The Workplace Improver Blog » job inductions

How to Develop a Workplace Safety Messages Campaign (Part 2)

Marie-Claire Ross — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 03:30:03 +0000

As mentioned in ” How to Develop a Workplace Safety Messages Campaign” Part 1, marketing is the key to getting your safety messages heard and understood.

But how does the ordinary safety professional instigate a marketing campaign to educate staff about safety initiatives?

Let’s do some Marketing 101 lessons, to look at the steps you need to undertake to deliver your marketing (oops, safety) strategy.

Who is your audience? You need to work out who your target audience is and their demographics. Are they mainly males 35 – 55 years? Or a combination of both males and females, but aged 15 – 25 years? By working out exactly who your audience is, you can better work out the types of communication they are more likely to watch, read and hear.
What are your objectives? What are you trying to achieve? How can you measure the success of the communication program? What data can you measure both before and after the launch of the new safety campaign?
What is your message? What is it that you want to say? If it is to raise awareness about safe forklift driving, why do you need to let people know about this. Ensure that you let people know what the safety initiative is and why it is important. How can you ensure all departments have the same consistent message?
What communication methods can you use? Ideally, use multiple types of communication and deliver it multiple times. Put together a strategy as to how you can communicate the same safety messages daily, weekly or monthly.

Let’s take a look at an example.

Gypsum Board Manufacturers of Australasia (GBMA) needed a manual handling training program to train 3,000 workers from five different companies on how to handle plasterboard safely. In the plasterboard industry, manual handling injuries are the most common of injuries.

The training program was treated as a marketing exercise. An iconic plasterboard man was designed who featured on all of the communication. A slogan was also created “Move it – The GBMA Way”. Both the iconic man and the slogan were a way of reminding workers on a daily basis about the training they had received. Training centred around a 20 minute training video that also included medical animations to show how the back works. A trainer’s manual, PowerPoint Slides and employee handbook were used for training. The employee handbook was A6 size to encourage workers to keep in pockets or lockers for easy reference. Posters were also designed with the same theme as a daily reminder.

“The training material components were key in engaging roles such as Team Leaders to deliver the training to their teams effectively. One of the keys to getting engagement with the safety messages on a daily basis has been the handbooks and posters to prompt training information.”. Gerard Crosswell, GIB NZ

Effective safety communication needs to be very specific to your organisation and tailored to your workplace demographics and culture.

It must integrate with a company’s day to day activities and be of value to the workers watching it. Slick communication materials are not the answer.

Care needs to be taken so that communication materials are credible and easy to understand.

But more importantly, any safety communication needs to provide daily reminders to staff while they work, for the best results.

How can you best communicate your new safety initiatives?

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How Using Quizzes in Induction Training Improves New Starter Learning

Marie-Claire Ross — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 00:39:55 +0000

Induction training is absolutely vital for new employees. It is also the time when new starters are thirsty to know more about their new workplace and want to quickly integrate into their new team. However, it can be difficult to know how well a new starter or contractor has absorbed training information.

Establish an induction training evaluation system

According to Joe Huang from Wondershare, makers of the Quiz Creator, as with any type of training, it is important to review and seek feedback before, after and during induction training. The evaluation of induction training can be divided into three stages:

Evaluating new employees’ learning and academic performance. Before new employees start with you, you can quiz them on their knowledge. This can be determined through examinations: paper-based tests are usually the most common way, but for the sake of time-saving and cost-effective, computer-based tests are the best choice.
Evaluating the appropriateness of the training course content. For companies who are not sure about the content in their training and how new employees feel about it, you can quiz new starters to find out how they found the training and what they liked/disliked. This is a great way to update your training in a meaningful way.
Evaluating the work performance of trainees. After the newbie has started, you can quiz supervisors on certain learning outcomes, to find out what they think of the performance of the new starter, so you can know how the new employees took their training into practice. This is also important information when reviewing your induction training and what areas need further improvement.

How quizzes can be used with induction training video for optimal results

Research has found that viewers of a training video score better on message retention and recall levels when they are told that they will be tested.
To use quizzes properly with a training video:

Quiz your learners before producing the training video. By finding out what information current staff have difficulty with, you will be more knowledgeable about the type of information to put into your training video.
Quiz your learners after (or during) the video training. This makes sure they have absorbed the information.
Use a quiz as a review tool. This is a great way to refresh staff. Even if they only watch a small segment of an induction training video (for example: warm up exercises, by undertaking a small quiz on this topic, you know that they have learnt the information).

Now, while it is all well and good to test people during induction training, we hear from many companies that this sort of e-learning approach can be flawed. All it takes is for a dodgy supervisor to hand people the answers and everyone passes through the quiz in flying colours.

That’s why it is important when testing people that if they get it wrong, they have to go back to that section and watch the video again. Or alternatively, the questions are randomly displayed so that it makes cheating much harder.

According to Joe Huang, it is important to choose a quiz creating software that has anti-cheating features. This includes a time limit (so that there is no time to research answers), randomization (questions occur in different order), access control (password only access to change the test) and a concealed XML file (this stops the answers from being viewed).

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Announcing New Training Video Buyer’s Kit

Marie-Claire Ross — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 22:09:10 +0000

It’s smart for companies to be worried about staff and customer training videos and how to tackle them correctly. There are so many choices. Quite frequently, training videos are produced that just don’t get watched. Now making the right decision has just got easier.

Melbourne, Australia (August 11, 2010) – Digicast Productions, a training video production house, today released the “Training Video Buyer’s Kit”. Developing the right training video for your company isn’t easy. Nor is choosing the right company to help you. This kit is a useful resource for anyone involved in the challenging and complex task of deciding upon producing a staff or customer training video and then how to go about it.

Using a four step process the buyer kit includes:

A list of questions to decide whether or not a training video is right for an organisation.

The critical questions to determine what the training video needs to achieve, in order to write the brief and how to best manage the project internally.
A valuable checklist to evaluate the suitability of a video production house.
An additional checklist to measure the effectiveness of training videos already produced by production houses.

For a complete copy of the kit, visit http://info.digicast.com.au/things-you-need-to-know-before-buying-a-customised-training-video
About Digicast Productions

Established in 1991, Digicast is an Australian vendor of customised safety and induction training videos. Thousands of people each year worldwide are trained with Digicast training videos. For more information, visit Digicast at www.digicast.com.au or The Workplace Improver blog for training tips, www.digicast.com.au/blog.

Contact Marie-Claire Ross

Digicast Productions
+ 61 3 9696-4400
mc@digicast.com.au

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Announcing New White Paper: Optimising Induction Training: Reduce Costs, Improve Quality and Talent Retention

Marie-Claire Ross — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 22:05:37 +0000

Getting Training Messages to stick can be Tricky. This New Report reveals the Key Factors behind Successful Staff Induction Training and how to implement them.

Melbourne, Australia (July 26,2010) – Digicast Productions, a safety and induction training video production house, today released a new white paper “Optimising Induction Training: Reduce Costs, Improve Quality and Talent Retention”. Around the world, many companies train new starters and contractors ineffectively often finding it difficult to get training messages to stick inside people’s heads. This paper outlines the impact of poor induction training, the high cost of face to face training and the growing importance of including visuals in training materials.

Eighty-three percent (83%) of human learning occurs visually, yet the majority of companies produce text based induction training materials that have a 10% effectiveness rate on recall levels.

Smart organisations who regularly need to train contractors and new staff are looking for a more streamlined, engaging and cost effective way to ensure staff absorb training messages.

This exclusive white paper addresses the various pitfalls of a poorly designed induction training process and what can be done about it. The report looks at:
•   What current induction training programs are really costing companies
•   The importance of avoiding a poor safety culture
•   The emerging trend of using more visuals in communication
•   How to make training messages sticky
•   A little mistake that cost a Quarry $20,000 a year

For a complete copy of the whitepaper, download it now.
About Digicast Productions

Contact Marie-Claire Ross
Digicast Productions
+ 61 3 9696-4400
mc@digicast.com.au

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7 Tips to Improve Induction Training Materials

Marie-Claire Ross — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 04:32:07 +0000

1. Use more Visuals - 83% of human learning occurs visually. Use lots of photos, videos, diagrams and colour to present training information. Avoid relying heavily on text based training. After all, we only recall 10% of what we read compared to 50% for what we both see and hear.

2. Tell Stories – During training, tell stories of exemplary staff behaviour that typify the type of action you want staff to do. Stories help people make emotional connections.

3. Lead by Values – Let staff/contractors know what your values are. Using values, empowers workers to make decisions based on company values. Difficult for staff to make the right decisions if they only have rules to follow.

4. Positivise it – Remove negative language. Tell people how you want them to behave, rather than telling them what you don’t want. Remove words such as ‘no’, ‘can’t and ‘don’t’.

5. Involve senior management - Senior management play an integral leadership role in establishing culture. Effective leadership whether it be concerning safety, a new sales method or business structure must be led from the top. They must be involved in the induction process.

6. Reduce complication - Get rid of long sentences, jargon and big words in training materials. Keep it short and tweet.

‘Words are how we think, story is about how we link’ Christina Baldwin

7. Ask more why questions - Teach people why they need to do something, so they can always figure out the how. Otherwise, company processes keep getting perpetuated without people ever questioning why they do something.

Think you need help to improve your company induction training materials? Then, go to the seminar to find out more information.

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How to Communicate Workplace Safety Messages

Marie-Claire Ross — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 02:08:10 +0000

According to Steven Bell, senior associate with law firm Freehills, in January 2012 the new Australian OHS laws will expect companies to drive safety management internally and push greater alignment between key messages and action.

The new laws will introduce a level of personal responsibility that will help drive the changes needed for better OHS. This means that senior managers will be expected to foster a positive workplace culture, receive regular safety reporting and a practical understanding of what is happening on the ground.

This is a great step forward as senior management actually drive the safety culture of a company.

Currently, most companies promote a safety culture, but send out mixed messages when it comes to a safe workplace. For example: A fairly standard grumble by many workers is that they are expected to work safely, yet at the same time they are told to work faster or in a way that involves safety risks, to drive productivity.

So with the new requirement to promote safety messages and show evidence of a positive safety culture, what is the best way to communicate workplace safety messages?

With any communication program, it is important to take into account that people absorb messages differently and the more they see it, the more likely it will be taken on-board. Therefore, any workplace safety communication messages need to include a variety of communication approaches such as posters, training videos, staff newsletter and ‘toolbox’ talks. They all need to be branded with the company’s unique safety messages.

In addition, the workplace safety communication must be personalised to the company. Generic safety messages won’t cut it. Instead, it needs to be formulated according to your culture and demographics. And then it needs to be followed up with action.

Training videos are more persuasive than written material which is perceived as less important and credible.

A lot of companies that we have worked with have successfully used a customised training video as the main communication medium to drive OHS behaviour change. They have then supported the training video with posters, newsletters and other safety specific materials.

A staff training video is an ideal way to connect with staff. Made correctly it will positively and believably demonstrate your company commitment to the healthy and safety of your workplace. After all, research has found that training videos are more persuasive than written material which is perceived as less important and credible.

In order to take into account the new laws, consider creating a customised training video that includes:

An introduction by senior managers talking about the importance of safety to the staff and company.
Safety rules/explaining that poor safety effects the viewer and other workers
Procedures
Summary

Of course, just playing a training video doesn’t automatically ensure that staff will know your training messages. It needs to be followed up with a consistent workplace culture that always considers the safety rules/message in every activity. Not just when played on a training video.

More importantly, senior management must support and agree with all the safety communication tools. And refer to them often.

After all, staff won’t believe that the company backs its safety messages, until they see the proof of action.

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How to make your Induction Materials come to Life

Marie-Claire Ross — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 03:46:37 +0000

Truck driver training

Recently, I was speaking to a client about what baseline figures we needed to measure before and after his company induction training video gets released.

What I found interesting was that even though there are some key figures we can measure (eg: trends in customer complaints and accidents), as far as he was concerned the video was mainly a holistic training device to help in a number of key areas that were immeasurable.

In this company, they have 450 truck drivers who do a vitally important job. Yet, other staff members in different departments and even the truck drivers themselves, do not realise how important this role is to the company success.

The training video has been written to let truck drivers realise how important their responsibilities are and the broader impact on the company itself. This is part of the all-important introduction which clearly lets drivers know what the company does, who they serve, how their job role impacts the company, the importance of safety and their job responsibilities.

The induction video is a way of connecting emotionally to these truck drivers so they realise the importance of their ambassador role for the organisation while also ensuring the fresh and timely delivery of their milk products. It also includes procedural tasks.

Interestingly, my client made the remark that the training video was really a different communication medium to ‘put life’ into their induction document. And while it is important to train on procedures, it was more important to align the truck drivers with the broader perspective of their job and the company vision and values.

What pleases me, is that this organisation understands that training is not just about teaching the right processes, it is also about getting staff aligned with what the company does and why, as well as the importance of jobs. It’s not just about delivering a product on time, it’s also about the being an important visible representative of the company. After all, a truck driver that is discourteous reflects badly on the company reputation. By letting staff know the greater meaning and importance of the job, the more they will see purpose in what they do which will result in better performance, but also better job satisfaction.

After all, a happy team is a productive team.

What can you do to your training materials to provide information about the importance of the job role and its relevance to the broader perspective to your company?

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Why telling Stories is important for Company Induction Training

Marie-Claire Ross — Mon, 31 May 2010 04:59:23 +0000

Those of you who have read my posts know that I’m a big fans of telling stories to indoctrinate staff and contractors (see Telling Stories to improve Company Inductions).

In his book Leading Minds: An Anatomy of Leadership, Harvard professor Howard Gardner wrote, “leaders achieve effectiveness largely through the stories they relate. Stories must in some way help the audience/team members to think through who they are and frame future opinions”.

One of the best ways to induct new staff is for senior managers to be involved and to be seen getting involved.

The ex-CEO of Virgin Blue airlines, Brett Godfrey, would always turn up to staff induction training to introduce himself.

And while it is important for senior managers to introduce themselves and welcome new starters, they also need to talk about legendary company stories. It’s a great way to improve the safety culture, customer service and pride in the company. Also, particularly useful for welcoming staff from a new merger/aquisition.

‘Words are how we think, story is about how we link’ Christina Baldwin

But what if the senior manager can’t be there? What if the CEO is unable to welcome the 20 new staff who start every month across different sites in Australia?

Film them!

It’s a surprisingly simple, but effective way for new staff to know who the senior staff member is and to feel like they know them. It also saves the CEO or Executive General Manager a lot of time.

We have filmed many senior managers welcoming new starters and giving their own personal introductions. It’s warm, funny and believable. And it’s a great way to start an induction training video.

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Free Seminars – Seven Induction Tips for Improving Company Inductions

Marie-Claire Ross — Wed, 19 May 2010 07:39:02 +0000

Do new staff feel undervalued in your company?

When it comes to inductions common complaints are that they are ‘boring’ and ‘overwhelming’.

They also represent the only first impression that you get with a new employee. This is a great opportunity to align them with your company values and processes and make them want to stick around.

In this fun and informative presentation, you will find out what most companies are doing wrong during the induction process and what you can do to make your company a leader in safety inductions.

You will learn seven ways to instantly improve the induction processes in your company.

These great tips will help you to improve your safety culture, productivity and engage your new staff/contractors with clear and consistent training materials.

For those of you serious about improving the quality of safety training in your company or welcoming new starter or contractors, this event is not to be missed.

Wednesday 16 June – GOSH

Royal Geelong Yacht Club

6.30 – 9.00pm

Monday 26 July – Southern Safety Group

3 – 4.30pm

Protector Alsafe Premises at 41 Greens Road Dandenong

To find out more or register, click here.

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Why training videos are best for staff training

Marie-Claire Ross — Thu, 06 May 2010 07:35:26 +0000

Over the last three years, online video has become one of the fastest growing web trends due to the widespread availability of broadband and YouTube. In fact, one of the most widely used search terms are “how to…” videos.

Now, more than ever before, there are hungry online audiences using video to educate themselves in their own homes.

And for good reason.

Everyone likes Pictures

In 2000, research by Gunter et al found that learners more easily understand and recall new material presented in video that allows participants to both see and hear the information. This dual-encoding process reinforces information in multiple brain areas which increases the chances of the information being stored in long term memory.

While studies by educational researchers have found that 83% of human learning occurs visually. Visually rich information keeps the brain busy and alert to learn more information.

You can’t see me

And videos can go where trainers can’t. It’s fairly difficult to visualise how the back works and what happens when you lift incorrectly. But clear medical animations can inform the user of how their spine works and what happens when they damage it.

When Trainers go Bad

Training videos also offer consistent training. When different training facilitators are involved confusion can arise when they teach different processes. In fact, inconsistent training is common within organisations, with around 54% stating that onboarding is inconsistent within their organisation. Imagine what effect this has on productivity.

“I need more time”

When it comes to training, often trainers are overwhelmed by the amount of time they spend training and inducting face to face. The truth is it doesn’t have to be this way. By converting repetitive training tasks into easy to understand training video modules, the trainer can be relieved of repetitive training tasks. And they can then spend time doing more important things like managing your site or taking the afternoon off to play golf.

You seem so Credible

Compared to written training materials, training videos actually increase comprehension and retention of subject matter by a staggeringly high 51%. They actually command the attention of the viewer and motivate them to learn more. But more importantly, they are perceived as more persuasive and credible than training materials which tend to be viewed as less important in comparison.

Here’s a test. The next time you have to induct a contractor tell them that you need to sit down with them and read through your training manual. After they curse and groan, smile and say, “actually, how about you watch our induction video with a small quiz?” They will love you for life. Or until the end of their shift.

Reduce Training Time

But the best part about training videos are that they teach information in around 50 – 75% of the time as an instructor. And if you get an expertly produced training video made, expect productivity to increase also. So if you are undertaking 45 minute inductions reducing the induction time to 12 minutes is about average. Think about the cost savings to the trainer’s time and the new starter’s time. The cost benefits can be quite enormous depending upon the amount of inductions your company does.

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