UST Training the Right Way
Written by: Brian Pottebaum, Director of Training Services
Why do we train employees on a certain process or job? The obvious answer to that is for them to learn something that they didn’t already know, or perhaps to learn how to do something the correct way. Why stop there? Training needs to be recurrent with continuing education or refresher training, so the employees are very familiar with their responsibilities and keep up to date on requirements and certifications.
Employees need to understand their role and to feel needed and important. They need to feel that they add value to the company. If employees are not valued or engaged in their profession, they cannot reach their full potential. Additionally, employees that are not engaged will not be profitable and can be a distraction to other employees.
A recent Gallup survey revealed that companies are 17% more productive and 21% more profitable when training is offered to engaged employees. Another recent survey (by Axonify) indicated that 92% of employees think the right kind of workplace training has positive effects on their job engagement.
Operating a retail facility or convenience store is a difficult job and it takes many people to help make it successful. It requires those people to be working together with the same goals of success in mind. It is also important to recognize that customers associate an experience at a facility with employee interaction. No doubt, if the employee is unhappy, it will lead to negative interaction with customers. These customers will most likely not return and will share negative reviews of your business.
How do you engage employees?
Employees will have different skill levels that must be recognized. One size doesn’t necessarily fit all, so the areas of understanding and performance that are missing need to be recognized and addressed through specific training. This is the responsibility of the supervisor to monitor and recognize these needs. Every employer should have some process in place to review employees right after hiring and then annually at a minimum. There should be benchmarks and goals in place, and the employees must understand expectations and should know how to safely accomplish them. The employee must also be properly compensated and recognized for these achievements. The line of communication between employer and employee must always remain open, so questions can be asked at any time.
Routine training needs to be a significant part of their employment. This is especially true with UST operators at fueling facilities. These positions turn over employees rapidly and require a lot of training to get them up to speed.
Training needs to be readily available to them. Studies show that young employees are hungry for training and nearly 9 out of 10 want it available anytime and anywhere. Additionally, most of them think frequent or routine training is more important than a singular formal training session. A recent LinkedIn survey also revealed that 76% of Gen Z participants think learning is the key to a successful career!
Engage your employees through training!
Training is Available
R&A has been in the petroleum storage tank industry providing instructional training and continuing education courses to owners/operators, installers, inspectors, and regulators for over 20 years. We can provide formal training that is already developed as well as training customized to fit your needs. Our training is very thorough, yet very understandable to multiple levels of experience. Visit the R&A Training website to explore training opportunities as well as other resources we can provide to help advance your business. We hope to see you soon!