Basic New Hire Training: Determining Your Needs

When you hire new employees, it's not sufficient to place them at their work station with a few instructions on how to do their job and then leave it at that. Part of being a responsible employer is ensuring that each and every employee is aware of company, state, and federal laws as well as any other rules and regulations that might impact their ability to do their job safely and effectively.

What the training program itself should actually include will depend on the topic, of course; however, ensuring that employees receive copies of company policies, procedures and plans should be an integral part of the training process.

While this is not a comprehensive list of every training program you might provide to new hires, here are some of the more notable training topics that employers need to incorporate into their on-boarding program.

Accident Prevention on the Job

According to safety.blr.com, over 6,000 Americans are killed on the job each year and about 3.6 million suffer disabling injuries. This is why it is each employer's responsibility for creating an effective health and safety program which incorporates federal and state OSHA regulations in order to prevent on-the-job accidents and illnesses.

Part of an employer's accident prevention training should include education on the company's Illness and Injury Prevention Program (IIPP), housekeeping guidelines, accident reporting responsibilities, as well as the medical leave of absence and worker's compensation program.

Americans with Disabilities Act

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), amended in 2008, prohibits private employers with 15 or more employees from discriminating against qualified individuals with disabilities. It also requires an employer to provide reasonable accommodation for the known physical or mental limitations of a qualified individual, unless to do so would impose undue hardship on the employer's business or unless the individual would cause a direct threat to other employees.

You are not only required to avoid discrimination, but you must also provide reasonable accommodation for employees with disabilities. It is, therefore, not only prudent to train employees about employee rights and responsibilities, in many instances it is mandated, especially for supervisors.

Health and Safety Training

Depending on your industry and work location, there are a whole host of health and safety training topics that your company may be responsible for teaching not only to new hires but on an on-going basis to all employees.

Such topics include blood-borne pathogens, chemical hazards, confined spaces, driver safety, emergency preparedness, ergonomics, explosives, fire prevention, first aid, forklift safety, hazmat (hazardous materials), lifting, noise, and respiratory protection, just to name a few.

Many federal and state Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards explicitly require employers to train employees in the safety and health aspects of their jobs. So it is important to find out what laws regulate your organization and industry.

Zero Tolerance Policies

There are typically three policies that fall within the zero-tolerance category: substance abuse, unlawful harassment, and workplace violence. In many cases, employers are legally mandated to provide training on these topics. Along with written policies and enforcement, on-going education should have the goal of resolving and preventing issues.

In each case, the company standards and potential violations as well as employee and employer recourse should be addressed. Keep in mind that substance abuse programs may interact with ADA such as when an employee is in the process of completing a drug rehabilitation program. In addition, unlawful harassment is not limited to only sexual harassment. Harassment and discrimination based on any protected classification is illegal.

There are a lot of federal and state laws that both employers and their employees need to know. Creating a comprehensive employee training program is a valuable, and often legally required, part of running a business.

For more assistance creating your new hire and ongoing training programs for employees, we highly recommend HR & Benefits Essentials, the award-winning online library composed and maintained by employment lawyers, accountants and HR experts. Your membership with OfficeArrow gives you a $500 discount! Learn more here.