Training Programs Part 2 - How Do We Train for Effective Performance?

It's great to talk about the importance of training and why that matters to the growth of your company.  But exactly HOW do we put our training program to work for us so that our new hires and current employees get the most from it?

We begin by having a program outline and determining which areas will be taught and in what order.  In Part 1, we already discussed the "orientation" day which takes place before a new hire goes into the field to work.  How many times have you handed someone a mop, bucket, rag and some supplies and given 5 minutes of instruction on what to do in an office or home and called it "training?"

If we were all to be honest in answering this question, I think that the majority of readers would have to admit to "training" this way at least once or twice during their careers. The end results most often are not what we had in mind.  Complaints start rolling in, customers become unhappy and we find ourselves replacing this "unsuccessful" new hire quickly.

Let's then take a look at how we go about training a new hire to produce the results we want.

Adults learn very differently from children.  We often have to "untrain" adults who come to us with preconceived ideas, habits and notions about the cleaning industry.

We begin the process by asking our new hire to take all the life's information about cleaning that they bring to the job, and put that aside so that they may be open to your way of professional cleaning and the level of expectation in your company.

A good place to train is in a home or office that you can actually use for demonstrating and practicing. Use your own office or home or find a friend who will want a "free, supervised cleaning."  Never conduct a training session in front of a paying customer. They will most certainly want a reduced rate for participating in your employee training.

1. Start with the explanation of what we are doing. Let's use bath room cleaning as an example;
2. Next, let's tell about the importance of disinfecting the surfaces in the room. (It is important for the health and safety of the people using this room).
3. Then we will tell why we are disinfecting (in order to prevent the spread of disease and germs in the home or office).
4. Next we will tell how we disinfect the surfaces. (we will use a disinfectant cleaning solution on a cleaning cloth and wipe down horizontal surfaces etc).
5. Then we will SHOW how this cleaning is done by actually cleaning the surface while the trainee is watching. This is truly "Tell and Show time".
6. We will then SHOW how to properly clean sinks, mirrors, toilets, showers, tubs, fixtures, bathroom floors, door handles, all while the trainee is watching and taking notes if necessary.

Once the trainee has watched and asked questions, we ask her/him to clean the area on his own, following the instructions they just observed.  As we watch the trainee at work, this is the time to make corrections to the process and/or their understanding of the procedure.

Now we praise the effort, clarify any misunderstanding of procedure and review what they have learned.

Once you are satisfied that the new hire has mastered one task or room, it is time to move on to another.  You may train a new employee by task rather than room if that is preferred.  In that method, you will train on all dry work, including dusting, cob webs, baseboards, etc, then on all wet work; sinks, toilets, showers, tubs, etc; then on vacuuming and hard surface floor care.

Whether you train by room type or by task, the process for effective training is the same:

1. Tell what you are doing.
2. Tell how to do it.
3. Show how to do it.
4. Have the employee actually perform the task.
5. Review the work.
6. Repeat the process.

Once you have your training program outlined (whether by room or task) you can develop a check off sheet that can be used to monitor a new hire's progress and how far they have moved through the training process in your company.  Keep it simple, easy to understand and remember that most adults want to know WHY they are doing something before it makes sense to them.

The new hire should then be assigned to a "training manager" or your designated person to supervise their work for the first two weeks on the job.  You will closely monitor and spot check the process during this time. Once you feel comfortable (and only then) should the employee be sent out on his/her own.  Still for at least a month, you or your designated training manager will be monitoring all the cleaning by this person closely. An excuse that this is a "new person" can never be justified to a customer when a new hire is left to be out on his own too soon.

If you follow the above procedures for training, you will take the guess work out of the process. A check sheet will help you make certain you have covered everything including safety, use of equipment, courtesy, chemical use and finally general operations procedures in your company.  You will be able to rest assured that your employees are delivering on your proposal promises and contributing toward the growth of your company.

Sharon L. Cowan is the former President and CEO of a multimillion dollar regional commercial and residential cleaning company. She has a passion for helping fellow business owners reach their potential and realize their dreams. Sharon is a popular speaker and workshop leader. She has been a guest speaker and seminar leader for BSCAI and ARCSI and twice won marketing awards from the BSCAI. Sharon holds workshops throughout the country teaching cleaning business owners how to maximize profits and grow their businesses. Sharon can be reached at 772-563-7320 or www.cleaningbusinessconsultinggroup.com See her profile at: //www.thejanitorialstore.com/public/603.cfm