Training

Container Store takes 260 hours to train each new hire

03/17/2014

One of the Container Store Group’s “foundation principles” is “1 = 3”—one great employee equals three good ones when it comes to productivity. And the 63-store chain only hires about 3% of all who apply. Then, it pays them 50% to 100% more than its competitors, and spends at least 260 hours training each new employee.

Use split-sample tests to gain backing for HR

03/06/2014

Say you want to implement a new training program for sales reps. But every time you propose a new HR initiative like this, executives question whether it can work or say the company can’t afford it. Next time, take a different approach: split-sample testing.

Everyone’s business: Teach staff the ABCs of customer service

02/18/2014

Many of your employees have to deal with customers, even if it’s only occasionally. Here is a 26-step primer to help your employees understand what it takes to not only hang on to customers, but leave them with a positive impression of your business.

Want to muzzle all workplace gossip? Use training, not a blanket no-gossip policy

01/30/2014

You may not like the idea of employees grousing to each other in the breakroom about their knucklehead managers or the new health care plan. But don’t try to silence such behavior with a broad no-gossip policy. As this new case shows, you could run afoul of the NLRA.

Remind supervisors: They can be held personally liable for many work-related problems

01/28/2014

Quite often, employees’ attorneys make sure supervisors are separately charged and individually liable. Cite this trend during training to instill in your managers and supervisors that they need to follow the professional advice HR provides—or else face the consequences.

Want staff loyalty? Get a company dog! … and include loyalty in employee training

01/23/2014

You may think that employees understand their obligations when they sign noncompete and nonsolicitation agreements designed to prevent them from jumping ship and stealing your clients. Don’t make that assumption. Instead, include loyalty training in your orientation programs.

Constructive Discharge

01/17/2014

HR Law 101: Some supervisors try to skirt the whole issue of firing someone by resorting to constructive discharge. Their logic: If we make an employee’s time at work so intolerable, he or she will choose to resign. That’s an unwise strategy …

Free college HR courses: No cost, no credit, just wisdom

01/16/2014

You don’t need to enroll in college to take undergraduate and graduate HR courses that enhance your knowledge and career. Universities and other sources offer free online courses through OpenCourseWare websites. Here’s a rundown of some sources and HR courses:

Chrysler takes its training academy on the road

01/14/2014

Chrysler Group employees who can’t make the trip to the auto manufacturer’s 25,000-square-foot Warren, Mich., training center can attend remotely via a new mobile classroom.

Often-overlooked risk: training discrimination

01/07/2014

Make sure supervisors in your organization aren’t playing favorites with some employees at the expense of others. Excluding certain employees from the “inner circle” that get special training, mentoring or promotion opportunities is legally dangerous, as this new ruling shows.