How many times have you heard it? “That person is probably a little too old to really do well with the new technology.” Or maybe it comes from one of the 50-somethings or 60-somethings in your office, sounding something like “That’s easy for the young people to learn, but not me.” Or maybe it’s “We should modify our training program for that group – they’re mostly older, and it’s harder for them to catch on.”
Kronos Workforce Central applications touch everyone, every pay period. It’s the only corporate system that can make that claim, and so those of us who train on it have heard all the excuses.
This is not an article decrying the reality of ageism, that insidious value that says that the older you get, the less you know. This is an article for you (correction: ‘us’) older people, and I’m going to take you to task for allowing the stereotype to ever get its ugly foothold in our culture.
First, let me make the decidedly politically uncorrect (or is it ‘incorrect’ – us old folks sometimes have problems picking the right word, you know) observation that many stereotypes contain a kernel of truth. And no, I’m not going to give you any examples, lest I gore the particular stereotypical cow on which you ride. You can no doubt fill in that blank. Well, maybe I’ll do a couple. Men can’t commit, women can’t decide… there, is there anyone who’s not insulted yet?
And yes, we older folks often deserve the patronizing attitude
that we get from our younger counterparts that we cannot learn the new technology, be it timekeeping, online bill pay, or pivot tables. It’s a convenient shield to hide behind, gets us lots of pity, and in the end, our laziness is rewarded by lowered expectations and slack being cut on our behalf.
My message in all this – GET OVER IT, OLD PEOPLE! And quickly, lest you mess it up for the rest of us. Here are three reasons why older folks should be leading the way in new technology adoption:
- We have the work ethic
My first job was as a ranch worker, making $1.45/hour, mending fences and trapping gophers on a 4,000 acre ranch in Vista, CA. I was a Fuller Brush Man my first year of college, spent three years in the Army during the Viet Nam era, got married, worked my way through UCLA, and started a job as a COBOL programmer two days after graduation. No one outworks this generation. Very few of today’s kids have stories like that. Consequently…
- We have the experience
We’ve been around the block a few times, and not always riding on the same horse-and-buggy. We know what works and what doesn’t. We can tell the difference between flavor-of-the-month stuff and something that will last. NOTHING should faze us. NOTHING! We’ve seen it all. And we should be leading the way in technology adoption, because…..
- We invented this stuff
The
iPhone is really cool. Who invented it? Steve Jobs. Know how old he is? 55. “Really???? That’s not much younger than me!” Damn right it’s not. Our generation comes up with this new technology. Our generation funds this stuff. And you’re trying to tell me we can’t learn to use it? Get with the program, or get yourself to the rest home. You’re giving the rest of us a bad name.
So that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it. And no, I won’t be taking any questions. I’ve got a marathon to train for. I’ve done 30 of them, and it’s getting harder and harder to get the body going in the morning. But the mind? Best as I can tell, it’s as sharp as ever.
------------------------------------
Myron Oakes has been innovating in the HR/Payroll/Timekeeping/Benefits systems space for about 25 years, and he’s getting pretty good at it. If all you really want is a buzzword-compliant presentation, you may want to talk to someone else. If you want someone who knows their stuff and knows how to deliver excellence, he and the rest of the Improv team are here to help.
‘Show me a modest person, and I’ll show you someone who has nothing to brag about.’
Ah, class is going smoothly, almost too smoothly. Then, suddenly, something goes wrong with a training computer. What do you do??? WHAT DO YOU DO!?!?!
Anyone that has been training for more than a day or two knows that it's not a Kronos training class until something goes wrong. It can be anything, the Air Conditioning goes out. The projector bulb pops. There is an accident on the freeway and all of your participants are going to be late. Whatever it may be, things just happen. The most common issue is a problem with a computer. Now one dirty little secret among trainers is this, we aren't necessarily the most technical people out there. Sometimes it can be intimidating to try to fix a computer on the fly. 
Be it yours, or a learners, there is nothing more frustrating that when a PC goes down. Here is a short list of things you can do to attempt to rectify the situation while in the class. Some of these you have heard of, but some may be new to you. Some of these items can be done in class, while others can't be completed until later.
1) Diagnose the Problem - Are you getting an error message? Are you getting power to the machine? What type of problem are you having. It is important to get a good, clear understanding of the computer issue before you move forward. Remember that you want to try to understand the problem and note the course of action as you take it.
2) Employ Some Basic Troubleshooting - Go through a basic list of conditions. Are all of the physical connections made (PC plugged in to the wall; monitor, mouse and keyboard plugged into CPU)? If 
everything is plugged in, you may need to replace a mouse or a keyboard. No problem to fix as long as you have a few stached away. If the room lights are on, but the CPU isn't, don't automatically assume the CPU is bad. It is possible that the power strip the CPU is plugged into is bad, or has a bad outlet. Finally, it is possible the wall plug is bad. Unlikely, but possible. Just remember that you don't want to go cracking open the CPU before making sure all the plugs and external wires are good, and attached!
3) Interview the Learner - Work with the learner to find out what he or she did when they experienced the problem; if you can, reinact it. That is a good way to find out what the issue is. Usually, the learner won't remember, so you should ask a few open ended questions. "What user name and password did you use to log in to the network (or the Kronos Workforce Central application?" "What did you select when you were sent to the screen?" "Where were you when this happened?" If you can get the learner talking about the problem, that will go a long way toward solving it.
OK, so you have done everything you can, and you still have no luck. Here are some things to verify.
Drivers and Other Software - If the user can't view their screen properly, verify that the driver is loaded. If the sound isn't right, check that driver. Often, error message come up that are Java related. These are usually caused when the wrong version of Java is installed. Check with a technical resource to verify that the right version is loaded. These types of issues are prevalent when using imaging software to reload your Workforce Central installation, or if the computers in question have recently been wiped and the OS reloaded.
Restart Workforce Timekeeper - In some cases, based on the error messages received, it may be necessary to log off of Kronos Timekeeper. For example, if the learner has entered their log in credentials incorrectly on several occasions, you will need to log on as an administrator or super user and remove the lock. On other occasions, you will get an error message within Workforce Central. The information box will be labeled with Kronos Workforce Timekeeper and the specific screen you are trying to access is frozen. Log off and log back in before you do anything else.
Reboot - Sometimes, just a reboot will fix the problem. Have the learner log off and shut down, then restart. Sometimes the PC
just needs a break <g>. Often this can work magic and rectify the issue. Really, rebooting is the last line of defense in a live training environment. Once this fails, it is time to do one of two things, move the learner to an unused computer, or have them buddy up with another learner. Obviously that is the least desireable option, but if you have to, you have to.
Finally... - There are few overriding things to remember when this happens. First, stay calm and follow a process. Remember what you did, and what the learner tells you. Make sure you can clearly explain what happened to someone later. Secondly, try to have an additional computer for use in these types of situations. Set your classroom with a maximum of 12 participants, but keep a 13th PC set up and ready for use, a security blanket if you will. When worse comes to worst, it's always nice to have that backup. Also, remember to document. At the end of the class, contact IT, other trainers, your boss, anyone who might be able to help with this issue. If you are experiencing the problem, another trainer may be as well. Get the word out, both with the problem, and with the solution. Everyone involved will appreciate it. Remember, it is not the situation, but how you handle it that learners will remember.
Good luck with your Kronos training implementation.
Well we originally planned just one date for the webinar but ended up with three! For those of you that didn't make it here is a recorded version. I'm testing a video service blip.tv for this. Let me know how it works for you. It's pretty large so it might take a few to load. Alternatively you can view it right on the site.
If you were to ask most trainers, I bet the vast majority would tell you they were very happy with their chosen line of work. Why? The opportunity to teach adults. As any grade school or high school teacher will tell you, teaching children provides it's own set of challenges. You are also working in a professional environment, where you are a respected part of the team with a unique set of skills that can benefit the organization. The classes taught are usually filled with participants who are looking forward to attending your class so they can further their careers.
Still, there are challenges. As any professional trainer will tell you, there is rarely a training class that goes by without some form of problem. That is what these next few blogs are about. Problems come, but how do you face them? In this entry we will discuss the 
idea of respect in the classroom. Respect for you as a trainer, but also respect for the people attending your class.
Some Kronos trainers feel they aren't getting the respect they deserve in a classroom. Learners aren't showing up on time from breaks, speaking out of turn and interrupting others. Some participants are constantly talking to other learners, usually distracting them. There are so many other ways that learners are disrespectful, so let's start by looking at yourself, as a trainer, and asking a pretty tough question...
Are you showing respect to the learners in your class?
Really, think about it. Are you? Ask yourself some honest questions.
Do you start your class on time? I used to have a "50/5" policy at the start of a class. If 50% of the participants weren't in the room at the start, I would give them five minutes before I started the class. I would probably wait 15 minutes before starting the class. I thought it would help with the interruptions caused by participants showing up late.
I have since changed my view. It was terribly unfair of me to hold this policy. I believe I show MORE respect for the participants who show up on time by starting the class on time. It is not fair to make them wait because of the behavior of the participants who didn't show up on time.
As an extention of this, are you clear about when you expect your learners to return from lunch and breaks? I have gone to the extent of writing the time down on the whiteboard so it is clear when they are expected back. Are you on time as well? There is no faster way to lose the respect of a class then to be back late from your own meal or break.
Do you have a clearly communicated classroom policy statement? I hate to call these "classroom rules" because it sounds like something you would get in third grade. I would suggest this policy stating what you would request from your learners, and agree to as an instructor. Be clear, and include why the policies are what they are. Your learners will understand and appreciate the goal, to create a professional and respectful environment in which learning can take place. That is key to our training classes.
Good luck with your Kronos training implementation.
The last of a series of blogs on presenting an effective Train-the-Trainer course. In this entry we discuss the importance of having participants do what they do best, TRAIN!
The last, and arguably most important part of a well thought out Kronos Train-the-Trainer course is the participant presentation.
I know, "How can you possibly have someone get up and train something they just learned a few hours ago!?!"
"You will shell shock them!"
"You will ruin their self esteem!"
"They will revolt against you, setting fire to the computers and tearing apart the furniture!"
OK, maybe participants won't react that poorly. But the the idea of having trainers train in this type of setting is nothing new. In fact, it is a well accepted practice. Even after spending half or most of the day learning their Kronos training material, the participants may not know what they don't know. More importantly, they may not know what they need to train.
"But Dwain," you reply, "just a few blogs ago you wrote about the importance of using actual employees as trainers. They aren't experienced trainers. How can someone like that be expected to do this?"
Good question. I would expect any trainer to be ready, willing and able to get in front of a group and train, but the same can't be expected of a manager or employee. That is a challenge. Here is a solution.
First, create ground rules that will provide an environment of trust. Here are some rules I have used in the past:
- Limit class questions for each presentation - Remind participants that they should not ask challenging questions, or put the presenter in a difficult spot. Questions are fine, but don't over do it with the number or complexity of the questions you ask.
- Remind presenters that this is a learning exercise, not a graded test - Take away some of the anxiety by letting them know that this is an exercise, not a test. There are no grades here, only an opportunity to practice. When will they every have a live audience to practice with again?
- Provide at least 30 minutes for participants to prepare for their presentations - Create topics that are small enough to handle in a five to 10 minute period of time. Remind participants that they should only take 10 minutes, then give them no less than 30 minutes to prepare. That should be more than enough time to prep for their topic. If that's not enough time, your topic is too broad or too complex and it should be adjusted.
- Let presenters know it's OK to ask for your help - Again, this is an exercise. If the presenter needs you to drive the PC while they are presenting, drive. If they need an answer to a questions, answer it. If they need a Diet Coke with a twist of lime, head to the vending machine. You want to make the presenter as comfortable as possible. Remember, you are grading them of presentation style more than Workforce Central knowledge, and if they are stressed out over some issue, you won't see their real presentation style.
Remember, the purpose of this whole exercise is not to test what participants learned about Kronos Timekeeper during the class; that will come with practice and study. You don't want to focus on their level of knowledge. You want to focus on how they present. Things they do well and things that need work. You want to look at them as trainers, not Kronos Workforce Central trainers.
Secondarily, you want the participants to get a feel for what they need to know to train. Ask them how they felt. I can guarantee one response will be something like "I didn't think I needed to know that much!" or "I really need to prepare better!" That is good. They say a picture is worth a thousand words; well, experience is worth a thousand warnings. They won't truly understand what you are saying until they are up in front of the group, even if only for 10 minutes.
Finally, provide them with a list of points to ponder after their presentation. Note the things they did well, and the things they need to work on. Write down what their "crutch" word is, (the word they use rather than saying nothing...uhh, umm, well...are all examples of this). Be honest, be positive, and be thorough. They will value your opinion and want to improve. Give them the tools to do it.
Good luck with your Kronos training implementation.
This is the second entry on some commonalities to all successful Train-the-Trainer courses. We now will spend some time on two of the last three areas of focus for a good Train-the-Trainer course; Reviewing Challenging Areas of the Curriculum, Classroom and Participant Management, and Participant Presentations.
Reviewing Challenging Areas of the Curriculum - In any type of training, technology or not, there are areas that are more challenging to understand than others. Any Workforce Central trainer worth their salt knows the five to seven different areas that are harder to present than the others. Your job in the Train-the-Trainer course is to provide any and all strategies to successfully present these different areas. If you have any tips or tricks, share them here. Don't worry about giving up some closely held secret. That isn't the point. Give up what you know to make your trainers better. It will improve the course, and therefore, the entire training implementation; that makes it worth sharing.
Classroom and Participant Management - When dealing with classroom management, there are three areas of focus; network issues, computer issues and environmental issues. Network issues present the area over which you have the least amount of control. Unless you happen to be a network administrator, your primary task will be to contact a network administrator. Discuss who to contact if there are issues with the network. Make sure you have cell phone numbers! When the network goes sideways, you need to call a real person, not a voicemail recording.
Computer issues are pretty similar. Talk about who to contact if there are issues, and be patient enough to go through some basic troubleshooting tips (Are the computer and monitor plugged in?) Just the basic stuff here.
Environmental issues are often what isn't considered. What if a chair breaks? (no laughing here, it happens) Too cold? Too hot? You need to know who to call, or how to fix it. I have personal experience on this, training in a basement training room, it was consistantly too hot. It is tough to teach at 85 degrees, for four hours! Know who to contact when there are issues with the classroom.
A blog entry was written dealing with participant management (Your Moment of (Kronos Training) Zen - Participant Management) so go back and re-read. The key to properly manage your participants is to remember that you are managing personalities. Be patient, be professional and don't take anything personally.
In the next installment, we will discuss the final area of focus for your Train-the-Trainer course, participant presentations.
Good luck with your training implementation.
Good trainers are hard to come by. This is absolutely true when training on Workforce Central. In this blog entry, we will talk about what a good trainers should know before they train a customized Kronos Timekeeper course.
Several years back, Jerry Seinfeld used this line as part of a comedy routine, it's a great line: (I am parapharasing)
"Statistics show that most people are more afraid of public speaking than they are of dying. What this means is that if someone is attending a funeral, they would rather be in the casket than giving the euology."
I think that you can replace the term public speaking with training, and the point is just as valid. Most trainers are a little different and this should be considered when developing a course to train them on how to present customized training materials for your Kronos Workforce application.
The agenda for a Train-the-Trainer program should consist of the following:
1) Teach the class as normal
2) Review the course focusing on the instructor notes
3) Review the training database
4) Cover challenging areas of the curriculum
5) Classroom and participant management
6) Participant presentations
We will cover the first three areas here. The following three will be incorporated in another blog entry.
Teach the Class - You will need a little buy-in from your participants here. They need to forget they are trainers, and take this class as if they are learning the application for the first time. They should already have a copy of the instructor's manual. They should see all of the instructor notes. But they should learn the material, participating in this class as if they are new to the application.
The first benefit of this is obvious, showing trainers how to use Workforce Timekeeper. This process will also give participants a feel for the pace of the class. Participants also see how different sections in the course materials are used; from instructor notes to guided and independant exercises.
Review the Course Focusing on the Instructor Notes - Once the normal class is completed, it is time to start disecting it for the training participants. Focus here should be on the information specific to the organization. Here I am speaking of policy and procedure information, tips, and warnings embedded in the curriculum. Once done, review the instructor notes on each page. Reinforce the importance of these notes and time permitting, relate how the information in the instructor notes can best be integrated into the presentation.
Review the Training Database - The training database is an integral part of a training course. Understanding how to navigate in the database is vital to successful course presentation. Time should be spent here talking about how to access the training database, moving to different screens in the Kronos application and who to contact if there are challenges with the database during a training event.
This is also the time to review any special settings only a trainer should know about. For example, a "SuperTrainer" user may be set up. This user has access to all users in the class, accessing any employee, and making any edits in the database. Time should be spent discussing this feature, when it would be used, and how it should be used. Trainer participants should also know when the database is refreshed. Trainer participants should also receive access to the training database long before training begins so they can practice on their own.
There are many aspects to a successful Train-the-Trainer course. This entry represents a good start. The remaining items will be covered soon.
Good luck with your training implementation!
------------------------------
Don't forget about the Training Zen webinar. The first date is full so sign up now to get into the next one!
Over the last several months, there have been a lot of blogs and a white paper discussing our Training Zen philosophy, basically, the importance of creating a customized training solution for your Kronos Workforce Timekeeper implementation. As a means to get the word out we are previewing a webinar to discuss Training Zen, and what it can do for your implementation.
You are invited to attend this exciting webinar. If you have been reviewing this blog, or any of the Training Zen materials available on our site, this is your chance to ask questions about how Training Zen can work for your organization. Special attention will be paid to the efficiency, effectiveness and empowerment of Training Zen.
Come join us and learn how to improve the way you present training on your Kronos applications. We are looking forward to seeing you!
We have spent a lot of time talking about the things that make Improv's Training Zen different from the standard approach to a Kronos training implementation. One specific aspect is the importance of employee input, and the use of employee experience in training development. A good way to incorporate employees into the training plan is to use them as trainers.
There are good reasons to use employees as trainers for a Workforce Central implementation, especially if those employees are managers. First, participants are more likely to listen to a manager because that manager knows what they do, and may be better than them as doing it! A manager involved with the implementation of Kronos Workforce Central will know better than anyone how the Kronos application will affect their day-to-day job, in a positive way. Obviously, participants will have more respect for the manager/trainer than they would some trainer off the street. Lastly, the manager/trainer will provide valuable insight in the development phase, and the delivery phase of the training implementation because of their vast experience. No one will have more real world experience to share with participants than a manager.
Occasionally, people will complement me on how well my kids are 
acting, by saying something like: "I am impressed how nice your kids are!" and my response is always the same, "They certainly can be." Maybe it's the pragmatist in me; maybe I have seen too many knock down drag out fights between siblings within the walls of our home. I have seen them behave pretty poorly, and I have seen them behave very well. The same can be said with your manager/trainer. He/she can be a valuable resource to a training implementation, or a they can create obstacles to the learning process.
How do we make this an absolute positive? First, make sure the selected manager is an absolute convert to Kronos Workforce Central. Being a true convert means that followers more than believe; true conversion means that followers KNOW! Managers must KNOW that Workforce Central will improve the way time is tracked and processed within their organization. Managers must KNOW that they will have more control with Workforce Central, and that recording time will be easier with it. Managers must KNOW that there will be fewer errors. They need to KNOW; without question.
Second, make sure this is a manager that employees respect. A manager with a lot of tenure in the organization often fits the bill here; provided he/she is 'converted' as mentioned above, and fully understands the benefits it provides. Employees are more likely to listen (and trust) the tenured manager regarding the benefits of Kronos before they listen to an HR Representative, Project Manager, or even a trainer brought in from outside the organization!
Finally, is this manager willing and able to train? Generally, it is a bad idea to select a manager that has little or no training experience. However most every manager has some training experience working with small groups, and that can be built upon. Often, with this level of training experience, and a desire to participate, a good Train the Trainer program can bridge the gap, providing opportunities to really understand the course materials, and get some practice presenting curriculum in front of a group. Familiarity is also important. Make sure the selected manager/trainer is familiar with Workforce Central. By knowing most of what will be trained before training, the manager/trainer can focus on training the material without concern for knowing the application itself.
There is a lot of work involved with having a manager act as a trainer for your Kronos Workforce Central implementation, but the benefits are well worth it. They say "Those that can't do, teach". By following these steps, you can have a trainer that can do both.
As always, good luck with your training implementation.
So what kind of learner are you? Anxious? Cranky? Tired? I know I can get really bored if I am not engaged by the instructor. Learners can act in many ways. Some are not terribly disruptive; (that guy in the back that keeps falling asleep...provided he doesn't snore!) 
and some can really handcuff the surrounding learners. Whatever the cause, some learners can be...shall we say...difficult to manage.The purpose of this blog is to discuss management of these very special groups of learners.
As a trainer, you want your learners to learn. Your job is not just to present information, it is to stop anything that could detract from the learning that is taking place. Construction going on outside? You have to handle it. Room too hot or too cold? You had better fix it. Computer network down? Get it back up, or find someone who can. This stuff is basic, even obvious. But what if that distraction is a learner? How do we properly manage that? Just as you wouldn't throw out a computer because it was slow (at least not at first), you wouldn't remove a disruptive learner as your first course of action. So who is this disruptive influence in your class? Here are some ways to recognize them:
The Talker - This is that learner that is ALWAYS finding something to share with their neighbors. It would be almost acceptable if the this person were talking about what was being 
presented in class, that that is almost never the case. This is a distraction, and you, as the trainer, need to handle it.
Deal with this type of learner in a professional manner. Don't lose your cool. Sometimes all it takes is standing near the the distracting learner while teaching. Other times, you may need to speak to the learner at break. Either way, the message needs to be clear: "You are distracting other learners by talking, I would appreciate you minimizing the conversations." The funning thing is that this person often doesn't realize how much he or she is talking!
The Rocket Scientist - An irritated participant from minute one, this learner doesn't want to be in class because they believe they don't need to attend the class. This may be right, this may be 
wrong. Imagine trying to train a system administrator on the basic functions of Kronos Workforce Central. Could be intimidating, no? This learner will often ask questions throughout the class. Often these questions deal with topics only slightly related to the topic at hand, and significantly more advanced than the topic itself.
A key in dealing with this type of distraction is to manage this distraction's ego. Make sure this learner understands that you are aware of the situation. That you know how smart that learner is. Ask this learner to proctor with other learners. Give this learner something to do that will improve your class. Create the win/win scenario.
These are only two of several types of learners out there. Remember, in all cases, be clear, be professional and be patient. Create and manage an environment that promotes learning, and you can overcome these challenges.
Good luck on your Kronos training implementation.