Worker Fatalities Show Importance of Safety Training
Originally posted May 28, 2014 by Paul Lawton on https://safetydailyadvisor.blr.com.
Today’s Advisor reports on several workplace fatalities that may have been prevented with more effective safety training.
Case studies provide real-life examples of why it is important for learners to complete safety training and apply that knowledge back on the job.
In the month of June 2013 alone, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued statements regarding citations to five companies where training might have helped save a worker’s life.
1. OSHA proposed fines of $157,000 against a plumbing company as a result of a January 16 incident in which a worker died from injuries sustained when a trench collapsed at a job site in Hastings, Nebraska. The company was cited for failing to train workers on trenching hazards and four other safety violations.
“This tragedy might have been prevented with the use of protective shoring that the company planned to bring to the job site that afternoon. All too often, compromising safety procedures has tragic consequences, and hazards like these cause numerous deaths and injuries every year,” said Bonita Winingham, OSHA’s area director in Omaha. “No job should cost a worker’s life because an employer failed to properly protect and train them.”
2. OSHA also cited waste treatment facility for 22 safety and health violations and proposed $325,710 in fines as a result of a December 28 fire and explosion at the Cincinnati waste treatment facility in which a worker was fatally burned. The violations include failure to provide new training to employees assigned to handle waste materials, to train workers on the selection and use of personal protective equipment (PPE) for protection from various materials that are part of their routine assignments, and to provide training and PPE to employees assigned to work on energized circuits.
3. Penalties totaling $116,200 were proposed against a lumber company in Timpson, Texas, stemming from a December incident in which a worker was killed after being struck by a broken band saw blade. The 17 alleged safety violations include failure to provide easily understood lockout/tagout training for energy control and to certify that energy control training was completed and current.
4. Among other things, OSHA cited a trucking company in Ross, North Dakota, for failing to train workers on chemical hazards and precautions after a worker was fatally injured on March 27 while cleaning the inside of a crude oil tanker that exploded.
5. OSHA also cited tool manufacturer for 17 safety violations, including lack of training, after a maintenance worker was electrocuted on March 6 in Fenton, Missouri.
Each company had 15 days to comply with the citations, request a conference, or contest the citations and penalties.
Learn from the failures of these companies to protect their employees, and make any needed changes in your own safety training programs to ensure such tragedies don’t happen in your workplace.
Why It Matters
- Safety on the job is a top priority for employees and employers alike.
- Safety training is a key component of every safety program.
- Keep your employees safe—and avoid expensive citations—by continually evaluating your safety program and its training component.
Know the Secrets of Successful Employee Engagement
Originally posted April 16, 2014 by William Taylor on https://hrdailyadvisor.blr.com
The emotional commitment an employee has toward a company and its main goals is called employee engagement—employees being more focused on helping the company thrive. This emotional binder has nothing to do with financial compensation but with the personal feelings of that employee for the workplace.
Let’s not confuse engagement with happiness. Being happy at work doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re working hard to help that organization succeed.
Engaged employees initiate better business results. Research shows that organizations with engaged workers can easily reach higher profit margins of up to 6%.
Motivated employees often lead to:
- Better customer satisfaction
- Better quality of services
- Enhanced productivity
- Higher profit levels
- Increased shareholder returns
Switching from THE Company to THEIR Company
Ownership is the heart and soul of employee engagement. Your people must feel that they own the company for which they’re working. It’s paramount to treat them like partners and make them feel like CEOs (even if deep down they are employees and nothing more). Once you’ve accomplished that, allow them to make important decisions, share vital information with them, let them take part in important meetings to keep them motivated. Engagement soars when employees feel like leaders.
How do you maintain employee engagement long-term?
Engaged employees are both happy and motivated people. They feel appreciated by their bosses, they feel valued, and they’re willing to go to extreme lengths to help THEIR Company flourish. However, it’s vital for organizations to make sure the engagement is permanent. Here are some important aspects you might want to look at to make sure your people stay engaged for as long as necessary.
- Consistent expectations—whatever you do make sure your expectations are clear and consistent. Tell your employees exactly what you want from them, but make them feel comfortable and safe in your presence.
- Value their work—employees want to feel that their work is being appreciated; if you must criticize, do it, and do it constructively.
- Leave room for advancement in their career—the goal of every engaged employee is to climb up the ladder; the more some advance in their career, the harder they will work to please their superiors.
Constructive Criticism Keeps Engaged Employees Alert
Feedback is important for engaged employees who want to be sure that their actions are good enough. These people are willing to accept criticism and do everything in their power to turn an observation into a goal. Communication is equally important between managers and motivated workers. As boss, CEO, or supervisor, it’s your job to foster that motivation by asking questions and challenging their potential.
Criticism should be constructive; it should be meant to add value to a company. Engaged people are not afraid to be criticized. On the contrary, they strongly believe that the only way to nurture their potential is to give them challenges that are difficult to achieve.
A Different Type of Reward
We mentioned that employee engagement is not based on financial compensation. While that might be true, motivated employees should be given constant rewards for their hard work. Promotions, free training sessions, better working hours, and paid vacations, are just some incentives companies can offer to their committed people to make them feel esteemed. There are so many things you can offer to satisfy their needs without breaking the bank.
After working hard on a project for over a month you can take them out for a festive dinner. People love to socialize and the best way of making them feel good about themselves is to integrate them in your executive group. Appeal to their social side, have a good time, and interact with them on a human level.
The key word for successful employee engagement is RELATIONSHIP. Nothing matters more for employees than a good working relationship with their superiors and teammates. Satisfaction and engagement are deeply connected in a company. Let’s call it a marriage where two parties enter this “relationship” with extremely high hopes, best intentions, and great aspirations. In time, the relationship can become unbreakable; however, for that to happen—employees and company workers must value each other equally.
Five predictions for 2014: revolutionizing employee engagement
Originally posted January 29, 2014 by Keith Kitani on https://ebn.benefitnews.com
In 2013, the crucial parts of health care reform became a reality after months of debate and discussion, employers across the country revamped plans while consumers attempted to make sense of the complex and confusing new landscape. As we begin the New Year, educating employees about new benefit programs through innovative, digital communication will be absolutely crucial. Here are five predictions for what 2014 will bring:
Education will trump uncertainty – Health care reform created a massive opportunity for companies to re-think how they communicate about health plans. This will be the year for organizations to step up their communications to ease the uncertainty many felt in 2013.
The shift to digital – Smartphones and tablets are the new M.O. for consuming information. Employers will make the shift to communicate important content in digital formats available to employees anytime, anywhere.
The customized economy – Greater customization will emerge for engaging a company’s workforce and for influencing company culture. Companies will communicate with employees in the company's unique voice and style, and provide consistent and digestible messaging regardless of employee location or job function.
Employee engagement will be measured – With communications going digital, companies will have more concrete ways to measure employee sentiment, by tracking actual behavior. This new awareness will drive new initiatives to address and further improve employee engagement.
Wellness programs will become more prevalent – With more focus on high deductible health plans, due to HCR, wellness programs will become more mainstream to promote positive health, as well as to help companies attract and retain talent.
2014 will be the year when employers start to embrace more innovative ways to communicate with employees. Those employers who focus on employee education, leverage digital channels, and customize their communications appropriately will not only enjoy higher employee engagement but also a greater awareness of the level of that engagement. We see, time and time again, that engaged employees are more productive employees. Those companies who get employee engagement right will see it in their bottom line.
Co-worker relationships more important for employee engagement
Originally posted December 12, 2013 by Amanda McGrory-Dixon on https://ebn.benefitnews.com
When it comes to having an engaged workforce, who your employees work with — rather than who they report to — is an increasingly important factor, according to a recent survey.
The survey from TINYpulse reveals that relationships among co-workers are more responsible for their happiness than their managerial relationships by 23.3%. This finding is supported by a recent survey by the Society for Human Resource Professionals, which shows that 79% of respondents in 2012 regarded their relationships with co-workers as important, up from 76% in 2011. The same SHRM survey also shows that the importance of their relationships with direct supervisors dropped from 73% in 2011 to 71% in 2012.
Among the most desirable traits of co-workers are team play and collaboration, 44.3% of respondents say. Meanwhile, knowledge, skills and talent are considered the top traits of co-workers by only 26.4% of respondents.
"This shows that who you work with is becoming more important than who you work for,” says David Niu, founder and CEO of TINYpulse, which conducted the survey. “We often think of employee happiness and satisfaction as being manager-driven, but now as the workplace becomes more cross-matrixed, collaborative and ‘bottom-up,’ the importance of co-worker relationships continues to grow."
But the leading driver of employee engagement is management transparency, according to the survey.
"Not only are capital markets demanding transparency, employees want the same from their leadership,” says Niu. “The cost of improving transparency is almost zero, and we are seeing an increasing number of companies using transparency as an advantage when attracting and retaining top talent."
The survey findings suggest that organizations must focus on management transparency and recruiting more collaborative employees if they expect to keep employees engaged. Many respondents, however, are already practicing transparency as 82% say their managers have openly communicated their roles and responsibilities. Still, just 42% of respondents report knowing their organizations’ visions, missions and values.
The survey included more than 40,000 responses from 300 organizations.
“He acts like he owns the place!” (Good Thing?)
Originally posted December 06, 2013 by Dan Oswald on https://hrdailyadvisor.blr.com
Depending on the context, that single sentence—He acts like he owns the place!—can either spell disaster or be one of the most positive and flattering things to be said about an employee, says business and leadership blogger Dan Oswald.
If the statement is made out of frustration about an employee who throws his weight around and has a condescending attitude, you might be in trouble. But if it’s said with pride and satisfaction about an employee, then you’ve found yourself a star.Oswald, CEO of BLR®, offered these thoughts on increasing company performance by instilling a sense of ownership in a recent edition of The Oswald Letter.
In the end, don’t we all want people who think like owners? People who treat the company’s resources as their own. People who are interested in what goes on in every aspect of the business. People who genuinely care about the customer. And people who will go to any length to see the company succeed.
Here’s a funny story about having employees who treat the company’s resources as their own. I say funny because as a manager, if you don’t laugh, it could make you cry—or at least pull out your hair. A number of years ago (and by that I mean more than a decade because as I get older, it seems more efficient to count years in blocks of 10!), I pulled a recently hired business unit manager in to have a discussion about his expense reports. It seems that when he traveled, he spared no expense. First-class plane tickets, limousines, and high-priced dinners appeared on his travel reimbursement requests.
The company didn’t have a hard and fast policy on what was considered acceptable travel expenses, so I felt it necessary to have a conversation about what I believed was reasonable.
I explained to the manager that I had noticed what I thought were exorbitant expenses on his travel reimbursement requests. I listed some of the expenses I thought were especially egregious, and knowing that our travel reimbursement policy didn’t prohibit those expenses (yet), I hit him with, “I’d like you to spend the company’s money like it’s your own.” Take that!
With 100 percent sincerity, he looked me in the eye and replied, “But Dan, I am spending the company’s money like I do my own.” And you know what? He was. This was a guy who spent every dime he made on luxuries for himself. He was indeed spending the company’s money as he did his own. Needless to say, he didn’t last long in the job, and I had to tighten up my travel reimbursement policy!
The lesson was that if you have someone with a real sense of entitlement, you might not want him thinking like an owner. It can be really expensive!
But generally speaking, having a host of employees who think like an owner can be a great thing. That’s why Facebook uses the following motto with new hires: “This is now YOUR company.” That simple statement is plastered on all of Facebook’s onboarding materials, and it’s the first thing new employees see when they walk in the company’s training center. It’s a company goal to have every single employee carry a sense of ownership—not just in the individual jobs but within the company as a whole.
Consider the power of getting everyone thinking that they own the place! Searching out ways to improve operations. Looking for innovative ways to cut waste and inefficiencies. Finding new ways to grow the business and improve the bottom line. Isn’t that what all of us want as managers?
The question is how to make this happen in your department or company. How can you instill this sense of ownership in your people? First, you need to hire the right type of person. You need to hire people who think this way when they walk in the door. In fact, at Facebook, they talk about hiring for the culture, not the skill set. Their rationale? Skills can be taught, but mind-set can’t.
Second, you need to train and reinforce the “ownership” mentality at every level in the organization. That means you provide your people with the information and opportunities that will allow them to act like owners. You can’t expect people to act like an owner if they don’t have the information or the freedom to do so in a meaningful way.
Finally, you must recognize AND reward the people who think this way. When people make a contribution because of their “ownership mind-set,” make sure you let others know that you appreciate and respect that type of thinking. A little recognition can go a long way—not just for the person being recognized for his or her work but for others who desire the same thing as well.
Wouldn’t it be great if you could say “He acts like he owns the place!” and “She acts like she owns the place!” about every one of your employees and mean it in the best way possible?
5 myths about millennials and benefits
Originally posted by Lindsey Pollak on https://www.benefitspro.com
Millennials (ages 18-31), also known as Gen Y, are 80 million strong, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. As this generation climbs into leadership roles, they’ll change many aspects of the workplace, including the benefits landscape.
To help better understand this giant generation of consumers and employees, it’s time to dispel five common myths about who millennials are and what they want.
1.) Millennials all live at home and don’t have financial responsibilities.
True, many millennials are living at home today. Three out of 10 parents (27 percent) have at least one adult child, between the ages of 21 and 40, still living with them at home, according to the National Housing Federation. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have financial responsibilities: Mom and Dad might be asking Junior to chip in on rent or expecting him to pay off his student loans they co-signed.
The Hartford 2013 Benefits for Tomorrow Study found two-thirds of workers today have loved ones relying on their paycheck, with 10 percent of millennials reporting that their parents rely on their salary. That’s all the more reason for millennials to protect their paycheck by signing for disability insurance at work.
For many millennials living at home, one of their primary financial responsibilities is dealing with student loan debt. The average debt for students graduating in 2013 is $35,000, according to Fidelity. If parents are co-signers on those student loans, it’s in their best interest to encourage their kids to sign up for disability and life insurance at work. Disability insurance can help keep an income coming in (and the ability to pay back loans) should the millennial worker become ill or injured off the job, while life insurance can help provide funding to pay off student loan debt.
Help the millennials make the connection between benefits and their very real financial responsibilities.
2.) Millennials want all digital communications all the time.
True, millennials are considered “digital natives.” They’ve grown up with technology their entire lives. While they like digital options, many appreciate help in real life, as well. They appreciate an advisor who can provide advice in whatever way they desire — text, email, instant message, phone call, or an in-person meeting.
Help millennials by providing the benefits advisors that they’re looking for. They want to be able to review their benefits options online but have a real-live person available to answer their specific questions. Help your clients make this connection possible.
3.) Millennials all want to start their own companies like Mark Zuckerberg.
True, many millennials think like entrepreneurs. Many even have side projects, like a blog, in addition to their 9-to-5 jobs. But the vast majority of millennials like to work for companies of all sizes — as long as those companies understand them and their needs.
Help the millennials on your team feel like entrepreneurs, by allowing them to express their individuality and effect change around them. And share this advice with your employer clients, as well.
For example, some companies allow millennials to pursue small projects related to their particular interests or participate in occasional community service projects during work hours.
4.) Millennials don’t want baby boomers’ help or advice.
True, millennials enjoy their independence. But in the workplace they actually appreciate theirbaby boomer co-workers’ experience and knowledge. Don’t forget that the millennials are the children of baby boomers, and many raised their kids in their own image. Millennials tend to like and appreciate their baby boomer bosses and colleagues.
The Hartford 2013 Benefits For Tomorrow Study found that 93 percent of baby boomers believe millennials bring new skills and ideas to the workplace, and 89 percent of millennials agree baby boomers in the workplace are a great source of mentorship.
Help millennials by making connections between the two generations — either at your workplace or among your employer clients. Consider the idea of co-mentoring, in which employees of different generations share knowledge and skills with each other.
When you are having discussions around company policies and decisions, make sure to have representative employees present from all generations in your company. This way there will be someone who can offer each generation’s point of view on the items under discussion.
5.) Millennials aren’t serious about being leaders.
True, millennials are often viewed as “entitled” and carefree. Case in point: the YOLO (you only live once) catchphrase. But many are leaders in all aspects of life. In fact, 15 percent of millennials are already in management positions, and there are many young people who want to move into leadership positions soon.
Help millennial leaders to understand that they need to protect their potential. Show them how insurance benefits can keep them on track to meet their professional and personal goals. For example, if they can’t work because they tore a ligament during a 5K, disability insurancemay help them pay bills — and stay on track to buying a house or traveling around the world.
By helping millennials as both consumers and employees, you can better advise your clients and manage your business today — and into the increasingly millennial-dominated future.
How to Find the Right Leadership Training for Your Company
Originally posted August 07, 2012 by Sharlyn Lauby on https://www.hrbartender.com
There’s lots of talk these days about leadership deficits. Part of the conversation is being fueled by the skills gap. Another part is focused on the Boomers retiring and Millennials entering the workforce. Regardless of the reason, I think we can all agree that strong, capable leadership is necessary for our businesses to survive and thrive.
People have to learn leadership skills from somewhere. Typically, leadership isn't taught in high school or college. Yes, you might learn some theories but without real life examples it’s hard to see how and when those theories should be applied. That’s why organizations have to put some kind of leadership training in place. It allows individuals to tie together the theory they learned and the practical application they’re gaining in the workplace.
I’m guessing I don’t need to sell you on the concept of good leadership. The question is when it comes time to bring leadership training into your organization, what’s the best way to do it? How can you find the right leadership training for your organization? Here are a few things to consider:
Decide what skills to focus on. Make a list of the challenges facing your organization and prioritize them. If you try to tackle too much, it can overwhelm the training participants. Narrow it down to a few skills that will make the most impact and start with those. This is very helpful in designing the program and also can be valuable when determining your training budget.
Talk to several people. Any really good training provider isn't afraid of a client talking to others. Companies make the right decision for their operation and find the training provider who best aligns with their culture. Know a provider’s experience, what industries they've worked in and their philosophy regarding the subject matter.
Like the methods the training provider uses. It’s important to understand the training provider’s style, any models they mention, the books they share and the activities they conduct. For example, if you’re not a fan of games in training, what happens if the trainer uses games? Or maybe doing Karate as part of a teambuilding exercise? You probably want to know about that (and yes, some training providers do that sort of thing). Those conversations should happen early on.
Consider schedules and the operation. Work with your training provider to find a schedule that allows for an excellent program and minimal disruption to the operation. When participants are distracted during training, it’s hard on everyone. A good provider should be able to work with your schedule.
Know what evaluation methods the trainer uses. Ask your training provider what they measure from the training program. If all they do is a Level 1 evaluation, request that they also provide a Level 2. This helps you, the client, have a better understanding of the learning that took place. Trainers often get a bad rap for not showing ROI from their training sessions. These evaluations can provide helpful information.
Discuss ways for participants to practice after the training and retain the material. Let’s face it…training is an investment. Companies want to know their investment is going to stick. Training providers should work with their client companies and find ways for participants to immediately apply the material they've learned. It’s the best way for participants to retain the information. Find out if the vendor offers additional options such as coaching or social learning to help reinforce the initial training.
The next time you’re looking for training, I hope you find this list helpful. It can really make a difference in selecting the right training provider and getting a quality program that will benefit your organization. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions and check out our list of highly successful, proven training programs and customized solutions that can be tailored to the unique needs of your organization.
Four tips for better benefit plan communications
Originally posted by Dani McCauley on the EBN blog.
It’s make it or break it time for employee benefit plans, suggests guest blogger Dani McCauley. She has four suggestions for better communication. Do you agree? Share your thoughts in the comments. —Andrea Davis, Managing Editor
Not to be an alarmist, but there is a convergence of events and trends that will make or break the success of many employers’ benefit plans this year. However, a spot-on communications plan will smooth the road ahead, and can even turn risks into opportunities.
Position changes properly
With the biggest health care reform provisions coming into effect in 2014, many employers are making an array of not-so-subtle changes to their benefit offerings. Such changes could range from streamlining down to fewer plan options, to significant premium differentials for wellness participation.
Whether the changes are seen as positive, negative or neutral depends on how well they’re communicated. After all, employees who are satisfied with their company benefits are more likely to be loyal to their employer, according to a recent study by MetLife. The study found that while only 42% of employees in the U.S. would strongly recommend their employer, those who do feel this way are three times more likely to be satisfied with their benefits.
Key takeaway: Taking the time to think through tough benefit messages and position changes in the best possible light will pay dividends.
Wellness
An effective wellness program represents the holy grail for group health plan sponsors seeking to actually change the health risks in their employee populations (thus mitigating costs and increasing worker productivity). Notice I said an “effective” wellness program. In order for such programs to be effective, they must be communicated in a way that helps employees to internalize the lifestyle changes they are expected to make.
For example, sending a quarterly newsletter with diet and exercise tips is likely insufficient to spark meaningful behavioral changes. Such a program is likely to succeed best if kicked-off with in-person meetings and frequent communications, possibly through a company intranet or in some other medium that keeps guidance, goals and incentives front and center for employees on a daily basis.
Key takeaway: Don’t invest in a wellness program unless you’re willing to back it up with an intensive communications plan.
Compliance confusion
Health care reform brings with it a host of new communication requirements designed to ensure that employees have equal access to benefits information, know their opt-out rights, understand the plans being offered, and more.
To take one example, the Summary of Benefits and Coveragerequirement just made benefit communications a little more complicated. While the SBC format is rigid and proscribed, employers must comply with the form’s required phrasing. But don’t rely on the SBC as your primary benefit communication document. Employers still need to communicate their overall benefits offering in a cohesive fashion. From health to retirement, your company benefits need to be explained in a way that resonates with your corporate culture, ideally unifying the entire plan behind a meaningful and relevant theme.
Key takeaway: Don’t abandon your traditional benefit communications materials. The SBC requirement is strictly an add-on.
Multi, Multi-Media
With so many options for communicating with employees, it’s important to consider what will work best for your corporate culture. If employees are spread far and wide at multiple locations, video tutorials can be a great way to reach out and educate employees who might otherwise feel disconnected at open enrollment time and year-round. Companies that are really tech-savvy might also consider social media or mass text messaging to bolster their efforts. But for other organizations where employees have limited access to the Internet throughout the day, call-center assistance might still be the best way to keep from placing certain groups of employees at a disadvantage.
Key takeaway: When it comes to communications logistics, let practicality be your guide.
Dani McCauley is senior vice president of marketing with Univers Workplace Solutions.
What methods are you using to communicate your benefits plan? Are the messages any different than in past years? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Ways to improve employee benefits communications
Original article from https://www.businessinsurance.com
Benefit management experts' recommendations for improving employee benefit communications
DO
• Make it relevant: “Instead of one version of the information that contains everything an employee could ever want to know, regardless of their situation, why not create multiple versions of that information tailored to the specifics of your business units or demographic groups,” said Ruth Hunt, a Minneapolis-based principal at Buck Consultants L.L.C.
• Scale down, if necessary: Where larger employers may roll out robust Web platforms loaded with plan information and decision-support tools, smaller employers could distill their content down to a few pages of key information alongside a blog or online newsletter. “It doesn't have to be flashy,” said Jennifer Benz, founder and CEO of San Francisco-based Benz Communications. “People want really simple, actionable information, and that's certainly within the realm of what most small and midsize employers can support.”
DON'T
• Flood them with jargon: “Keep things simple, and in as plain a language as possible,” Ms. Benz said. “Benefit managers usually assume a much higher level of understanding among employees in terms of how health care works. Additionally, your corporate counsel is going to want to be very cautious and make doubly sure that the communications are legally compliant, even at the expense of basic understandability.”
• Wait for annual enrollment: “One of the biggest missteps we see, especially among mid-market employers, is treating annual enrollment like it's the Super Bowl,” said Joann Hall Swenson, health engagement best practice leader at Aon Hewitt in Minneapolis. “It might be compliant with the law and it might get people enrolled in your benefit plan, but it's not going to drive any of your employees to get healthier. Instead, what if you spread some of that money and effort over the course of the full year, and focus your communications on actually helping people use the benefit plans?”
• Tell them what they already know: “What we've found is that consumers already know what to do to be healthier,” Ms. Swenson said. “About 90% of employees can recite to you that they should eat right, exercise, not smoke, etc.”
Prepare Your Employees for Virtual Training?
Original article from https://safetydailyadvisor.blr.com
Virtual training is an effective new way to train … as long as learners are ready to engage with the new training environment. Today's Advisor presents part one of a two-part series in which we hear from one expert on virtual learning.
When making the move to virtual training, "we, as trainers, often get caught up with what we need to do to prepare," says Cindy Huggett, training consultant and author of Virtual Training Basics (www.cindyhuggett.com).
However, it is important to keep in mind that while virtual training is a new way for trainers to train, it is "a new way for learners to learn as well." As a result, trainers need to prepare learners to thrive in a virtual training environment.
In an article for our sister publication, Training Forum, Huggett offers three suggestions to help ensure that virtual training will be effective.
- "Define what you mean by virtual training. There are so many different definitions out there."
- "Be very purposeful about your design," she says. "What are the learning objectives, and what is the best way to accomplish them?"
- Make sure learners are familiar with the technology before training begins; that they understand "what learning online is going to be like"; and that they know how to minimize distractions.
"I'm a big fan of having a kickoff session," that is, a 20- to 30-minute prerequisite session to be completed before training actually begins, Huggett says. That helps familiarize learners with the content and the technology (e.g., learning how to submit questions, respond to poll questions). If they are new to the technology, they will experience what it is like to be in an online class."
She also suggests giving learners tips in advance to minimize disruptions during training, such as going to a reserved conference room alone to participate in the training. A checklist can be an effective tool, as well; and that can be as simple as instructing learners to set their phone to "do not disturb," turn their daily to-do list face down on their desk, and hang a “do not disturb” sign on their office door and ask them to enforce it, she says.
Why It Matters
- As more and more Americans get into social media, they will become more open to learning in a social media environment at work.
- As the economy continues to sputter, your employer may have less money to devote to training—and virtual training is inherently less expensive than face-to- face training.
- As younger generations, who've grown up with social media and mobile technologies, move into your workforce, you'll be ready to train them in formats they know well.