1. Training New Employees
Scott Elliott
CNS Director Training and Development
Peter Wells
Program Manager
Volpentest HAMMER Federal Training

2. What is Our Responsibility?
Retention
Production
Who’s Who
Get Them to Work
Cultural Norms
HR Needs
Employee Interest
Order Requirements
What is our responsibility? – This is the opening question. What is the responsibility of the Training organization? This is definitely different at every sight as the orgs are dispersed within different home organizations – HR, ES&H, Ops, etc. So how much of a role do we have in shaping the employees introduction to the company?
These are some of the interests competing against each other.
Employee’s interest: Are we creating a product that will keep their interest? Will it just be something to check the box regardless if they “enjoy” it.
Order Requirements: What is minimum? Do we just teach exactly what the order requires or what the employee really needs to function safely alone.
Cultural Norms: We all know there are cultural norms, values, time management, discipline, alignment with the right personnel.
HR Needs: Forms, Benefits, Entitlements, etc.
Who’s Who: Need to be introduced to important personnel in their management chain.
Get Them to Work: The drive by their management team to get them out to work over spending time in training.
Retention: What will make their opening days a positive experience instead of an introduction into a cold, quick, fire hose of information experience then a release to sitting around doing nothing.
Production: Release to get them to work with no specific followup. “They’ll learn on the job.”

3. Our Approach
We used a six sigma black belt to form a team consisting of management, training, HR, SMEs, and recent employees exposed to the process. We also sent out a survey on the experience of new hire and training. Retooled the process with the EMPLOYEE as the focus, not the requirements and needs of the manager.

4. Training’s Contribution
For the training portion we let our Mission Statement guide how we viewed the training.

5. The Final Approach
4 hours of training became a three day experience interspersed with various events. This is followed up with a Checklist that the manager of the org goes over with the employee that also involves introduction to other orgs.

6. Facilitation Your authority to shape NEO? What is Order Compliance?
Your authority to affect employee’s Org?
Phased over time?
To test or not to test?
Other ideas?
The big questions we need to discuss. What is our authority to influence what happens in new employee orientation. Are we just training personnel or are responsible for much more. How do we frame those questions? What is worth fighting for? Is it all about performance or is their more – employee development?

7. DOE Safety Programs Overview
What do employees need to know about the DOE Safety Programs?
Employee Involvement Expectations
ISMS
10 CFR 851
Safety Culture
Human Performance
One of the greatest things we can do for our employees is to ensure that they understand the programs that DOE has put in place for their safety. Reading through ISM and 851 gives you a sense that what is necessary for these safety programs to be effectual is a true partnership between management and labor – whether represented or not. It is in everyone’s interest to have a safe and healthy workplace, but the worker is the one with most of the “skin in the game”. So what should we convey about the safety programs that are integral to our partnership. Which ones and how much time should be spent????