marketing matters

Staff Training's NEW Reality

Bess Ogden

In the process of training or hiring an employee? If so, the following are four realities you'd best accept and address in regard to staff training.

GET USED TO IT!

1 You are lucky if you keep good staff members for more than a of couple years. This means you will be in “training mode” more often than not. So, it's best to have a training plan in place.

Plan of Action:

■ CHECKLISTS. Create lists of responsibilities that need to be learned for each position. Also, clearly identify your trainers.

■ PROCEDURES. Have a manual for each department. Try keeping electronic folders/files on the server so that the manuals can be updated easily as procedures change (practically every day, right?).

UNDERSTAND GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES

2 It's likely that you'll have a wide range of ages and work styles in your group. Baby boomers and millenials/gen Ys are often quite different.

Plan of Action:

■ WORK STYLES. Learn about the work styles of the different age groups. Many of the generalizations hold true.

■ SURVEY. Conduct a survey of your employees annually about what is important to them in a workplace.

■ POLICIES. Plan to provide consistent, clear policies to all. Devote your time, or a human resources manager's time, to following through with appropriate consequences (good and bad) for behaviors in a timely manner. This should be daily with a new employee, weekly for the first three months, and at least annually thereafter. Don't underestimate the time this takes to do well.

EXPECT TO PAY FOR TRAINING

3 Don't expect new staff members to train on their own time. Form a training schedule and plan to pay your employee for his or her time. If you require licenses or certifications, plan to pay for these fees and any travel expenses involved.

Plan of Action:

■ BUDGETING. Be sure to budget training hours and expenses into your staff schedule as well as staff benefits.

■ TESTING. Make sure you have a system to check that training time has been used effectively, as in quizzes or practical exams.

UTILIZE TECHNOLOGY

4 Along with traditional shadowing and hands-on training, utilize the rich resources of online training, such as sponsored webinars, self-study (formal and informal courses), and YouTube training videos, among others.

Plan of Action:

■ RESOURCES. Check with your software companies, labs, buying group, or professional networks to see what's available and current. Try them out yourself to make sure you are happy with the quality and content.

■ SCHEDULING. Set aside time for your new staff members to use these resources.

■ TESTING. Follow up on their training sessions with quizzes or practical exams. EB

Bess Ogden is a senior consultant for the Williams Group, based in Lincoln, Neb.