The safety of employees is a very high priority, often the number one priority of many organizations. The safety of the employees can be ensured through many different methods including safety climate, safety training and environmental safety practices such as machine guarding and safety equipment. A recent study done in Australia surveyed pipefitters and plumbers about how leadership affected safety behavior. The results are very interesting and truly demonstrate the importance of strong safety leaders. According to the survey, safety leaders whose workers admired their character, intelligence and skill had a form of “transformational leadership”. When these transformational leaders made safety a top priority the workers often did the same as well. The safety of organizations with this type of leader often has improved and produced better safety results than those with a transactional type leader. Improving the leaders of organizations is often a challenging process, but as shown in this study and many others prior the impact that a leader can have on an organization is remarkable. To all those leaders who are empowering their employees to grow and be the very best they can be through effective, efficient, and influential leadership, we commend you. There are many ways to develop a leader including online training, workshops, mentoring programs and on-the-job learning. At Russell Associates, we have found one of the most effective ways to train leaders is through a blended learning approach. Visit our website to learn more about our innovative approach to leadership training using a blended learning approach.
March 25th, 2014
Is your safety leader transformational or transactional?
No Comments, Blended Learning, Leadership, Safety, by admin.March 23rd, 2014
Does your sales team have the tools they need?
No Comments, intratrain Library, Sales, Training, by admin.There is not a shortage of sales training and sales tools available today. Each tool and training method has a unique set of differentiators that make it slightly different from the competition. Regardless of the training that sales people receive, almost all products are unique enough that salespeople need to adjust and change during the sales cycle to meet the specific requirements and challenges faced. Sales had become even more complicated as consumers become more tech savvy. It doesn’t matter if the purchase is for personal or business use, consumers have access to more information than they did just 5 years ago. We recently read an interesting article about some interesting strategies that might help you as you continue your sales journey. The main points of the article are included below. Your #1 Competitor is your own prospect Prospects “think” they know exactly what they need “Commercial insight” is required to compete in today’s business world. Top Sellers proactively coach prospects through the purchase. So what does this mean for you? It means that as a salesperson you always need to be aware and adapt to the changing dynamics of your specific sales cycle. It also means that you need to continually find new ways to develop and learn. If you aren’t continually striving to be better, then you are just allowing your competition to catch up and pass you. If you are looking for training and development opportunities, be sure to check out of intRAtrain library. We have over 3,000 courses, simulations, and short…
March 17th, 2014
Employee OnBoarding and Training- Is Everyone Covered?
No Comments, Training, by admin.Onboarding a new employee is often the most overlooked part of the hiring process, yet one of the most critical aspects. It is important that new employees are informed and trained about all aspects of the organization that are critical to them being able to complete their job successfully and safely. New employees are not the only people who are often forgotten or left unprepared for their role. What about “temp employees” that often fill some of the most difficult to fill roles? Who ensures that they are informed and properly trained? What protections are in place to make sure they are not injured on the job? Often the “temp agency” provides the basic safety training necessary, but who ensures that the location specific training is completed? We recently read an interesting article that compares the use of temp workers in many countries including the United States. Some of the details are shocking. One way to make sure that no one is left behind is to ensure your organization has developed an employee onboarding process that makes sure no detail is missed. Additionally, an employee Learning Management System (LMS) that includes temporary employees can manage the training curriculum, delivery, testing and reporting critical to the safety and health of all workers whether they be full-time, part-time, or temp.
How is safety perceived at your organization? We recently read an interesting article about the different perception of safety depending on the role of the person. Read more of the article here. Wouldn’t it great if all parts of the organization had the same view of safety. Is there an easy way to accomplish this? No, but the implementation of safety programs that provide a complete approach to safety can make the process easier. A sample safety program could include: Develop Safety goals- Create a target goal(s) for safety. Reduce loss time claims, improve certification results, etc. Safety Training- Training provides the basic knowledge of the issues and makes employees more risk aware Safety Behavior Observations- Behavior observations help engage the employee into the process and provide a level of ownership in the safety process Safety hazard inspections and audits- Completion of audits and inspections helps ensure the knowledge and skills related to safety are being used and that the environment encourages safe behavior Verification- Analysis of the observations, audits, and inspections to measure results and quantify the potential issues and concerns Feedback- “Toolbox” talks with employees about the results increase knowledge and awareness of concerns Reward- Providing an incentive for employees being proactive in completing safety training, safety responsibilities, demonstrating safe work behaviors, remaining safe, and meeting corporate safety program goals. Each safety program will differ based on the organization, but regardless it is important that all parties in the organization feel a connection to building a company-wide safety culture of excellence. intRAtrain™ and…
Behavior-based safety is not a new concept but finding new ways to implement the concept is always evolving. Behavior-based safety can be as simple as giving a small gesture of appreciation when a safe behavior is observed to very complex and detailed plans managed by a team of employees. One type of behavior-based safety is the behavior observation. The general rational behind observing behaviors is to observe the employee, analyze the work practices, provide feedback about the observation and have all parties learn from what has been observed. We recently came across an article in which behavior observations could have assisted in helping prevent unsafe and highly costly behaviors from occurring. In this case the plant was fined $147,000 for a variety of OSHA violations. Russell Associates is working with a client to help them automate and streamline their behavior-based observation program. Our client was completing behavior based observations monthly using paper cards, but was faced with the reality of having to manually enter the observation data into a spreadsheet. As a result corrective-actions were often delayed because the data was not available until a month after the observations were completed. After implementing and using inspectiTRAC, the customer is able to manage the process, develop trend reports, analyze zone safety concerns, and implement corrective actions more efficiently and effectively. The program is saving our client over 25 hours per month that can now be spent on our tasks within the organization. Read more about our client here.