

Without opening up these two things, your training program -- along with all the good it could do your company -- will remain in a black box. And we all know that the only time someone actually looks into the black box is after a disaster.

Here are some tips to open that box, and get training out where it belongs:

1) Find out what kind of training your employees want.

Oh, this sounds sooooo simple. Starting with the employees. Asking questions. But in reality, it is almost never done!

Training is fed to people, top down. With a "We who sit off in our offices and never do the daily work..." directive behind the training choices, is it any wonder that most training has little or no impact on learning, and is in fact dreaded by employees? Where did we forget that employees are grown-ups, and are perfectly capable of knowing what interests them, what would make their jobs easier and what questions they need answered!

2) When in doubt, ask why.

OK, let's say you asked what kind of training people want and you got the following list:

Chinese language (from a salesperson)
How to be a good manager (from a machine operator on the factory floor)
Microsoft Office skills (from the Art Director)

Wondering why a machine operator wants a management class? Or the Art Director wants training in office? And the Chinese language training? You have no idea!

Traditional black box thinking would be to say no to all of them.

But if you ask, you may discover that the machine operator is taking night classes, and hopes to become a manager or supervisor some day, the Art Director needs help setting up spreadsheets to track projects, and that salesperson just noticed a growing demand for products like yours from Chinese buyers, and wants to be able to open that market.

3) Take away the stigma of asking for training

In tooooo many companies, asking for training in anything directly related to your job is seen as an admission of incompetence. So even employees who really need the information, and who would benefit from the training are afraid to ask for it.

Letting employees know it's a strength to ASK for training in your field will open the door to a better trained, better performing, and (incidentally), more committed workforce. And what employer wouldn't want that!

Tomorrow, I'll talk about getting the word out about training.

Training and rewards, Santa style

noreply@blogger.com (G Neil) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 16:15:00 +0000

The connection between behavior and rewards is simple, if you're talking about Santa. You behave, you get toys. You misbehave? You can look forward to a stocking full of coal. Nasty.

The really cool thing about that plan is that it is clear and up front. No mysterious stockings full of coal because some bean counter said there where too many good children. The terms are clear...clean your room, help out mom and dad around the house, brush your teeth, and you're pretty much guaranteed that old Saint Nick won't leave you lumps of fossil fuel instead of a candy cane and toys.

Wouldn't it be great if corporate training worked that way? Or heck, corporate life in general.

Imagine this:

You come into work every day, you work hard. You do your reports and track your products. So when training opportunities come around, you can pretty much count on a sweet opportunity to learn something new, improve your skills, maybe get set for a promotion when a position opens up.

Sorry. The reality is far from the Santa-based system. We treat employee training like some secret formula we need to protect from the masses.

First, we limit the number of people who hear about the training being offered. It becomes something more like an invitation to a secret society than a chance to create a better educated workforce.

Then, we have an approval process for people who "heard" about the training and want to go. We screen them to make sure we only allow in those who already have jobs related to the training. The idea that others in the organization might benefit from diverse training is about as accepted as the idea of little green men -- we all know about the stories, but no one in their right mind would admit to believing them.

Finally, we make it hard to people to attend the training. In many organizations, salaried employees attending training are expected to do their normal job on their own time, outside of the training time. Now there's a big incentive, right?

There are literally millions of pages of research showing that a better trained and cross trained workforce is more productive, more committed and more successful. And yet, and yet...the stocking full of coal continue.

Can we take a page from Santa in 2010? If your employees are on the nice list, make training one of their rewards? At the very least, it beats vacuuming up all that coal dust.

New Year, New Training Goals, Part Deux

noreply@blogger.com (G Neil) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:09:00 +0000

It's almost the new year, you're all excited about getting going on the training schedule for 2010, you have your topics all lined up and...

STOP!

You did read my blog post from yesterday, right? You took the time to look over last year's training and pinpoint the shining stars and the absolute flops, didn't you?

No? Okay, I'll wait here while you go and check it out...(twiddling thumbs...) Take your time. (humming to self...playing with a pencil...)

You're back!!

Okay, now you're ready to move on and get that schedule down, right? Er, umm, just one more thing...you did check to make sure that you were up to date on any changes in labor laws or any court decisions that might affect your training choices, right?

Yeah, I'll wait....(...making a string of paper clips, drawing on my hand...)

Finally! Ready?

Okay, take that list from last year, the one with the successes and failures. Look at what bombed. Now, no matter how simple those things might be for you to do, DO NOT DO THEM!!!

The lectures that put half the group to sleep? No more of those.

The audio/video program that was rated a zero by 90% of participants (there are always those few brown-nosers who think you'll recognize their handwriting...) -- that goes, too.

The bad instructors, meaningless fill and generally ineffective lessons? All verboten this year.

Define your stuff!

To paraphrase Dr. Seuss, "A training's not a training if no one learns the stuff."

1) Make a list of the things you must teach.
2) Add the stuff you think you should teach.
3) Add the things you want to teach.

See what's changed

Look at those new labor laws and court cases. Which items on your list are affected by those. Make a note next to each, so you'll include the new information.

Look at your materials, if any, you plan to reuse. Is the new stuff in there? Or even more important, is there old stuff in there that is contrary to the new stuff? If so, throw 'em away. Not worth the risk.

Look at what worked and do a WHOLE LOT more of it!

Whatever got the most results, best training impact and most participant appreciation last year is how you are going to plan your training this year.

No whining about it being harder or more time-consuming. The whole point of training is training! Not putting on training classes or using materials. It's about making a difference and making people safer/more productive/happier/more effective, etc, etc.

Leave gaps in your calendar and spaces in your training

During this calendar year, something will change. A new or revised labor law or two. A company policy. An industry practice. Make sure your training schedule has room for a few ad-hoc sessions, and that your training classes/events have room for new information.

Happy 2010 Training!

FORTIFY YOUR OASIS: Walkin' in a winter wonderland ... It's the HR Carnival

noreply@blogger.com (G Neil) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:57:00 +0000

Check out our mention on the most recent HR Carnival! Thanks for including us! FORTIFY YOUR OASIS: Walkin' in a winter wonderland ... It's the HR Carnival

New year, new training goals PART 1

noreply@blogger.com (G Neil) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:25:00 +0000

News FLASH!

New Year's goals aren't just for losing those 15 pounds you put on during the holidays.

It's also a great time for reviewing last year's training program, and planning next the next year. Before you set your 2010 company training schedule, consider these questions and planning ideas.

LAST YEAR'S TRAINING

Start with a list of all training from last year. It's time to look at what worked and what did not. Consider:

Which two training classes or programs got the highest ratings from participants? Which two or three garnered the lowest participant ratings?

Which training programs had the fastest participant sign-up rate? Which had the lowest?

Which training resulted in the largest impact on your employees' behavior, performance or productivity?

Which training was a complete flop? This could be people falling asleep, disappearing after breaks, daydreaming, texting under the table, negative behavior not changing or really awful-terrible-miserable evaluations by participants. Be honest. Even if it was your absolute, favorite personal pride and joy session, if it flopped, it flopped.

Which training was the hands-down best for 2009? Again, be honest. Maybe it was one you hated or it was a pain to put together. But it worked and it worked well.

FINDING THE COMMON FACTORS

Now look at your list and find the things your really good training sessions had in common. And the things your really miserable ones had in common. You've heard of 6-Sigma? I call this 6-Tau. Consider:

Technique -- was it a lecture, video, activity, panel discussion or brainstorming session? Define the way information was conveyed.

Topic -- Categorize your training sessions into a few topics. Management skills, productivity, legal issues, etc.

Training Location -- Where was the training presented? In a conference room, on the factory floor, offsite?

Teacher(s) -- Who presented? Was it an individual or a team?

Tools -- What tools were used in the training? Computers? Game show-like elements? Toys? Paper and pencil?

Timing -- When was the training presented? First thing in the morning or right before quitting time? Over lunch or during a busy time of day? And how long did it last? An hour? All day? All week?

As you list these elements of the 6-Tau evaluation, odds are you will see some patterns emerging. Training that is scheduled in the morning may be more effective than in the late afternoon. Shorter may work better than longer (or vice versa.) Certain instructors may be key to effective training. And certain techniques or tools might work better than others.

Once you've identified what works and what doesn't, it's time to build your 2010 training program. Stay tuned tomorrow for more on building a training program that works.

Staying up to date on legal issues critical for trainers

noreply@blogger.com (G Neil) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:12:00 +0000

Outdated training could cost your company more than most trainers realize. A word of caution about getting too far ahead or reusing old training materials

Jackson (not his real name, but hey, we have to keep the attorneys happy!) is the training director for a large corporation. Let's call it XYZ, Inc. (Again, not the real name, but those attorneys are still watching, so....)

A bit a perfectionist, he prides himself on having all corporate training planned a year in advance. There are sessions on time management, on job skills, and even on touchy subjects like sexual harassment.

As of January 1st, the materials are ready and the entire year's training for all divisions is planned completely. He's even managed to reuse some old materials left over from a few years ago.

Pretty good, right? Not really.

Odds are Jackson's well-in-advance and recycled training will miss the mark on critical labor law issues. Employees at XYZ may not get the right information on some important legal issues. And that could cost XYZ money. Maybe even big money.

The thing that Jackson, and so many other trainers miss, is the fact that employment law is a moving target. And as a trainer, it's your job to stay on top of new developments and shifting regulations.

A few examples might help illustrate just how critical this is....

- Jackson's training plan included directing employees in the XYZ-owned medical labs in proper recordkeeping. But the class content was written before the new HIPAA Breach Notification rules went into effect in September of 2009. So the information Jackson gathered back in December of 2008, and the old materials he is recycling, are not only incomplete, they may be wrong.

The probable result? Records improperly maintained, with breaches unreported -- and that could lead to fines or lawsuits against XYZ.

- Jackson was very happy with his training plan for interviewing and hiring. He included age, disability and ethnic discrimination. Religious discrimination. Even pay discrimination between male and female applicants. He was certain all the bases were covered.

But during the year, the definition of an ADA disability changed. And legal decisions in a number of courts expanded protection to cover sexual identity, sexual reassignment and gender-based lifestyle issues. But Jackson's training doesn't cover any of that. And that omission could be costly for XYZ.

There are other issues Jackson may have missed during the year -- Changes in the FMLA regarding military families. Shifts in EEOC rules to cover genetic information. State-level changes in employment law. Court decisions that refine or even completely altered existing labor law practices.

If you, like Jackson, like to map out your training year, make sure you stay up to date on changes in labor law, both from legislative and judicial sources. Leave room in your curriculum for "as needed" special training sessions to bring managers and others "into the loop" on new rules and regulations.

And before you re-use older training materials, have your staff attorney or an outside employment law attorney look over the content. That little step could go along way towards keeping your company and all employees in step with today's employment law issues.

"Do or do not -- there is no try" -- Yoda

noreply@blogger.com (G Neil) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:57:00 +0000

Whether you're a Star Wars fan or not, the quote in the title of this post probably resonates. How many times have we heard (or said ourselves), "I will try to..."

The question is, how does this relate to training?

The answer? Too many people wearing the title "trainer" are out there saying "I will try to train the staff to..." And as Yoda so succinctly stated, that just doesn't cut it.

Why do we bother with training if it does not train?

As the trainer, either you do -- or you do NOT convey the information, demonstrate the steps, impart the knowledge or inspire the change. If the trainer is not even sure of his or her ability to really teach, how can there be ANY level of confidence in the outcome of the training?

The worst part is that most would-be trainers are pretty bad at teaching. Yet well trained employees are critical to a company's success!

A few examples:

People who need to learn how to maintain federal or state-mandated records, and do not learn well can cost your company money in fines and penalties.
Employees who fail to learn the lessons on sexual harassment, discrimination or workplace violence can open your company up to costly lawsuits.
And when it comes to how to operate a dangerous machine or handle a hazardous substance, that failure to have the right training skills can be deadly.

Training the trainers

The solution is to go back to Yoda's statement and apply that to every training program and trainer in your company. Ask yourself...are they "trying to train" or are they doing it?

If not, it's time to take a step back and provide your training staff (or training person, these days) with the tools they need to effectively convey critical information to employees. Whether that involves classes, feedback, training books, exercises, teaching practice, role playing or maybe just some new training tools, it is essential that it be done and done well. If you're the trainer in need of better skills or tools, what are you doing to correct it?

Bad training is worse than none. If you're an employer, what are your trainers offering? And if you're a trainer, have you fallen into the "I will try to.." trap?

Lectures are the worst way to teach employees -- and the most common

noreply@blogger.com (G Neil) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:26:00 +0000

Isn't it about time we hunted down and laid to rest lectures as a way to teach employees?

New Moon just opened in theatres, so maybe that's why I have vampires on my mind.

But as I was looking over yet another mailing filled with dry "training" books and canned lectures, I could not help but think of putting a stake deep into the heart of this long-since-dead training method and making the corporate world a whole lot safer for the rest of us.

We all know that standing at the front of a classroom talking at a group of people who would rather be almost anywhere else that this is a lousy way for one adult to teach other adults. Heck, we've suffered through it ourselves since elementary school and well into our professional careers. Over and over and over. And yet we do it.

Thank about what you and I and almost everyone else does during a training lecture...

We sit. We fidget. We doodle. We check our watches a dozen times, then count our blessings when the lecture is over, hoping no one answers the call for "Questions, anyone?"

Sound familiar?

How much learning do you think goes on in that kind of setting? So why, why, why are we STILL doing it?

Some alternatives to turning employees into glazed-eyed zombies drawing endless circles and squiggly lines on their notepads....

1) Give your employees something to read about whatever it is they're supposed to be learning. Oh, and make it entertaining. Boring is NOT more professional -- it's just boring.

2) And give them someone or something to watch so they can SEE how the process works. Again. Scrap the boring. Make them smile and their learning curve goes up. An example?

3) Let them try it out. Yes, they may mess up. But they will learn much faster and understand much better if they work through it with their own two hands. If it works for brain surgery -- that's what internships and residency are all about, after all -- it will certainly work for most of the things your company needs employees to do. Learning by doing. Or at the very least, a simulation of doing, followed by for-real doing.

4) If it's not something that can be taught by doing because it's an attitude or a personal skill, let them pretend they're doing it. Or trying to stop someone else from doing it. Or someone is doing it to them. This role-playing approach works great for intangible lessons like discrimination, harassment prevention or managing a group of difficult, opinionated, clueless...opps, sorry. Got off the track a bit there.

Back to what I was saying....

The only part of training employees that really matters is actually TRAINING them! Seat warming and doodling does nothing for them, for you, or for your company.

Get people out of their chairs and get them engaged in whatever it is they're learning.

If it matters that they learn it, make sure your training will actually teach them.

Cutbacks creating witch hunts at work -- and very little net savings

noreply@blogger.com (G Neil) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:23:00 +0000

Picture a department with a half dozen employees. They work together pretty well. It's a comfortable and productive group.

Then something changes. Someone in management decides that the best way to reduce costs is to eliminate an employee or two.

The word leaks out that someone is going to be cut.

And suddenly, that cooperative group of employees turns into a finger-pointing, fault-finding mob, all accusing each other of incompetence, malfeasance, or just plain stupidity. The witch hunt is on, and everyone is fair game.

And while such things can occasionally bring some relevant details to the surface, most of the time the "facts" about who's doing what, and who's been late and who made personal phone calls on company time have as much value as the crowd's logic in Monty Python's Life of Brian as they accuse a village girl of being a witch...

In the meantime, work doesn't get done, customers are ignored, and the company risks lawsuits for all kinds of things ranging from discrimination to harassment to creating an unsafe workplace.

From one HR pro to another, I am here to tell you that it just isn't worth it! Sure, there are times when a cutback is absolutely necessary. And in those cases, it needs to be done quickly and with chance for rumors to start.

But most of the time, the savings from eliminating a person are more than offset by the cost of lost productivity and higher turnover among those left behind. Unfortunately, most managers don't know it.

Training managers in the real versus short-term savings

As part of your management training program, address the cost of cutbacks. Teach managers how to weigh in factors like lost work hours, reduced productivity levels and higher error rates among survivors. Make sure they understand the price of a jump in turnover, as people scramble to move to someplace where they will not be "next on the list."

Emergency training -- okay so it's boring -- until it saves a life

noreply@blogger.com (G Neil) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:36:00 +0000

Let's face it...probably no one wants to attend an emergency preparedness or emergency response training session. It's usually pretty dry stuff, it may involve giving mouth-to-mouth to a plastic mannequin missing its limbs, and it probably will keep you away from that pile of work that's already overdue.

There's only one thing worse than attending emergency training sessions -- and that's teaching them. You know, you just know, that everyone in the class would rather be somewhere else. And quite frankly, so would you. But you do the class because OSHA requires it. Or your state or your industry mandates it.

But then one day, the unthinkable happens. Someone falls off a forklift. Or has a heart attack right there in the lunch room. Or a blizzard shuts down the roads and the electricity, and you have two dozen people in the office. with no heat. And suddenly all that safety training or emergency response training kicks in, and people know what to do (and what NOT to do) and a life is saved. Or do they? Were they listening as someone droned on about first aid? Or emergency shelter?

That's the flip side of emergency training. The point of it all, that's hard to remember when that plastic dummy appears in the middle of the room. This stuff really is about life and death.

So what can we, as trainers and HR pros, do to make the very necessary and often mandatory safety training or emergency response training a little more palatable?

1) Make it fun

We've said it here before, and I will say it again. THERE IS NO REASON TRAINING CANNOT BE FUN! Whew, that felt good! Did y'all hear it? Examples?

Instead of training from a book, with a lecture, teach the basics and then turn the training session into a custom version of Jeopardy, complete with buzzers. "Yes, Alex, "I'll take Blood and Bones for $200" is lots more fun than "if a bone appears to be broken, stabilize the limb with a..." Yawn!

Throw things! Okay, not heavy things like supervisors or even small rocks, but fun things like foam balls or stuffed bears wearing safety helmets. Someone asks a question and tosses the toy. The catcher has to answer, then gets to ask the next question and toss the toy. And so on. The game moves fast, the answers stick. Much easier to keep people's attention on a subject like proper tagging of machinery when something is flying around the room and they have 30 seconds to answer!

Give prizes! No, we are not in third grade, but yes, we do still like to get prizes. Talking pens, chocolate bars, movie tickets, desk toys. Small stuff. But it keeps people paying attention and playing along.

That's it. Simple, right? You thought there would be more, just because I put a "1" in front of "Make it fun" didn't you? Ha! Just having some fun. Try it. As weird as it sounds, it just might save someone's life someday.

Sorry for the hiatus! Changing roles equaled some things slipping

noreply@blogger.com (G Neil) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:18:00 +0000

Hi all, yes, we are still here, alive and well at Training Time! Sorry for the silence for the past week or so...we've had some priorities that shifted and our beloved blog fell through the cracks for a bit.

But fear not! We are here, and ready to continue bringing you the best in training information, advice, tools, and yes, the much needed giggles now and then.

One thing I would like to add to our blog is more of a dialog. What would you like to know about training? Send me the burning issues impacting your company's training program, or the hot button topics you see in the HR and training world, so I can include them in our blog. Credit will be given, unless you'd rather keep your name out of the limelight (in which case, Mum's the word -- we can just attribute the idea to "a reader" or if you wish, make up a fun name for you to cleverly disguise your identity.)

Have a happy HR day!

Training for the HR Department

noreply@blogger.com (G Neil) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:16:00 +0000

Most of the time when we think about training and HR, it's the HR department providing the training. But a lot of HR bloggers are talking about the need for HR itself to undergo some retraining.

Trisha, at the HR Ringleader blog put out a call for re-branding the HR department and its functions, while Laurie at PunkRock HR thinks it may actually be too late.

I think it's somewhere in the middle. Rebranding, while certainly something we need to do to clear up the real role of HR in the modern corporate world, is critical. But unlike Laurie, I'm not quite ready to stand poised with pen in hand, ready to sign the death certificate.

I think there is still hope, albeit maybe only with the radical approach House might use on one of the patients everyone else has given up on. It requires major surgery, a complete change in life style and a different view of what a viable HR career looks like.

1) The surgery --

Centralized, standardized, cookie-cutter HR-driven performance evaluations, raises and promotions go first. Far too often, someone in the HR office who has never even met the employee in question rewrites appraisals, sets the raises or makes a firing decision. No more.

The people who know the employees best, make the choices, write the reports. HR can look them over to make sure they're legal and not likely to result in a barrage of lawsuits, but that is it.
HR as a policy-makers and enforcers on dress code, social media access, work hours and rules about whether or not someone can have a plant or a picture on their desk -- gone. No more. We're all grown-ups here, and can certainly make reasonable choices without a virtual parent on site.

Supervisors and managers can deal with the rules for their departments -- again, they know the people and the work requirements. They also have a direct stake in making sure the rules set result in better performance. Again, HR can enjoy an over-site role to make sure federal and state labor law rules are followed -- but last I checked, neither plants on desks nor jeans on bodies fell under any law-making body's jurisdiction.
Remove the phrase "We've always done it that way." and the equally offensive phrases "But it's our policy." from the vocabulary of everyone in HR. Forever. Gone. Cannot be spoken, or used as a excuse for any action or inaction.

2) The new lifestyle --

No that HR is so much lighter because of all that surgery, what can they do?

Learn about what motivates employees.
Set up programs to make those motivators available to managers and supervisors.
Learn about training needs assessment.
Make training needs assessments available to managers and supervisors.
Create a library of training opportunities for employees. Open the door so they can access that training AS THEY NEED IT! No more holding on to training opportunities with a closed fist!
Work with senior management to develop strategies to maximize every employee's potential, reduce turnover and improve job satisfaction.
Do not study the strategies. Act on the strategies. Now.
Learn about the power of social media. Use it. Allow employees to use it.

3) What an HR career is -- and is not --

What it is not:

A policing role
A top-down power role
A "rules-is-rules" role

What is should/must be:

A facilitation role
A problem solving role
A performance strategy role
An information sharing role

Is there still time, Laurie? I think so. The big machine that goes beep hasn't flat-lined yet.

Yet.