Preventing Absenteeism in Training: How Do You Keep Shop Floor Staff Engaged?

Preventing Absenteeism in Training Sessions

Please help me understand how to prevent absenteeism when organizing training for shop floor employees. In the event of their absence, how can we incorporate those individuals into the subsequent training sessions? It can be quite challenging to coordinate training for production staff, particularly when they are absent due to heavy production schedules. Your assistance is greatly appreciated.

Thanks & Regards,
Arockia Jeniffer J

There are two choices:

1. Make it compulsory. Those who don't attend should face a penalty or be marked as half-day absent.
2. Ask management to provide employees with one hour of relaxation during their shift. For an 8-hour shift, they can work for 7 hours and allocate 1 hour for training. This approach would encourage attendance at the training sessions.

The second option should only be considered if management values training as much as production.

Regards,
Arun J.

Effectively Planning, Organizing, and Scheduling Training Programs

How proficient are you in planning, organizing, and scheduling training programs without disrupting routine activities or work? How relevant is this training to all the nominated trainees? Were you successful in arranging employee replacements for the trainees to ensure that work is not affected? Have you obtained consent and acknowledgment from the nominated trainees?

With profound regards,

To prevent absenteeism, it is important to make team members feel like an important part of the organization, i.e., their sense of belongingness. This can be done by emphasizing that the training provided will help them grow to the next level in the organization, and the training is actually an investment on the part of the company to increase the skills of the team members.

Regards,
Geeta
[Phone Number Removed For Privacy Reasons]

Dear Jennifer,

Your query raises several questions, the answers to which will determine the solution you are seeking. For instance, what are the reasons for the absences? You mentioned one reason, which is being absent due to heavy production. Mr. Khadir has already provided a solution for that scenario. However, are there other reasons for absences, such as being off on that day or due to sickness?

As others have inquired, have you ensured that the training provided is perceived as relevant to the employees' work and necessary for them? Often, organizations conduct training that is neither relevant nor useful, or sometimes both. I have experienced such training during my career, attending only because I was not paid a bonus. However, if your workers are on a production bonus, how are you compensating them for the loss of earnings? Are you paying them just the basic wages for the time spent, or are you compensating them with the average wages they normally earn?

I could continue posing such questions, as is my habit, but I will refrain from doing so.

Thanks & Regards,
[Email Removed For Privacy Reasons]

Thank you for your valuable suggestion, well-wishers. My people don't have awareness about the training. Even though the management planned to improve the set of people's skills through training, they are not interested in attending. Due to these reasons, my absenteeism percentage is increasing to half of the planned number. Additionally, sickness and other reasons also contribute to the problem.

Suggestions to Improve Training Awareness and Reduce Absenteeism

Please provide suggestions to improve awareness of the training and reduce the absenteeism rate.

Thanks & Regards,
Arockia Jeniffer J

I would suggest including some games before and between training sessions. This will arouse the interest of the participants, and they won't miss out on further sessions. You can even show small clips or films related to the subject to make it more interesting. Also, try to make it more interactive and fun so that the learning process will be enjoyable.

Benefits of Open Forum Discussions

It would be a good idea if your management addresses in an open forum why training is essential and the benefits of it to the organization vis-a-vis individuals.

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Vaishalee Parkhi

Let me join a bit late. I suggest that you arrange trainings during lean periods of production. Every company has its peak and lean seasons. Secondly, ensure that the participants are formally released from their sections to attend the training, and the same is confirmed to you. Do not take more than 10% of staff from any section so that work is not hampered. Last but not least, make training interesting by spending some amount on good food after or during the training. Convince your seniors that this is essential for generating interest among the participants. Also, see that a provision is made in the Annual Appraisal Report of an employee for the different trainings attended by him/her.

Regards,
S.K. LIMAYE / MBA (HRM)

Addressing Absence from Organized Training

Absence from organized training is an issue prevailing in many organizations. I had a chance to analyze and address this issue. My analysis revealed that defaulters, in most cases, were the managers/supervisors who were not sparing their subordinates to participate in training. The reason given for this was a shortage of manpower for routine work on the floor. Managers refused to realize that two trained persons would be able to do the work of three not spared for training. Thus, the line managers were found to be less sensitive to the development needs of their subordinates. However, when it came to their development and growth, they tended to fight with HR for their nomination on different programs. Once nominated, they would leave all responsibilities at the shop floor and rush to register their presence.

Such an attitude of the managers had to be curbed. The solution was simple and was introduced with the approval of the CEO. A communication was sent to all and also displayed on the notice board, stating that for employees detailed on any training program, attendance would be counted based on the attendance report from the program manager and not from the line manager/supervisor. The attendance management software was suitably modified and integrated with the training management system.

The obvious outcome was 100% attendance in training programs. The CEO remained firm in not accepting any cries to the contrary. The employee satisfaction index also improved in the next survey.

Pre-Training Assessment and Feedback

Please circulate the PRE-TRAINING ASSESSMENT to your nominees and request them to raise maximum questions seeking clarification. Seek their feedback pertaining to the INFORMATION REQUESTED in the ASSESSMENT. Based on the RELEVANT INFORMATION published in the ASSESSMENT, which must support trainees TO GAIN ADEQUATE KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS for BETTER PERFORMANCE, trainees may express their interest/desire to attend and undergo training (the learning process).

With profound regards,

Use the ICE rule. Convince them (on the training topic) by giving Information in an Entertaining way. Please check if the past training was interesting enough for their levels. Include a lot of meaningful games & activities. Heavy production is generally not a real reason for absenteeism. Making it compulsory may not help. Keep the training within working hours. That means they don't have to stay longer because of training.

Orient it in such a way that they feel that the training is a kind of prerequisite and not a task. Show them how they will personally benefit from the training. If you administer these suggestions properly, they will actually look forward to and demand more and more training.

The Best Topic to Start With

The best topic to start with is "Goal Setting".

Dear Jeneffer ji, Further to the responses by others, I would like to add that you should establish a feedback system to identify the root cause of absenteeism in training. Determine why individuals are hesitant to participate in training, thoroughly analyze the issue, and then address the root cause.

In your query, you mentioned that the reason for absenteeism may be the high production demands. In this case, it is essential to improve coordination with the shop floor in charge. Gain their trust and explain the importance of training. If necessary, consider organizing a workshop for the shop floor in charge and the management team. This initiative will assist in reshaping the organizational culture.

Wishing you all the best.