Training at different levels of the organization

Everyone in an organization needs training regardless of level of responsibility. Ongoing education and training strengthens employees’ existing skills, helps them improve gaps in their skills, helps to retain current employees, enhances employee satisfaction, and provides valuable knowledge and skills that support them in their daily roles and responsibilities. More importantly, training at different levels of the organization improves the effectiveness of a specific program, policy and procedure implementation and sets a strategic direction for an organization. Below are training requirements for different levels and groups of employees:

• New hires. All new hires require a comprehensive facility orientation and onboarding, which includes organizationwide trainings, department- and unit-specific orientation, role-specific trainings and competency assessments. A combination of classroom training and job shadowing benefits new employees.
• Organizationwide. There will be some training that everyone in the company must be proficient at regarding workplace issues. This type of training is related to the conditions of employment, such as preventing harassment, ethics and compliance, as well as mandatory training such as environmental health and safety, workplace safety, and emergency preparedness and management.
• Supervisor/management/leadership team. Effective leadership is essential to the success of the organization. This team is responsible for inspiring people to get the job done, both correctly and efficiently. A comprehensive leadership training program includes strategic leadership development, financial management, personnel management, and productivity and performance improvement. In addition, this team requires further training depending on the departments they manage and the associated roles and responsibilities.
• Department/unit. Each department requires training on specific workflows, policies, and safety and emergency procedures.
• Customer-facing employees. Front-line employees face customers and require appropriate training based on the service expectations set by the company and the customers.
• Job role. The next level of training is for individual job roles that exist within the organization. Each employee must be evaluated based on the core competencies defined by the job function and regulatory requirements set by licensing and accreditation agencies.

A successful training program includes defining training objectives, conducting training needs analysis, performing knowledge and skill assessments, conducting job task analysis, and evaluating effectiveness. ASHE members can visit the link in this box for help in defining training objectives and developing an effective staff development program.