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Understanding what employees need to know
Abstract: Developing a training program requires knowing what training is needed. A training needs assessment answers the question of why training is needed and provides some certainty that the resources required to develop and conduct training will deliver the desired performancebased results. This article describes how a training needs assessment is conducted and examines models that can be followed.
AN EMPLOYEE TRIPS over an open file cabinet drawer. Another has a near-hit when standing beneath an overhead hoist. The typical solution to such incidents? Training, training and more training.
But is this really necessary? While workers without occupational safety and health training are likely at a greater risk for workplace injury and illness, it is the adequacy of this training that is critical (Cohen & Colligan, 1998, p. 22). Sometimes, too much training can reduce its effectiveness and decrease its credibility. The difference between effective and ineffective training may be death, injury, pain, suffering and lost profits (Whiles, 1999, p. 10).
The resources spent on training are astonishing. An estimated $50 billion is spent annually on formal training, with an additional $90 to $120 billion on less-structured, informal training (Broad & Newstrom, 1992, p. 5). "According to a 1999 survey by Training magazine, 77% of respondents offer safety training to employees, leading it to rank seventh among 30 programs offered" (Machles, 2002, p. 32). Each year, corporate America provides nearly 2 billion training hours to 60 million employees (Diether & Loos, 2000, p. 28).
How much training content do employees retain 1 month, 6 months or 1 year after the training has been conducted? Estimates suggest that only 10% to 15% of training content is retained after 1 year (Broad & Newstrom, 1992, p. 7). This problem is compounded when management believes that required regulatory training needs are met simply by completing and documenting the training, and pays no attention to training effectiveness.
Often, training is espoused as the answer to all safety-related problems in the workplace. As a result, real problems may not be resolved. Additionally, overtraining can lead to frustration and damage the credibility of management and the training program (Blair & Seo, 2007, p. 42). The transformation from implementing required training to today's newer...