Getting training out of the black box - Part 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Improve your productivity at work with a few simple changes

For most of us, improving our productivity at work seems like an eternal work in progress. We sign up for seminars, attend workshops and read thousands of articles on productivity in hopes to create some extra time in our busy, busy days.

Everyone’s process will be different, but there always seems to be a better way, a more efficient way to get things done. Implement a few of these simple changes and you may be surprised with the extra time you find in your workday.

• Write everything down. Don’t keep your to-do list bottled up in your mind, write it down and post it in a highly visible place on your desk. Writing everything down will help free your mind, allowing more creativity to flow.


• Prioritize. Put your to-do list in order, with the most important tasks at the top of the list. Knowing your priorities will help you focus more on what matters and less on what could wait until later.


• Be aware. Do your best to focus on one task at a time and be fully conscious in whatever you’re working on. The less distracted you are, the more you will be able to accomplish.


• Find your best time to work. Everyone has a part of the day where they get the most done in the least amount of time. Work on the most important tasks during the time of the day when you are most productive. You’ll produce better work, faster.


• Take a break. Give yourself a break from time to time. When you start feeling stressed or tired, get up and take a walk. Whether it’s to the break room or around the building, a quick walk will help clear your mind and improve your personal productivity back at your desk.


• Quality not quantity. It may be possible to speed through your to-do list and check off every task by the end of the day, but will you come out of it with quality work? Focus on each task as it comes and congratulate yourself for completing each one.

The grass is always greener... in the other cube?

Ah, the great outdoors – green grass, blue skies, sunshine. Wouldn’t it be nice to bring a little bit of that into the office?

Look no further than the Breathing Partition from Yanko Design (via Geek Sugar). These super-cool cube dividers come equipped with an automatic watering system and room for all your favorite plants.

(Image via Yanko Design)

So, maybe the grass is always greener … in a Yanko cube.

In a state of swine-flu "freakout" at work?

(image via PassiveAggressiveNotes.com)

Fall has arrived and flu season is just a few steps behind it, although this season is already proving to be anything but typical. Fear of catching the swine flu has played well above the usual fanfare that comes with any “normal” flu season.

People are worried, but not without just cause. Some public health officials are describing the first wave of the swine flu pandemic, which hit the U.S. in May and June, as just a “foretaste” of the upcoming fall flu season.

According to the official tally kept by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), there have been more than a million H1N1 cases in the U.S. alone.

Just like any normal flu season, high-density locations such as offices, schools and airplanes are considered higher-risk areas for spreading the flu. The risk of catching the flu at work is nothing new, but the risk of the swine flu hitting your workplace has many workers stuck in absolute “freakout” mode.

Of course, you want to limit the risk to your staff and customers, but creating a state of panic will sabotage your protective efforts.

Preventing a complete swine-flu “freakout” at your company doesn’t take a team of doctors and nurses, just some old-fashioned common sense. At the very least:

• Distribute information on how to protect yourself from the flu.
• Post flu-related information, including posters and signs, in high-traffic areas.
• Supply employees with alcohol-based hand sanitizers.
• Ask employees to stay home from work if they’re feeling ill to limit contact with others.

Another option - Tell them how CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta caught the H1N1 virus while reporting from Afghanistan. Read his first-hand account, "I went to Afghanistan and all I got was H1N1," and follow his lead - get medical care, get lots of rest and stay home for a few days.

As the swine flu continues to make headlines in our newspapers and nightly news shows, it’s no wonder why people are worried at work. Help employees stay safe without creating a state of swine-flu panic.

Read G.Neil’s white paper “Protecting Your Employees and Business from the Spread of Flu” (.pdf) for more information.

And “Flu prevention training: It’s a pandemic out there!” from the Training Time Learning Library.

Saying goodbye to summer...

Tomorrow, September 22, is the first day of fall. Goodbye summer, goodbye beaches, vacations and steamy temperatures. Hello football, prime-time TV and sweater weather.

In celebration of the new season, we’re taking a look back at the great summer we had here at Thoughts from Training Time.

And taking a look back at the posts readers enjoyed most during the past few months:

1. 10 low-cost employee incentive ideas


2. Employee incentive ideas on a budget


3. 5 tips to build employee morale in a down economy


4. Friday office humor: Olympics at work


5. Employee recognition ideas on the cheap, it’s easier than you think


6. Great ice breaker ideas start with three words


7. New icebreaker activities for meetings


8. Creative Icebreaker Games: Guess Who?


9. Taking steps to improve employee morale


10. How to have fun at work: Work like a dog

Help! Would your workers know what to do?

Jane was on her usual route to the printer to pick up her morning reports when without warning, she collapsed to the ground.

Mary, who was just steps behind her in the hallway, rushed to Jane’s side, quickly determined that she’s unconscious and yelled for help. Other coworkers hurry from their cubes and offices to see what’s happening, but no one knows what to do.

They’re frantic, asking each other – Who knows CPR? What’s the extension for the medical readiness group? What do we DO?

Your company may have a medical response plan for emergency situations like these in the office, but how confident are you that everyone will know what to do when faced with a serious medical emergency?

The first step for any business is to develop a comprehensive Emergency Medical Response Action Plan. According to OSHA, an emergency action plan should include, at least:

• Means of reporting fires and other emergencies
• Evacuation procedures and emergency escape route assignments
• Procedures to be followed by employees who remain to operate critical plant operations before they evacuate
• Procedures to account for all employees after an emergency evacuation has been completed
• Rescue and medical duties for those employees who are to perform them
• Names or job titles of persons who can be contacted for further information or explanation of duties under the plan

Having a plan is only the first step. In order for it to work, employees need to know their responsibilities. After developing your medical response plan, here are some ways to ensure employees will know how to follow it.

• Set up an Emergency Medical Response Team (MRT). Members of this team should be trained in CPR and AED use. At least one member of the team should be available during each shift.


• Provide first aid training. Even employees who are not members of the MRT should be trained on basic first aid and know what to do until a member of the MRT arrives.


• Keep first aid supplies easily accessible. Train workers on where these first aid supplies are kept and how to use each item.


• Post medical response information in high-traffic areas. Create safety posters with the names and extensions of MRT members and hang the posters in highly visible areas in the building.


• Train everyone. Train every employee in the building on your medical response plan and how they should respond in emergency situations. Develop role-play activities to ensure that employees understand the plan.

Remember that even a small accident like a slip and fall can put an employee out of commission for weeks. Have a plan and train employees on how to respond to and prevent emergencies and accidents on the job.

Carnival of HR goes back to school

The latest installment of the Carnival of HR is up at the HR Maven. She did a fantastic job of harnessing the excitement that comes along with each new school year with a collection of posts that will "liven things up, straighten things out and/or make it fun."

Be sure to check it out here.

When the flu and bad manners collide at work

From politicians interrupting Presidential speeches to tennis stars berating line judges and rap music moguls stealing an award winning teen’s limelight, recent news headlines have us gasping in disbelief and collectively wondering – “What would your mother say?”

Whether you’re a tennis champion or a grocery store bagger, people are taking notice of the disease-like spread of poor etiquette. Over at his Avian Flu Diary blog, writer FLA_Medic shared a recent experience at his local supermarket:

While paying for my goods, the cashier began counting out money. She then COUGHED into her free hand - and barely skipping a beat -continued counting out my change . . .

. . . I started to say something but was interrupted as this lady SNEEZED (loudly and wetly) into her free hand, wiped her hand on her pants leg, and then blithely resumed counting my change.

He pointed out the cashier’s poor (and germy) etiquette, she denied any wrongdoing, wiped her hands with a hand wipe then gave the shopper his change using “fresh” bills from the register.

I walked around the store for several minutes, fuming . . . and finally asked another cashier to page the manager. He arrived a few minutes later, and I explained what had transpired (I did not identify the cashier . . .this, I felt was a failure of Management).

I asked, “Have you had any employee training sessions on sneezing and coughing etiquette? After all . . we are in a pandemic.”

So, though it may be the simplest and one of our earliest learned lessons in etiquette (next to saying “please” and “thank you,” of course) some people need a refresher lesson on the importance of covering their mouth and nose while sneezing and coughing – the right way.

Now is the time to get your flu season training in motion, especially with some experts predicting flu season to hit its peak in October, before the release of the H1N1 vaccine.

Educate employees on how to protect themselves from the flu with posters, pamphlets and online newsletters – anything that could help prevent the spread of illness in your workplace.

Remember, the rules have changed since the School House Rock generation was in class (oh, you know who you are) – we use our elbows to cover sneezes, no more of that icky hand nonsense.

Teach employees to fish... for training

You know how it goes, “Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime.”

Well, the same holds true when it comes to employee training. When you teach employees how to fish, or find training on their own, they’ll continue on the same path for a lifetime, or at least for the time they spend at your company.

Teaching employees to fish for training begins with a course in company culture. Only by fostering a culture that promotes education and skills training will employees feel that learning is not only encouraged, but a necessary part of their career.

Getting started doesn’t have to use up a ton of resources either. Encourage employees to fish, for training, that is, by implementing a few of these ideas:

• Improve education from the inside out. Instead of having employees look outside to seminars and courses, give them opportunities to learn within the walls of your workplace. Something as simple as an in-house learning library can give employees the tools they need to make a difference.


• Create your own trainers. Some of the best training resources are right there under your nose – you hired them. Create a peer-to-peer training program where employees share their expertise with others. Without ever stepping foot outside, you’ll be fostering teamwork, improving engagement and encouraging employees to seek out training on their own.


• Embrace technology. These days, finding new learning outlets can be as simple as turning on your computer. From Twitter to online learning courses, technology has made learning more accessible, and affordable, than ever before.


• Try something new. Start a new in-house learning program, like “lunch-and-learn” training sessions. Typically more relaxed and less structured than traditional training courses, lunch-and-learns are a great way to fit training into everyone’s busy day.

Sign up an employee for a training course, he’ll have training for today. Encourage an employee to seek out training on their own, and he’ll have training for a lifetime.

Any more ideas on encouraging employees to discover training on their own? Please leave a comment and let us know.

Keeping employees on their toes, a field study

Continuing with the Training Trends theme from last week, I’d like to demonstrate how you, too, can easily keep your employees on their toes. Depending on your line of work, it could be as simple as putting on a blue polo and a pair of khakis.

Back in 2006, the self-proclaimed “urban pranksters” from Improv Everywhere recruited a group of about 80 people to play an interesting joke on a local Best Buy store. After arriving to a secret location dressed in the company’s signature blue polo and khaki pants the group was given these instructions:

“We’re heading up to the Best Buy on 23rd Street. We’ll enter the store one by one. Once inside, spread out and stand near the end of an aisle, facing away from the merchandise. Don’t shop, but don’t work either. If a customer comes up to you and asks you a question, be polite and help them if you know the answer. If anyone asks you if you work there, say no. If an employee asks you what you’re doing, respond ‘I’m waiting for my girlfriend/boyfriend who is shopping elsewhere in the store.’ If they question you about your clothing, just explain that it’s what you put on when you woke up this morning and you don’t know any of the other people dressed like you.”

And, they caught it all on video:



Get creative, keep your employees on their toes and have some fun.

Training Trends: Keep your team on their toes

Team coaching and employee recognition are two hot issues, especially in a down economy. It’s important that your team stays on their toes and feels appreciated for doing so. Check out our suggestions for designing training programs that will keep your employees going strong.

And then, check out FEMA’s tips and our supplementary training ideas to set up your fire safety plan. Keep your employees up-to-date with tools and information that can save lives and even your entire business.

Here’s a glimpse at the September issue of Training Trends:

Ready, set, hike… uh, I mean work!

Success in the world of professional football is measured in yards, touchdowns and winning games. In the world of business, however, the road to success is not always well paved.

No, there aren’t any play calls to memorize or grueling physical workouts, but the players on your team are still in need of a coach – someone to motivate and encourage them to do their best.

You want your team to grow, to be productive and win that big game (e.g. sales numbers, peak productivity), and coaching can help you get there.

Here’s the game plan: ... (more)


Putting the Arrrrrrrr in Recognition
Ways to recognize and motivate employees in a down economy

Ahoy, matey! It’s Talk Like a Pirate Day on September 19th and the perfect time to get out yer gold coins and stuffed parrot to honor the shipmates who so diligently scrubbed the ship deck and managed to avoid walking the plank.

All pirate-speak aside, employee recognition is an essential part of sparking motivation and creating company loyalty on the inside. Building employees’ self-worth and appreciating them for all they’ve accomplished will keep them going strong, especially in a down economy.

Here are a few tips that will make your employees feel recognized: ... (more)


Are you up to FEMA’s standards?
Fire safety training to prevent a disaster

September is National Preparedness Month and a necessary time to make sure your employees are trained and ready in case of a fire. Fire causes thousands of deaths and injuries and billions of dollars in damage each year, making it the most common disaster amongst businesses. Here are some ways the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recommends you stay prepared:

• Have your office, plant or facility inspected for fire safety; ensure compliance with fire codes and regulations.
• Install smoke detectors and fire extinguishers in appropriate locations.
• Consider an automatic sprinkler system, fire hoses and fire-resistant doors and walls ... (more)

Each month, the experts at TrainingTime.com share all of the latest and greatest tips, trends and buzz from across the training industry in our Training Trends newsletter. If you’re not on our mailing list, please take a few seconds and sign up.

If you’re a training expert or HR professional and are interested in writing content for Training Trends or TrainingTime.com’s learning library, visit our “Write for Us” page for instructions on how to contribute.

Preventing swine flu at work: Prepare now

Thanks to the H1N1 flu virus, familiarly known as the swine flu, the upcoming fall flu season will be unlike anything the U.S. has experienced in recent history, and government officials are urging businesses to prepare for a possible widespread outbreak.

With the pandemic estimated to reach up to 2 billion people, three Cabinet secretaries met last month to announce new guidelines to help businesses plan for and respond to the upcoming flu season.

“One of the most important things that employers can do is to make sure their human resources and leave policies are flexible and follow public health guidance,’’ said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. “If employees are sick, they need to be encouraged to stay home. If people begin to experience flu-like symptoms at work, they should be sent home and possibly encouraged to seek medical treatment.’’

Employers’ flu season plans should address key preventative measures including:

• encouraging employees with flu-like symptoms to stay home from work,
• operating with less in-house staff, and
• having employees at higher risk for illness or serious medical complications from infection work from home.

Before the season gets into full swing, employers should take a look at the company’s sick leave policies and ensure employees understand them, according to the CDC. Employers may also want to consider adopting flexible hours for employees who need to care for sick family members or if a child’s school is closed.

Other suggestions include offering on-site flu vaccines, encouraging employees to get the H1N1 flu vaccine, limiting face-to-face meetings and business travel, and allowing employees to work from home.

“Keeping our nation’s workers safe is a top priority,” said Deputy Secretary of Labor Seth Harris, who participated in the announcement. “Faced with a renewed H1N1 challenge during the coming flu season, we are developing tools that will help ensure America’s workers stay healthy and our businesses remain viable.”

Every company will have a unique plan that fits their business needs, but the main goal should be protecting workers. Help prevent the spread of flu at your company by training workers how to keep themselves and their families safe.

Related posts:

Training is key to preventing the flu at work

Preventing the flu in the office, six simple steps

Keep your germs at home!

Free online learning webinars

The kids are finally back to school and you, too, can “hit the books” starting with this great list of free online learning webinars compiled by Jon Udell and Tony Karrer of eLearning Learning (via Workplace Learning Today).

From increasing your webinar effectiveness to coaching and even growing your business, their list is a great place to get back into the learning groove after a long, hot summer.

Upcoming eLearning Events from eLearning Learning.

New motivation trend: Plant a garden

Really, plant a garden. It turns out that along with nutrition, peas and carrots also have the power to motivate.

Corporate gardening is one of the latest trends in employee motivation, and for many companies it’s proven to pay off in the hearts (and stomachs) of employees.

“Some small companies seeking an extra benefit for their employees are turning to their backyard for inspiration: a vegetable garden.

After laying off an employee, cutting hours and discontinuing raises, Sheryl Woodhouse-Keese, owner of Twisted Limb Paperworks LLC in Bloomington, Ind., invested $600 last fall to create a 1,500-square-foot garden outside the recycled paper-products company's office. Now, her four employees can take home their pick of 10 herbs and 22 vegetables.

"The garden really is a nice benefit, saving them on their food bills," said Ms. Woodhouse-Keese, who estimates the garden has meted out $2,400 in produce this season, from tomatoes to potatoes.” (WSJ.com)

Gardening at work can be an affordable and simple way to boost employees’ morale and give a ground-up boost to the company’s wellness program.

It’s also a great way to build employee camaraderie without ever leaving company grounds – no retreats, seminars or off-site meetings needed. All this retreat needs is a pair of gloves and a garden hoe.

If you’re a small business looking to attract new employees, access to a flourishing vegetable garden can be an attractive asset. So whether you have a spacious rooftop or a grassy patch of land behind the building, plant a few seeds and see what grows...

Keep training short ... but how short?

When it comes to elearning, we’ve been told that keeping it short can improve retention, but cutting it down too much can backfire. So, how do we know when short is too short?

“It used to be that formal learning programs in a corporate environment could be a week long. People would pack up and spend an intensive five days in a dedicated facility and immerse themselves in a new skill set.

Then the tolerance by employees and middle managers for a formal learning program shifted to two days. Then one day. Then half a day. Then one hour. Now it is probably about fifteen minutes,” according to Simulation Designer Clark Aldrich on his Simulations and Serious Games blog.

Of course, technology has improved instructional design, significantly reducing the amount of time it takes to complete training and learning courses. And since the advent of Google, we’ve been trained to find and learn information using the fastest methods available.

Whether it’s in response to the recession or not, training has gone from weekly retreats to days of on-site training, to an hour-long webinar. We’re trying to get the most bang for our buck by racing through a mountain of information as quickly as possible.

What do you think? Is it possible that we’re losing out on quality because we’re so focused on efficiency? Are we trying to squeeze too much training and learning into a window of time that’s way too short?

Is cramming it all into 15 minutes ever a good thing?

Monday funday: Poetry at work

Oh, the office – full of stressed employees hiding out in their cubicles, fueled by bad coffee and the latest coworker gossip, tirelessly punching keyboards in hopes of landing the corner office one day – it’s like poetry.

passing in the hall
My boss: "I volunteered you"
Me: [biting my tongue]
- Christopher

my first cubicle
decorated it myself
looks like IKEA...
-Jennifer

starting the work day
wondering when it will end
fighting for friday
-Sherry

These fantastic workplace poems come courtesy of the Jobacle blog, whose authors are on a quest to find the best haiku about work. Read the whole list and enter a haiku of your own over at the Jobacle blog today.

Carnival of HR comes to town

Corn dogs, funnel cake, cotton candy … Oh My!

The Carnival of HR has made it’s way to Training Time. We got our hands on some fantastic submissions this week and would like to say thanks to everyone who contributed.

Just one thing before you enter – please ride the Screamin’ Swing before you visit the funnel cake vendor. Thanks.

Looking for a new job? Want a new position at the Tilt-A-Whirl instead of the Gravitron?

Laurie at Punk Rock HR reminds us that “we are who we pretend to be – even on our resumes,” so be careful.

For all those “Moms” out there, Kelly at Fistful of Talent has some recommendations on how to find a job that meshes well with your family life.

Don’t underestimate your social media connections, says Lance aka. Your HR Guy. Value your connections, learn new things and apply those new things to make personal improvements.

Listen to Michael VanDervort’s advice at Human Race Horses on how to interview like your in show business and you may have a shot at the carnival’s main stage next year.

Amit Bhagria the Young HR Manager has some tips for coping with a corporate layoff.

And The HR Store is asking recent interviewees, “What are you doing about the interview feedback you receive?”


One carnie short of the perfect carnival? Looking to fill a position?

Visit Recruitment 2.0 and read Susannah Cesar’s three part series on recruiting graduates in a recession.

If you’re looking to save money, you can always skip the carnival games, or listen to Melanie Quinn’s advice on how retaining human capital makes sense and saves cents.

We learn by doing, but taking the “sink or swim” approach to promoting an employee to management can be dangerous. Instead, use some management transition tools suggested by David Giffin from i4cp.

When the time comes to choose new leaders, why not take a look at some other tried and true methods, asks Wally Bock at Three Star Leadership.

When you’re ready to formulate a leadership development program, head on over to Benifys HR Solutions where Vishveshwar Jatain will get you started.


Someone call security, we’ve got problems

Broken Ferris wheel again? It’s safe to say a bit of human error was probably involved. Sharlyn Lauby aka. the HR Bartender examines why some people get desperate when faced with failure.

Lacking feedback from your manager? Dan McCarthy at Great Leadership shares his advice on coaxing feedback out of a reluctant manager.

Or maybe it’s an accountability problem. Denise O’Berry at Ask the Team Doc says assigning people specific roles is worth it and will help your team.

Spend ten minutes with Naomi Bloom, in a post by Melissa Prusher of The Devon Group, and learn from her successful project management tips.

Bad employees are very similar to smelly diapers, just read Suzanne the Evil HR Lady would handle Mr. Stinky. If you can’t change it, get rid of it, she says.

From smells to bad attitudes, Susan Heathfield from Guide to Human Resources hears countless horror stories of the way employees were treated by their HR staff person.

Wondering why everyone is walking around with masks? The swine flu has hit the carnival, and India. Read B.P. Rao ‘s common sense advice on minimizing your flu risk.

While we’re on the subject of health... Evan Falchuk of See First Blog explains why he thinks health care reform is going badly.

Don’t be afraid to put your foot down and take a stand when problems arise, says Ben Eubanks of Upstart HR in his rules for new HR professionals.

Maybe it’s time to revamp your required carnie training courses. Use these tips from yours truly at Thoughts from Training Time to reinvigorate your training programs.


The carnival is getting high tech these days

In order for collaborative communities to thrive in the workplace, you’re going to need three necessary conditions, says Steve Boese of Steve's HR Technology Blog.

Gireesh Sharma of Talent Junction explains the importance of HR data for a CEO, especially when you’re an entrepreneur pitching to investors.

Sakib Khan, of HR with Sakib Khan, explains how Google Wave can improve collaboration and HR.

And take a deeper look at the power of sticks and carrots at Prasad Kurian’s Blog on HR.

Integrating your networking and collaboration tools with enterprise systems might improve your chances of influencing behaviors that improve performance, says Mark Bennett of Talented Apps.

Also think about how a rollout plan could ease the integration of a new analytics initiative into your HR and business culture at Infohrm.


Of course, you gotta have some fun at the carnival

Invite your team to a “Night Out in August,” says April Downing of Pseudo HR. Set the budget, pick a restaurant, and set aside some time for your team to discuss what’s going on at work.

Or use Drew Tarvin’s tips from Humor That Works on how to build a better global team.

Sometimes you just have to accept that work is largely out of your control. So, find one thing that revives your sense of freedom this summer, says Mark Stelzner of Inflexion Advisors.

Time to revamp your training?

It’s about that time of the year again, the summer heat is cooling off and kids are checking off their school supply lists before the new school year starts.

It’s also a great time for businesses to start checking off their lists to see what areas of employee training and development need a boost.

Here are some tips for reinvigorating your organization’s training programs:

Survey employees. What do they want out of the company’s training programs? What topics would they like to see? What would get them more involved?

Take a look at your budget. Where are you spending too much? Where could you be spending more? Which programs could use some financial tweaking?

Get creative. Try training naked or take advantage of the sunshine and enjoy a team building exercise outside. Find creative ways to get employees excited about training.

Refresh your training materials. PowerPoint looking a little dated? Books and training CDs getting a little worn out? Shop around for some new, fresh training materials.

Have fun. Find new ways to have fun within your training programs. Are there any new training games you’ve wanted to try? Or new, challenging team building activities you think would work?

Train the trainer. Turn existing employees into in-house trainers who can share their expertise with their coworkers. Not only will it save the company some money, but it can also help build teamwork.

Friday Funny: The Art of Demotivation

“Every executive knows that employees love to complain,” says Dr. E.L. Kersten, co-founder and COO of Despair.com.

With Kersten’s “It Could Be Worse” program, all of those “silly” employee complaints seem to disappear.

The video below demonstrates how you, too, can rid yourself of complaining employees with his simple, yet effective demotivation strategy. Watch and learn:

How to have fun at work: Work like a dog

Don’t think working like a dog sounds like much fun? Well, think again...

Dogs are some of the best role models for us to emulate on the job, according to Matt Weinstein, founder of international consulting firm Playfair.

When you think about it, working like a dog is what we should all look for in the perfect job. Here are just a few reasons:

• Dogs don’t know the difference between work and fun. It’s all fun.
• Everything is new and exciting.
• They’re dedicated, loyal, disciplined (for the most part), sensitive and loving.
• Their enthusiasm for life, fun and work is never diminished.
• They live in the present.

The next time you’re wondering why there’s no fun in your work, try thinking like a dog. Listen to Matt explain it in his own words:

Great ice breaker ideas start with three words

Can you sum up your job description in three words or less? Think you could describe yourself or your personality in only three words?

Give it a try the next time you’re preparing for job interviews, recommends UK management advisor Colin Beveridge (via Human Race Horses). You may find the exercise to be a powerful self-evaluation tool, he says.

But if you’re not interviewing anytime soon, try the idea out as a quick ice breaker idea at your next meeting or event. We’ll call it the Three-Word Challenge, even shorter than the six-word ice breakers we shared late last year.

Simply start off your meeting by asking everyone to describe their job, what makes them happy, or even an interesting, unknown fact about themselves. Give them a few minutes to mull it over, then go around the room and have everyone share.

Be prepared to give good examples to get them started. Michael VanDervort at Human Race Horses recently shared these great three word self evaluations:

• Help people think (Beveridge)
• Make information useful (VanDervort)
• I think differently
• Evaluate, encourage & execute

The possibilities are endless. Try the Three-Word Challenge as an ice breaker and let us know how it goes.

How would you describe your job in three words?

Extraordinary people at work

Jorge Munoz is a school bus driver who lives in Queens, New York. Every day when he comes home after a full day at work, he rests for about 10 minutes, grabs a cup of coffee and starts his second job.

This second job doesn’t pay in dollars (it actually costs him money to do it), instead Jorge says he gets paid every time he sees a smile on the face of the people he serves.

Jorge spends about half of his salary, about $700 a week, to prepare and serve food to hungry people under a subway stop in Queens.

"The smiles on their faces, when see they got something to eat....aaaaah, [We're] feeding [more than] a hundred people," Munoz says passionately. "If you change the life of one guy, that's enough..." (Huffington Post)

Here’s a video of his story:

Training Trends: Can training = fun?

The latest issue of our Training Trends newsletter hit inboxes yesterday. This month you’ll discover new ways to make training more enjoyable and even fun, how to unlock employee creativity and why it’s time to refresh your project management skills.

Here are some snippets from the August issue of Training Trends from TrainingTime.com:

Can Training = Fun?
Ways to make your training more enjoyable

Have you ever facilitated a training session and found that one or more attendees caught up on sleep the entire time you spoke? Let’s face it, training has the potential to be boring, for both trainer and employee. The last thing you want are employees trudging all the way to the training room feeling doomed to a session of uncomfortable introductions, awkward silences and yawn-worthy material.

As a trainer, there are ways to engage your employees with fun, worthwhile training that will relay useful and important information in a way that will stick. Take the initiative and use these suggestions to give your training an extra boost of enjoyment. (more)


Six strategies for unlocking employee creativity
Embrace creativity, create a competitive advantage

A few lucky companies are beginning to rebound from the recession, but most of us are still feeling the pressure. Employees and executives are stressed; budgets are tight and businesses are hunkered down. Though every business goes through natural ups and downs, stagnancy is something no business can afford right now.

Studies have shown that companies that emphasize employee engagement and encourage creativity will attract high-performing job candidates and retain loyal employees, giving the company a competitive advantage. Try these six strategies and unlock employee creativity in your organization today: (more)


Project management refresher
Skills to help manage your projects more efficiently

It’s Monday morning and, unlike your fellow employees, you’ve got your feet up in a lounge chair on the deck of a cruise ship. The sun is shining; a gentle breeze is blowing through your hair, and an ice cold beverage sits in the cup holder next to you. Then, exactly one week later, you find yourself dragging your sunburned heels across the company parking lot toward the entrance in a pre-coffee daze, still dreaming you’re on that cruise ship…

With all the distractions that come from the summer vacations, it’s a good time to brush up on your project management skills so you don’t fall behind schedule. If you have a team working with you on projects, it wouldn’t hurt to give them a refresher as well. Here are some basic things to keep in mind when managing your next project... (more)

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If you’re a training expert or HR professional and are interested in writing content for Training Trends or TrainingTime.com’s learning library, visit our “Write for Us” page for instructions on how to contribute.