Daily Advisor discovers a “hidden treasure” in the BLR vaults to make key HR issues understandable to supervisors and non-HR managers
Occasionally a Daily Advisor article on a specific topic will spark a more general question from our readers. That happened recently as a result of the piece we did on entry-level hiring and retention. It motivated one reader to ask if we had any overall program for training his supervisors on all the aspects of hiring.
When we get that kind of question, it’s time to walk back into the editorial area and ask what they’ve got to do the job. These trips are like descending into a diamond mine. That’s because in nearly 30 years, BLR has amassed a huge number of programs, so you know there’s treasure down there. You’re always going to come out with a gem. You just don’t know how big it will be.
In this case, we got a particularly large one, and one that, frankly, we didn’t even know we had.
It’s a Microsoft Powerpoint R CD-ROM called Easy Trainer: Hiring, Discipline & Termination. Once we booted it up, it was so complete and well done, we could not take our eyes off it. That’s when we knew that we not only would bring it to the attention of the reader who sent the question, but to all of you.
First thing to catch our eye was the coverage. As the title suggests, Easy Trainer handles not only hiring but discipline and termination, too. It even goes beyond these general categories, however, and the topic list is worth quoting in full:
- Dealing with Change
- Diversity
- Hiring Legally
- Interviewing Skills for Supervisors
- Job Descriptions
- New Employee Orientation
- Performance Appraisals
- Progressive Discipline
- Reducing Turnover
- Terminating Employees
If you’ll notice one thing about this list, all the topics are the day-to-day concerns of supervisors, but most are also potentially fraught with legal land mines unless handled properly. Double reasons to train and train properly.
A Remarkably Clear Way of Communicating
The skill with which that training is handled is what really scored points for us. First off, Easy Trainer has got all the usual accoutrements of a good program, including trainee’s slides, readable word-for-word speaker notes, quizzes, exercises, and handouts for each topic, all customizable to include your company’s specifics. But it’s also got more: a remarkably clear, concise, and understandable way of communicating.
Writing about legalities, it’s easy to get lost in the woods without a compass, but our editorial hats are off to whoever did this one. Here’s just one paragraph from the speaker notes from the presentation on Hiring Legally:
The Civil Rights Act of 1964, commonly known as Title VII, is the grandparent of employment discrimination laws in this country. It says you cannot consider race, color, sex, religion, or national origin when making any employment decision, including hiring.
If you knew the mangled descriptions of Title VII we’ve seen elsewhere, you’d better appreciate how well constructed this is. The writer captured the essence of the law, laid out its most important elements, and even gave it a historical perspective, all in just two sentences. That tone permeates the whole product.
Bottom line is that if you’re looking for a complete and easy way to train your supervisors and managers on these oh-so-critical topics, this “hidden treasure” of a CD-ROM is worth a look. We’ve supplied some links to show you some sample slides and also set up a way you can check it out on a no-risk basis. Details are below: