Benefits of Continual Training in Fleet Management Software

Every supervisor should be training his/her employees every day.  This is not only true because people have to be reminded of their responsibilities, but because most training activities should be to change habits as much as it is to improve skills.

The changing of bad habits takes time, so it’s imperative to have routing training a mainstay within your operation.

Continual Training + Dedicated Employee = Improvements

Over time, the increase in productivity not only within the shop but with the equipment as well, will more than pay for itself.

• Knowledge
• Quality
• Safety habits
• Tool functions
• Attitude and morale
• Productivity
• Reduced tardiness
• Shop cleanliness
• Reduction in waste

Although technical schools do a great job in teaching mechanics, it is the ultimate responsibility for the shop supervisor or department manager to ensure the employee has continued opportunity to train.  Training extends the employee’s education and shows the company’s investment in that particular person.

Change Productivity

Training is the real key to changing productivity in the shop.  The productivity will change almost directly proportional to the time and quality of that time spent on the floor by supervisors.  Shops where time spent on the floor is high always have higher productivity levels that those where little time or poor quality time is spent.

Ask Your Staff

Don’t be afraid to ask your staff what they’d like to learn or where they feel they have a shortfall.  The employee will appreciate the question(s) and look forward to providing answers.

As the employee how they spend their day.  How they can improve in an area (based on what they feel they are missing).  Where does the employee feel they are most productive and where they are lacking. Find out what they like or don’t like and ask for their solution to the perceived problem.

Planning for the Future

When establishing an on-going training schedule, basic elements of planning must be taken into consideration in order to realize success.

• Who? Include who is going to accomplish the task and whom will accomplish this first.  This is prioritized to accomplish the one who is in the most need.
• What? What is the item that is to be accomplished?  Specific training is selected by the priority or top need in the shop.
• Why? A manager analyzes the ‘why’ based on what is the most needed training in the shop?  Perhaps this involves training a mechanic on how to schedule and conduct preventive maintenance.
• Where? Consider the best possible area to train. Is it in the shop itself or in a quiet conference room where conversation can take place?
• When? Research the mechanic’s schedule and determine how long the training should approximately take in order to allow the employee to have adequate time to learn and ask questions along the way.
• How? This depends upon the topic at hand.  If training is a lecture series, then this could be handled by a speaker using a slide presentation.  If the training is hands-on, then this would take place in the shop or a designated training facility.

Conducting on-the-spot training may not always be the best use of resources or time.  Research what topics the employee needs improvement upon and start there then carefully take a look at developing a long-term training plan/agenda.  A training agenda must have a time frame.

Taking the time to develop a training program that is applicable to your shop’s performance will pay off dividends in the long run.