The Training Department #2 (All beans need to be counted)

I once knew a trainer who told me, "I always ignore the bean counters." He doesn't run a training department anymore...I think he sells shoes in Fresno.

The bean counters are your friend...say this seven time...I'll wait.

Years ago I worked for a company that had a repressive system that counted employees time. Every week my trainers had to electronically fill out this form telling the company what they had done for the past week.

The trainers hated the system. They would do ANYTHING to get out of this task. But I backed up the "bean counters" all of my trainers dutifully filled in their tasks for the week. Everyone took this as "trainer hell" and I was their jailor.

Until one day in a meeting a local VP decided that since trainers "didn't do anything" they could spend their time helping out the supervisors on the floor. My boss related this to me in a matter of fact way, when I was done screaming and I got my hair to lay back down I went to see the bean counters.

I asked for a report off of the time managment system. After 30 minutes with a highlighter I was able to show that most of the time the trainers were providing billable hours and at a rate HIGHER that that of supervisors, they were bringing in more money than a sup.

I revelently went to the VP (revently cause in the company VP's were gods on earth) and told him that I would be "more than happy" to put my trainers on the floor helping the supervisors...of course we would lose the billable hours they generated. The VP took the report and scanned the totals. I was told not to do it until he "got back" to me. It's been 9 years. I'm still waiting.

You can't ignore the bean counters. If you do your career won't be worth a hill of....

David

The Training Department #1 (Why you need a Training Department)

Bad Training Practice #1

Most businesses use an add hoc training system, watch Bill or Mary do their job for a couple of hours then your on your own. This works for small businesses and companies that wish to enter bankruptcy sooner than later.

Why this is a bad deal

Bill and Mary are doing it wrong. They don't know they are doing it wrong, they just are. This is often called "floor lore." This means they learned it from somone who may have deviated from the real way things are done. Over time they way the job is done is nothing close to the way that the job should be done.