Training Day Blog

In addition to the pragmatism of putting the most competent person for any given project in the lead, rotating leadership means all employees eventually are given a chance to prove themselves as candidates for promotion and greater long-term responsibility.

I came across an article last week that got me thinking. The piece, “When Does Workplace Wellness Become Coercive?” resonates with me because I think I have the potential to, myself, become a coercer—and that may not be a bad thing. I have a great idea that will make our population much healthier, but many will be angry with me when I share it: I want companies to receive monetary incentives from the federal government to hire and retain only non-smoking employees.

Training employees on how to fake self-confidence, including honing improvisational, off-the-cuff speaking skills, can create a path for success.

I would argue that they are not. Their only responsibility is to provide a fair and efficient workplace in which employees are given manageable workloads and deadlines, and fair compensation with rewards for successes.

In addition to retention and engagement, if I were a trainer or HR manager, I would be paying attention to the number of open positions annually that are filled by in-house candidates.

How do you help employees reach the goals department or line-of-business leaders set, and how do you train managers to both assess their own role in meeting goals, as well as how to hold others accountable when things go wrong?

How can trainers make corporate internships programs a learning experience, not just for the intern(s), but for employees, too?

How can trainers help company decision-makers learn the work environment preferences of multigenerational employees, and then come up with needed solutions?

Training a workforce to adapt to the new digital age isn’t just about teaching employees how to use new technology. It’s also about teaching executives how best to optimize technology to better lead their workforce.

Companies might want to consider turning one or two their HR employees into the professional version of high school guidance counselors—people you can talk to about professional, and maybe even personal, issues affecting your job.