IST Trains Employees for Success
Hanging With Hal
IST Trains Employees for Success
Training is an essential factor in building successful organizations. Our e-Discovery sales team, for example, goes through a six-week training program in Atlanta, and the operations managers do four weeks. We also conduct field training once they’re back home to ensure the classroom training is applied on the job. This can involve Zoom meetings with senior management or on-site on-the-job training. The point is that exercise does not stop when the training class is over. We never stop learning.
Benjamin Franklin once said, “Tell me, and I forget, teach me, and I may remember, involve me, and I learn.” Words of wisdom! From the very beginning of IST, we had our employees develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) both at the site and national levels to ensure we do things by the book. We even reward our employees with a bonus for every procedure they write or update. If it’s a national procedure, the bonus is higher for each process developed or revised. The point is that our employees are intimately involved in the SOPs, which later become training tools for future employees.
Our own Jean-Robert 'Jay' Lafont, Senior National Director of Human Resources, developed two significant training initiatives. The Site Manager Awareness & Response Training Program, also known as SMART, consists of 30 online training modules designed to help managers in various areas, including communications, conflict resolution, and performance management. The program is voluntary. Employees can participate in the program with the recommendation of their operations manager. So far, 171 people at IST have completed the SMART program.
The SMART program is done at the employee's own pace. They must pass a 10-question quiz with each module and obtain at least an 80% score on the examination to move on to the next module. There are also three writing assignments, and they are based on the employee's experiences at IST. Once the program is completed, the employee receives a framed certificate signed by me to recognize the accomplishment and a gift as a token of appreciation.
Jay's second program is The PACE Program, for Providing Awesome Client Experiences. This program consists of four modules: a PowerPoint presentation and a ten-question quiz. The topics include:
1. How to Be a Good Employee
2. Good Client Service Techniques
3. Dress for Success &
4. Business Etiquette
The PACE program was launched in 2019, and 123 employees have completed the program. All employees are eligible to participate in this program. Once you complete it, you will receive 100 dollars in Blackman Bucks and a $5 Starbucks Card in recognition of your achievement.
Both of these training programs are tracked in IST Suite. The goal is to train our employees to improve their management skills. We also need a strong bench of management candidates ready for that next promotion. We all should be striving for success. At IST, we encourage it! As Jay said, "I have seen more than a few employees who have completed the programs and are successful in their new positions and are well-regarded."
Great job, Jay, for launching these training initiatives! Let's face it– skills change rapidly, and it is up to all of us to stay on our game significantly as technology changes. We must have skilled employees ready for career advancement at IST. So take charge of your career, and be ready when the opportunity presents itself. Thank you for all that you do!
Contact Info
IST Management Services, Inc.
1341 Moreland Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30316