Do I Need to Test Employees After Training?

Testing helps you know what your workers learned from training so you can predict if they will perform their work more safely following training. Today our Safety Training Tips editor talks about the kinds of tests that are available and how to go about writing them.

True-False Tests Give You A Good Idea Of What Facts Trainees Received. When designing true-false tests, keep these factors in mind: Write statements that are clearly true or clearly false. Take statements used in training and rephrase them slightly. Avoid words that tip trainees to the answer, such as "may" or "generally" for true statements, or "always" or "never" for false statements. Avoid double negatives, which make statements unnecessarily confusing. Remember that you're not trying to stump trainees—you're trying to make sure they learned the material. Multiple Choice May Be The Most Popular With Trainees, but they can be the hardest to write for trainers. Follow these suggestions when designing multiple choice tests: Cover one topic per question. Include only one right answer. Of course, you want all the choices to seem right, but make sure you don't get so close to right that someone might have a valid argument as to his or her choice being correct. If space allows, use more than three choices. Remember, the more choices you have, the less guessing is involved (e.g., four choices means a guess rate of 25 percent, five choices means 20 percent). Avoid always making the right answer the longest choice. Avoid making the right answer choice "C" very often. This practice thwarts seasoned multiple-choice test takers, who know to guess "C" when in doubt. One way to achieve randomness is to list answers in alphabetical order. Avoid giving a grammatical clue in your question, such as using "a" with only one answer beginning with a consonant or "an" with only one answer beginning with a vowel. Limit your use of "all of the above" and "none of the above." But if you use it for one question, you must use it for at least one more, or trainees will take a clue that it's probably the right choice for the only question where you included it. Matching Tests Are Used Less Often But Can Be Fun For the Trainee and much easier to design for trainers. Here's how to write a matching quiz: Cover one topic per matching exercise. For example, one test could match a list of chemicals with a list of personal protective equipment the chemical requires. A separate test could match a list of chemical regulations with a list of quotations from those regs. Or one test could match a list of employment laws with a list of the rights they protect and another test could list employment law acronyms with a list of their full names. Limit the number of items to around 10. Fewer than 8 can be too easy and more than 12 can get too confusing. Lay out the test on one page so trainees don't have to flip back and forth. Make the items in each list brief. Use names, objects, tools, agencies, etc. Avoid making an item longer than one sentence. Fill-In-the-Blank Tests Can Be Tricky to Write, But They Prove That Trainees Learned the Information because they have to produce the right answer without seeing it on the page as in any of the previous tests mentioned. Follow these tips for composing fill-in-the-blank questions: Use only one blank per question. Too many blanks don't give trainees enough information to even grasp the topic. Keep the blanks to specific information, such as regulation titles or government agencies. Make the nouns or verbs in a sentence the blank lines, not the adjectives or adverbs. Phrase statements so that there can be only one answer that correctly fills in the blank. Place blanks later in the sentence, which helps to give trainees the context of the topic. Avoid grammatical clues immediately preceding the blank, such as "a" or "an." Some Training Is Best Measured By Hands-On Performance. Learning how to use a new piece of equipment is an obvious example. In any case, testing your employees after training is an invaluable tool to help you see how effective your training is—and to improve if you need to. Why It Matters Regulation compliance prevents costly fines. Proper procedures prevent accidents, lost workdays, and workers' compensation costs. Emergency preparation aids quick evacuation. First-aid training saves lives.

Thanks to Safety Daily Advisor Tip

13 Things Not to Share With Your Co-workers

It's happened to everyone before. The constant flow of words that just keep coming, long after you've made your point (if there ever was one) and even longer after people stopped caring. The kind of gibberish that just won't stop unless someone else starts talking. The type of chatter that inevitably ends with you wishing you'd put a sock in it.

Yes, verbal diarrhea is never a good thing -- but it can be worse in some places more than others.

Like the workplace.

There are certain things co-workers need not know about each other -- your baby-making plans and stomach issues, for example -- but some folks just can't seem to keep their mouths shut.

Some people talk to hear the sound of their own voice; others share because they don't really have a life and, by revealing details you'd rather not know, they create the illusion of one, says Linda Lopeke, a career advancement expert and creator of SmartStart Virtual Mentoring Programs. "Then there is the person who believes gossip, even about them, creates instant emotional intimacy. It doesn't."

Walk The Line.

Because people spend more time at the office with co-workers than anywhere (or anyone) else, some workers have trouble drawing the line between business and friendship, says Susan Solovic, co-founder and CEO of SBTV.com, and author of three books, including "Reinvent Your Career: Attain the Success You Desire and Deserve."

"It's a social environment as well as a work environment. However, you must remember while you can be friendly and develop a good rapport, business is business and friendship is friendship."

Most workers don't realize that what they say has as much impact on their professional images as what they wear, Lopeke says. People who say too much, about themselves or others, can be seen as incompetent, unproductive and unworthy of professional development.

To avoid your next case of verbal diarrhea, here are 13 things to never share or discuss with your co-workers.

1. Salary Information
What you earn is between you and Human Resources, Solovic says. Disclosure indicates you aren't capable of keeping a confidence.

2. Medical History
"Nobody really cares about your aches and pains, your latest operation, your infertility woes or the contents of your medicine cabinet," Lopeke says. To your employer, your constant medical issues make you seem like an expensive, high-risk employee.

3. Gossip
Whomever you're gossiping with will undoubtedly tell others what you said, Solovic says. Plus, if a co-worker is gossiping with you, most likely he or she will gossip about you.

4. Work Complaints
Constant complaints about your workload, stress levels or the company will quickly make you the kind of person who never gets invited to lunch, Solovic warns. If you don't agree with company policies and procedures, address it through official channels or move on.

5. Cost Of Purchases
The spirit of keeping up with the Joneses is alive and well in the workplace, Lopeke says, but you don't want others speculating on the lifestyle you're living -- or if you're living beyond your salary bracket.

6. Intimate Details
Don't share intimate details about your personal life. Co-workers can and will use the information against you, Solovic says.

7. Politics Or Religion
"People have strong, passionate views on both topics," Solovic says. You may alienate a co-worker or be viewed negatively in a way that could impact your career.

8. Lifestyle Changes
Breakups, divorces and baby-making plans should be shared only if there is a need to know, Lopeke says. Otherwise, others will speak for your capabilities, desires and limitations on availability, whether there is any truth to their assumptions or not.

9. Blogs Or Social Networking Profile
What you say in a social networking community or in your personal blog may be even more damaging than what you say in person, Solovic warns. "Comments online can be seen by multiple eyes. An outburst of anger when you are having a bad day … can blow up in your face."

10. Negative Views Of Colleagues
If you don't agree with a co-worker's lifestyle, wardrobe or professional abilities, confront that person privately or keep it to yourself, Lopeke says. The workplace is not the venue for controversy.

11. Hangovers & Wild Weekends
It's perfectly fine to have fun during the weekend, but don't talk about your wild adventures on Monday, Solovic advises. That information can make you look unprofessional and unreliable.

12. Personal Problems & Relationships --- In & Out Of the Office
"Failed marriages and volatile romances spell instability to an employer," Lopeke says. Office romances lead to gossip and broken hearts, so it's best to steer clear. "The safest way to play is to follow the rule, 'Never get your honey where you get your money.'"

13. Off-color Or Racially Charged Comments
You can assume your co-worker wouldn't be offended or would think something is funny, but you might be wrong, Solovic says. Never take that risk. Furthermore, even if you know for certain your colleague wouldn't mind your comment, don't talk about it at work. Others can easily overhear.

Thanks to Rachel Zupek, CareerBuilder.ca Writer

Marvelous Answer By Hear Surgeon

A mechanic was removing the cylinder heads from the motor of a car when he spotted the famous heart surgeon in his shop, which was standing off to the side, waiting for the service manager to come to look at his car.

 

The mechanic shouted across the garage, "Hello Doctor! Please come over here for a minute."

 

The famous surgeon, a bit surprised, walked over to the mechanic.

 

The mechanic straightened up, wiped his hands on a rag and asked argumentatively, "So doctor, look at this. I also open hearts, take valves out, grind 'em, put in new parts, and when I finish this will work as a new one. So why do you get the big money, when you and me is doing the same work? "

 

The doctor leaned over and whispered to the mechanic...

 

He Said: "Try To Do It When the Engine Is Running".

Red Bull & Bison - Slow Death

Slow Death

France & Denmark have banned it from the country... Red Bull & Bison - Slow Death ... Do Not Drink These Anymore!! Pay Attention; Read It All As a public health safety, please pass on this email to all the contacts in your address book especially those with teenage children? These drinks are SOLD in all the supermarkets IN OUR country and our children ARE CONSUMING IT ON A TRIAL BASIS, IT can be mortal. Red Bull & Bison was created to stimulate the brains in people who are subjected to great physical force and in stress coma and never to be consumed like an innocent drink or soda pop. Red Bull & Bison IS the energizer DRINK that is commercialized world-wide with its slogan:’ It increases endurance; awakens the concentration capacity and the speed of reaction, offers more energy and improves the mood. All this can be found in a can of RED BULL & BISON , the power drink of the millennium. Red Bull & Bison has managed to arrive at almost 100 countries worldwide. The RED BULL & BISON logo is targeted at young people and sportsmen, two attractive segments that have been captivated by the stimulus that the drink provides. It was created by Dietrich Mateschitz, an industrialist of Austrian origin who discovered the drink by chance. It happened during a business trip to Hong Kong , when he was working at a factory that manufactured toothbrushes. The liquid, based on a formula that contained caffeine and taurine, caused a rage in that country. Imagine the grand success of this drink in Europe where the product still did not exist, besides it was a superb opportunity to become an entrepreneur. BUT THE TRUTH ABOUT THIS DRINK IS ANOTHER THING: FRANCE and DENMARK have just prohibited it as a cocktail of death, due to its vitamin components mixed with GLUCURONOLACTONE' , a highly dangerous chemical, which was developed by the United States Department of Defense during the sixties to stimulate the moral of the troops based in VIETNAM, which acted like a hallucinogenic drug that calmed the stress of the war. But their effects in the organism were so devastating, that it was discontinued, because of the high index of cases of migraines, cerebral tumors and diseases of the liver that was evident in the soldiers who consumed it. And in spite of it, in the can of Red Bull & Bison you can still find as one of its components: GLUCURONOLACTONE, categorized medically as a stimulant. But what it does not say on the can of, Red Bull & Bison are the consequences of its consumption, and that has forced us to place a series of WARNINGS: 1. It is dangerous to take it if you do not engage in physical exercise afterwards, since its energizing function accelerates the heart rate and can cause a sudden attack. 2. You run the risk of undergoing a cerebral hemorrhage, because Red Bull & Bison contains components that dilute the blood so that the heart utilizes less energy to pump the blood, and thus be able to deliver physical force with less effort being exerted. 3. It is prohibited to mix Red Bull & Bison with alcohol, because the mixture turns the drink into a " Deadly Bomb " that attacks the liver directly, causing the affected area never to regenerate anymore. 4. One of the main components of Red Bull & Bison is the B12 vitamin, used in medicine to recover patients who are in a coma; from here the hypertension and the state of excitement which is experienced after taking it, as if you were in a drunken state. 5. The regular consumption of Red Bull & Bison triggers off symptoms in the form of a series of irreversible nervous and neuronal diseases. Conclusion: It is a drink that should be prohibited in the entire world as when it is mixed with alcohol it creates a TIME BOMB for the human body, mainly between innocent adolescents and adults with little experience. Forward this mail to Everyone and Let them know about this..

Unlikely To Succeed

In "Survival in the Executive Jungle", Chester Burger tells the story of W.Maxey Jarman, the dynamic executive who built the $400 million corporation Genesco Inc. and became its chairman.

Curious to know how his Genesco executives were chosen, Jarman was told that they all took psychometric tests. Jarman therefore arranged anonymously to put himself forward for one of the tests. He completed the tests as honestly as he could.

The report that came back stated that he was too shy and self-conscious ever to deal successfully with the type of business Genesco were in and would in all probability not get very far in management.

Moral: Nobody's Yet Invented A Foolproof Measure Of What People Are Capable Of.

Thanks to ManageTrainLearn

Managing Temps, Casuals, Part-Timers and Contractors

At the bottom of India's hierarchical caste system are the Dalits, otherwise known as the Untouchables.  They're relegated to dangerous and dirty jobs, such as cleaning human waste and other forms of slavery.  Since the Untouchables are perceived to be impure and polluting, they're usually segregated from the other castes so that they don't share the same housing, water, and temples.  In effect, they're second-class citizens.  

One such second-class citizen was Narendra Jadhav, pictured.  He grew up in a slum.  His family of nine lived in a room measuring a mere 10 feet by 10 feet.  No bathroom.  No internal lighting.  No hope of escape.  And yet Narendra went from this squalid environment to eventually getting his PhD.  He became the Chief Economist of the Reserve Bank of India and then vice-chancellor of Pune University, achievements never before attained by a Dalit.

Second-class citizens exist in modern-day organisations, too.  They're the casual workers putting in a few hours a week.  They're the temps hired to help out during a peak period.  They're the contractor with no hope of more work when the project's over.  And just like the Untouchables, they're treated differently because they're not like 'normal' employees. 

If we look at the three people who had the greatest influence on Narendra's life, we can derive lessons on how to engage and manage the Corporate Untouchables.

His Father:  Narendra's dad was obsessed with education.  He'd force him to study, beat him when he didn't, and threatened to go on a hunger strike to get him into a good school. 

The lesson:  Develop your Corporate Untouchables as if they're going to be with you forever.  Coach them as often as you coach your full-timers.  Train them with as much enthusiasm.

His Teacher:  Narendra avoided school competitions due to lower-caste insecurities. One teacher convinced him of his potential by showing and reminding him of his talents.

The lesson:  Corporate Untouchables need support and recognition like everyone else.  As Narendra describes his own management style, "Most important thing is the human touch."

His Boss: Narendra's boss told him he's an asset, but unlike many managers who just say it, he demonstrated it by creating opportunities that enabled Narendra to prove himself.

The lesson:  People are motivated strongly by progress in whatever way they define it.  Their future longevity shouldn't impact how much you involve them, consult them, and trust them.

You probably already do the above with your full-timers.  Yet for some reason, perhaps because of busyness or questionable loyalty, most managers treat Corporate Untouchables differently.  They're commonly excluded and neglected because they're not around as much or as long.  But today, Narendra holds a senior cabinet post with India's ruling political party.  That would never have happened had he always been treated as an Untouchable.

Thanks to James Adonis

Pay Attention

1st year students of MBBS were attending their 1st anatomy class. They all gathered around the surgery table with a real dead dog. The Professor started class by telling two important qualities as a Doctor.

 

The 1st is that NEVER BE DISGUSTED FOR ANYTHING ABOUT BODY, e.g. He inserted his finger in dog's mouth & on drawing back tasted it in his own mouth.

 

Then he said them to do the same. The students hesitated for several minutes. But eventually everyone inserted their fingers in dog's mouth & then tasted it. When everyone finished, the Professor looked at them and said: The most important 2nd quality is OBSERVATION; I inserted my Middle finger but tasted the Index finger. Now learn to pay attention.

 

Thanks to Prof. Moiz Hussain

Changing Lives

Some years ago I attended a self-improvement seminar and the speaker was Jim Rohn. He said, "Everything matters in life, some things a little and some things a lot, we just don't know which is which." And I believed him.

Now if I may, I would like to relate a personal experience which occurred when I was a motorcycle officer that strengthened this belief and taught a young man that everything in life does indeed matter.

I was a motorcycle officer with the Los Angeles Police Department and I was working speed complaints out of West Traffic Division. On the 6th of January, 1986, I was working a speed complaint on one of the streets in the hills of Bel Air. It was around 9:30 in the morning. I was stopped at the base of a hill and had set up my radar on the handlebar of my motorcycle and was watching the traffic coming down the hill.

This was a residential area and the road was narrow with numerous curves and was posted at 25 miles per hour. I had just finished writing a couple of tickets when I heard the audio on the radar, looked up the road and saw a small sports car coming down the hill. I glanced at the digital readout on the radar unit and saw that the car was traveling close to 50 miles per hour. I stepped out into the street and waved the driver over to the curb.

The driver was a young man in his early 20's on his way to UCLA for a morning class. I told him why I had stopped him and started to write him a ticket. He, of course, didn't want the ticket and tried to talk me out of it. His name was Christopher and he was a good kid. But he was trying his best to get me to not write him a ticket. Never rude, always polite, but determined to convince me to let him go.

We bantered back and forth, he would raise his voice in support of his position, but I calmly explained why he should get the ticket. When he saw I was still going to write him the ticket, he asked me, "What If I had not stopped, you were not on your motorcycle, would you have chased me?" I replied, "Most likely not".

About this time, I heard the audio on the radar and noticed that the digital readout registered 52 miles per hour. I looked up and saw a young man coming down the hill on a motorcycle. I stepped out in front of him and waved him into the curb. He was going too fast and passed us, but he was slowing down. I walked towards the motorcycle rider and my back was to Christopher.

The motorcyclist had turned around and was coming back to me. The he suddenly made a quick U-turn and sped down the hill. I turned around and walked back to Christopher and said, "Well, one got away."

He said, "I waved him on".

I said, "What?"

He said, "I waved him on."

I replied, "Oh, no! You should not have done that."

He had a puzzled look on his face and asked, "Why not, it won't matter?"

I told him everything in life matters, some things a little and some things a lot. We just don't know which is which. The look on Christopher's face clearly indicated to me that he did not believe me. I finished the ticket and we talked a little more about life and philosophy, then Christopher went to class and I went to court.

Three days later, I was back working that same area and had three cars stopped. While I was writing the tickets, I noticed that a car coming up the hill had stopped across from me. There were three or four guys in the car. It was obvious to me that they were waiting to talk to me.

I finished the last ticket and the driver of the car got out and walked over to me. He had a very sad look about him. I could tell something was bothering him. As he approached me, he asked, "Do you remember me?"

"Yes," I replied, "you are Christopher."

He then said, "You taught me a valuable lesson the other day when you told me that everything in life matters. I didn't believe you then, but now I do."

"How do you mean?" I asked.

"Do you remember the boy on the motorcycle?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied, "I do remember him."

"Well," he said, "he was my roommate and that is why I waved him on. I thought I was helping him. After he turned around he made a wrong turn and went down a street, which ended in a cul-de-sac and hit a large planter in the center of the cul-de-sac. He died instantly. You were right when you said everything in life matters."

I was shocked and found it hard to believe, even though I had been with LAPD for 18 ½ years. We talked for a few more minutes. I expressed my sorrow, we shook hands and then we both left.

I rode to the station in Venice and looked up the traffic reports for the 6th of January and sure enough there it was. I still could not believe it. I mentioned what had happened to another officer whose was in the station at the time. His response was that the kid deserved to die for fleeing the scene; I thought this cannot be happening; I don't want to be like him.

As police officers and especially motor officers we are suppose to be saving lives, not pleased because some kid made a bad decision and died. Over the next several days I gave a lot of thought to this situation and my life in general. I decided I didn't want to be a police officer anymore and I needed a change. So I resigned in February 1986 after 18 ½ years with LAPD to pursue my passion, network marketing.

I thought that I should listen to my own advice about how everything matters and look at this situation as an opportunity to make some serious changes in my life. I've never regretted leaving LAPD even though my business plans didn't quite work the way I had hoped back in 1986. But over the years they have and I have had a successful network marketing business since 1995.

Could now be the time for you to make a life change? If it is, I would encourage you to do so. Based on my experience you will not be sorry. I will be 68 in September 2010, I'm in great health and could not be happier.

About the Auther: Duane Spears was born and raised in Osawatomie, Kansas. He graduated from high school in 1961 and joined the US Army. After 3 years with the Army, he went to Los Angeles in 1966 and joined the Los Angeles Police Department. Duane quit LAPD after 18½ years o work a network marketing business. That company went bankrupt after 6 months. Duane then learned the mortgage business opened his own office on Hollywood Beach in Oxnard, CA in 1989. Later in 1995 he joined another network marketing company, left the mortgage business and has been with them for the past 13 years. In 2000, Duane moved back to Osawatomie to be near his son.

Thanks to Duane Spears / Zig Ziglar Newsletter

The Gift of Intelligence

John Wanamaker was renowned as the king of retail service. One day while walking through his store in Philadelphia, he noticed a customer waiting to be served. No one was paying the least bit of attention to her.

Looking around, he saw his salespeople huddled together laughing and talking among themselves. Without a word, he quietly slipped behind the counter and waited on the customer himself. Then he quietly handed the purchase to the salespeople to be wrapped and went on his way.

Later, Wanamaker was quoted as saying: "I learned thirty years ago that it is foolish to scold. I have enough trouble overcoming my own limitations without fretting over the fact that God has not seen fit to distribute evenly the gift of intelligence."

Moral: Don't Criticize Others When they Don't Come Up to Scratch; Instead Teach By Example.

Thanks to ManageTrainLearn 2009

A Stormy Night

You are driving along in your car on a wild, stormy night. You pass by a bus stop, and you see three people waiting for the bus:

1. An old lady who looks as if she is about to die. 2. An old friend who once saved your life. 3. The perfect man (or) woman you have been dreaming about.

Which one would you choose to offer a ride to, knowing that there could only be one passenger in your car.

Think before you continue reading. This is a moral/ethical dilemma that was once actually used as part of a job application.

You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and thus you should save her first; or you could take the old friend because he once saved your life, and this would be the perfect chance to pay him back. However, you may never be able to find your perfect dream lover again.

The candidate who was hired (out of 200 applicants) had no trouble coming up with his answer.

He simply answered: "I would give the car keys to my old friend, and let him take the lady to the hospital. I would stay behind and wait for the bus with the man (or woman) of my dreams." 

Moral Of the Story: Never Forget to "Think Outside Of the Box."

 

Thanks to ManageTrainLearn 2009