The Importance of Training Employees on Workplace Policies
The Risks of Non-Compliance: Why Workplace Policy Training Matters
Health and safety workplace policies and procedures form the basis of an effective Occupational Health and Safety Management System. Developing and implementing occupational health and safety (OHS) workplace policies aims to provide a clear framework for maintaining a secure working environment and promoting employee well-being. Policies are a tool used to protect employees from incidents and injuries, ensure compliance with legal requirements, and promote organizational safety.
Under provincial and federal legislation, employers must create and enforce OHS workplace policies. The policies needed depend on workplace size and hazards present. Should organizations not comply with relevant legislation, they expose themselves to potentially hefty fines and litigation.
Effective training is a key part of policy implementation as it teaches workers the rules, helps them gain the skills and knowledge to apply procedures confidently, and shows them how to do their jobs correctly. Our experts emphasize that implementing effective training sessions is the key to promoting compliance. Simply asking employees to read a policy and signing off that they have read, understand, and agree to follow the rules is not training.
Boosting Employee Engagement: Strategies for Effective Policy Training
Effective training sessions help boost employee engagement and buy-in for new OHS workplace policies. Here are five strategies for effective policy training:
Strategy 1: Make Training Relevant and Personalized: Tailor training sessions to match the audience’s job roles and challenges, boosting relevance and engagement for each participant.
Strategy 2: Interactive and Engaging Training Methods: Our experts recommend implementing interactive segments into presentations to promote engagement. This can include question-and-answer periods, quizzes, and group activities. Having participants share and connect with others promotes knowledge translation.
Strategy 3: Clear and Concise Communication: Match the language to the audience. In other words, avoid overly technical language, and instead break down information in a digestible way. One way of doing this is to use infographics and videos to help participants understand difficult concepts.
Strategy 4: Offer Continual Learning Opportunities: A best practice in OHS policy implementation is to provide ongoing training and regular follow-ups to ensure sustained knowledge and compliance. We recommend having training sessions or refreshers on a recurring schedule to keep policies a primary focus.
Strategy 5: Encourage Open Dialogue and Feedback: Encourage feedback by creating platforms for employees to ask questions and provide feedback. This can be done using surveys or discussion groups to gauge engagement and understanding.
Identifying Training Gaps: Prioritizing Workplace Policy Training Needs
A training gap is the disparity between the knowledge and skills employees possess and what they need to comply with policies. It is important to identify these gaps to focus your training where it’s needed most.
To identify training gaps, collect direct feedback from employees, for example, by distributing a survey that measures their grasp of your OHS workplace policies. Any responses showing unclear or incomplete understanding pinpoint where additional training is needed. Complement this with field visits to observe how policies are applied in real work situations, revealing practical implementation challenges. Once those gaps are identified, develop and deliver targeted training modules to bridge them.
Evaluating Training Impact: Metrics for Measuring Workplace Policy Training Success
Relevant key performance indicators (KPIS) such as completion rates, participation levels, and engagement metrics can be used to determine training success. Beyond these initial steps, it is equally, if not more, important to assess how well employees retain and apply policy knowledge in their daily roles. This can be done by observing employees in the field to see if the knowledge has been applied.
Training employees in workplace policies is a vital part of workplace safety culture. Training promotes engagement, understanding, and adherence to policies, ultimately reducing the risk of injury. HSPI has over two decades of experience creating tailored training to meet organizational needs. Reach out for a consultation now at info@hspinc.ca
