• First Reference
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Blog Signup 📨

First Reference Talks

Discussions on Human Resources, Employment Law, Payroll and Internal Controls

  • Home
  • About
  • Archives
  • Resources
  • Buy Policies
You are here: Home / Health and Safety / Training: Are you engaging your employees?

By Andrew Lawson | 2 Minutes Read May 11, 2010

Training: Are you engaging your employees?

yawn-smThe Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), as amended by Bill 168, and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) have created a high demand for professional-calibre workplace training services.

There is training, and then there is engaging training. I know that employees don’t line up outside in the cold to get tickets to my training events. Most employees feel they are being punished when they are scheduled to attend harassment prevention workshops. And maybe they are. I am very often asked to provide training following an incident where a worker’s human rights have been abused.

While setting up for a recent workshop, I overheard a participant remark:

“We have been targeted; that’s why we’re here.”

Because one person often reflects the sentiments of the group, I knew I had my work cut out for me with this particular group and that I needed to engage these people and get them to talk to me about what was going on. Have you heard the expression, “be careful what you ask for?”

Talk they did.

The details of what they told me are, of course, confidential. The point is, I realized from the outset that I needed to toss out my prepared agenda and “wing it” with this group, in order to gain their confidence and conclude the session with a positive message the participants could take away with them. Before the end of the workshop participants had replaced defiant glares with smiles and nods of agreement and understanding. I saw their defensive body language disappear as the participants realized I really was there to help them and not to lecture them.

The overwhelmingly positive feedback participants provided at the conclusion of training informed me my decision to “wing it” was the right one.

Read about a similar experience by my good friend and colleague Jill Malleck.

Are you engaging employees during training, or simply delivering information?

Andrew Lawson
Human Rights Advisor, Learn Don’t Litigate
www.learndl.ca

  • About
  • Latest Posts
Follow me
Andrew Lawson
Trainer and advisor at Learn Don't Litigate
Andrew Lawson is a human rights and health and safety trainer and advisor, currently consulting to both the federal and Ontario governments. Since 1996, he has conducted extensive legal research in the areas of human rights and occupational health and safety law. He has worked in the people management business for over 25 years.
Follow me
Latest posts by Andrew Lawson (see all)
  • Responding to a human rights complaint - September 5, 2012
  • Ontario policy on competing human rights - August 8, 2012
  • What does the case of Trayvon Martin tell us about racism in Canada? - April 4, 2012

Article by Andrew Lawson / Health and Safety / Bill 168, engaging employees, harassment training, human rights, human rights training, training, workplace harassment

Share with a friend or colleague

Get the Latest Posts in your Inbox for Free!

Electronic monitoring

About Andrew Lawson

Andrew Lawson is a human rights and health and safety trainer and advisor, currently consulting to both the federal and Ontario governments. Since 1996, he has conducted extensive legal research in the areas of human rights and occupational health and safety law. He has worked in the people management business for over 25 years.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Susan Trevers says

    May 11, 2010 at 10:06 pm

    My employer makes elaborate attempts to provide interesting and meaningful annual training sessions to all employees. Most of my staff enjoy these and I love preparing for & delivering them. Of course, there are always the few who think they know everything and should not be required to attend any training sessions.

Footer

About us

Established in 1995, First Reference is the leading publisher of up to date, practical and authoritative HR compliance and policy databases that are essential to ensure organizations meet their due diligence and duty of care requirements.

First Reference Talks

  • Home
  • About
  • Archives
  • Resources
  • Buy Policies

Main Menu

  • About First Reference
  • Resources
  • Contact us
  • 1 800 750 8175

Stay Connected

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

We welcome your comments on our blog articles. However, we do not respond to specific legal questions in this space.
We do not provide any form of legal advice or legal opinion. Please consult a lawyer in your jurisdiction or try one of our products.


Copyright © 2009 - 2023 · First Reference Inc. · All Rights Reserved
Legal and Copyright Notices · Publisher's Disclaimer · Privacy Policy · Accessibility Policy