Punctuality, absenteeism, employee communication…all are issues that, if not addressed, can severely erode a business of any size. The problem is that, in order to improve employee communication or employee-management communication, you need to work with and break through the existing system of communication. This can prove difficult and “employee communication” is one of the areas most frequently listed by employers as needing work, but it is also a topic largely ignored by training.

Worry about employee communication first

Good employee communication is the foundation for all future training sessions, but because it is so unique to each organization and existing patterns are so deeply ingrained in current employees, it often seems easier to teach “simple” topics like punctuality, harassment, diversity and absenteeism. But read that again. It’s easier to teach people to be tolerant and accepting than it is to teach them to communicate effectively? Surprisingly, many think so. You can teach someone to avoid harassment charges by keeping their mouth shut, but this is the exact opposite of communication, good or bad.

We don’t advocate calling your coworkers morons if they make a mistake, but that may be preferable to not saying anything and letting the team fail. Without good employee communication, each employee functions on his or her own; when they communicate effectively, everyone works together. So while name calling is not a good thing, it is a form of communication and a better building block than the silent treatment.

Focus on creating a team, then improving punctuality and absenteeism

Once you have your employees communicating, they will begin to see themselves as a team or a unit, instead of individual employees unconnected to each other. This will make it much easier for them to grasp that if they’re chronically late or absent, it’s a problem for everyone, not just them. Punctuality and absenteeism are fairly straightforward issues that deal with accountability, productivity and respect, but you’d be amazed at how much more effective punctuality or absenteeism training can be when you have a solid foundation of good employee communication in place.

There’s one catch to punctuality and absenteeism training however: the simpler an issue is to understand, the more basic (and boring) the training generally is. Make it count by keeping sessions brief (how much can you say on the importance of being on time anyway?) and light. Humor goes a long way toward keeping employees happy; even if it’s a little cheesy, they’ll appreciate the effort. We’ve got some Punctuality & Absenteeism cartoons in our Human Resources package, and I’m sure you can come up with some funny employee communication scenarios based on your corporate culture. Get a little creative, and get your employees involved.

Human Resources management positions can be some of the more difficult to fill because of the wide variety of personal and professional skills required to do the job well. The training process for HR jobs also goes well beyond the typical HR training seminars and management training programs, making HR Managers important people to invest in. Human Resources Managers need to be continuously learning new skills to deal with developing issues that were not present in HR departments 10 or 20 years ago.

HR Training in an online world

The expansion of issues that fall under the Human Resources department’s discretion has put HR people are in high demand, and Human Resources management training programs are struggling to keep up. The Internet has added a new layer to HR training and requires Human Resources Management training programs and seminars to constantly evolve and stay abreast of the next level of employee communication, with other employees and with customers.

But while the Internet has added more responsibilities to the Human Resources management department, it has also made it easier to find HR training materials and information. A number of credible organizations publish Human Resources management articles, resources and news stories online, and RSS readers make staying on top of industry news a snap.

Making Human Resources management training programs work for you

However, for effective HR training, managers need to do more than just know what’s going on; they need to teach and implement what they’ve learned effectively. The demand for Human Resources management training programs is high, and the ones that demonstrate proven success find a way to present the growing amount of HR training material in a manner that is enjoyable and memorable. These programs engage employees and make their message stick by encouraging interaction with the material.

The best Human Resources Management training programs don’t stop after the seminar is done; they carry the training throughout the workplace to provide daily reminders of what employees learned at the time and place they are most likely to use it. Our ToonUps use humor to convey the original HR training message, then provide printed follow-up materials and digital graphics that can be used in emails and PowerPoint presentations to drive the lessons home.

If you want to succeed in the competitive field of Human Resources management, you need to do your homework. But even more importantly, you need to make sure your employees are doing theirs, and that you are investing in all of your futures. Check out some of the Human Resources information sources below and use that information to find an HR training program that will work for you and your employees.

• SHRM Website for the Society for Human Resources Management, the world's largest professional association devoted to human resource management.
• HRM Guide An international guide to Human Resources management articles, books, updates, media releases and more, organized by country.
• Human Resource Blog A well-maintained blog from the Labor Law Center that provides a practical source for daily HR tips, news and knowledge.
• HR.com  Full wesbite dedicated to Human Resources management and HR training, full of events, job guides, articles and HR community resources.
• HR Blog at HR Management Today Human Resources management blog from the faculty of Capella University, an online education and degree program with a strong business management program.
• Human Resources Management Library Free library of articles and information sources that works for both non-profit and for profit companies.
  

The state of the economy has dramatically slowed the push for call center training and expansion, but it is in these trying times that call center education is most important. When money is tight, excellent customer service is all the more important; it’s more of a struggle to get someone to part with their money or risk switching providers or brands, so you really need to impress.

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