Record What?
Recordkeeping isn’t the most glamorous topic, let’s face it. But kind of like housekeeping, it’s a necessary chore. Are you engaging in best practices for recordkeeping of mandated training?
Are you using outdated paper filing systems or relying on employees to keep track? If you’re not careful, poor recordkeeping can turn into a noncompliance issue that could put your employees and your business in jeopardy. So, what ARE best practices? What should we be keeping track of anyway?
Recordkeeping Essentials
Basic recordkeeping requirements for mandated training boil down to knowing exactly Who did (or needs to do) What, When. Add to that the Where, How, and Why - and you’ve got your basic recordkeeping. States, counties, and local jurisdictions that mandate training have many VERY specific rules and regulations. You might have two stores in two different counties (and towns) that have VERY different training requirements! How do you keep track? What if you want to expand to five or ten stores? What if you want to go nationwide? Bottom line, get an expert training provider and get organized. If you don’t, you could face fines, penalties, lost employee productivity, and noncompliance. Remember, when it’s mandatory - it’s the LAW.
Must-Have Records
- WHO - Name; First Last. The employee who’s training.
- WHAT - What training or certification was taken or needs to be?
- WHERE - Where is the employee located? (Store #, District, Division)
- WHEN - When did the employee complete? When does the training expire?
- WHY - Is this a new-hire employee, training for the first time or a renewal?
- HOW - Did the employee Pass or Fail? What was the test score?
Proof of Training
When you need to provide records to authorities (like after an undercover compliance sting), you need PROOF of training. The Who, What, When outlined are that proof, so it’s crucial to be able to access your records with ease. For example, the Certificate can contain most of the information you need in one document. Where is the certificate? Can you access a VALID, CURRENT certificate for each employee at a moment’s notice? Can your managers generate reports based on location, date, type of training, or employee? If not, reconsider your recordkeeping practices. The days of fax machines, HR filing systems, and even emailing documents back and forth are rapidly disappearing, and seriously, modern technology really CAN make this stuff a lot easier! Here’s something to think about: Generation Z comprises 32% of the world’s population, 61 million in the US alone. These are young folks who have grown up with technology of the 21st century and will become (if they’re not already) the bulk of your workforce! It’s time to adapt to new methods.
Conclusion
So what’s the point of recordkeeping? Compliance. Risk Management. Staying in Business! You need on-demand self-service access to your mandated training records. A lot of businesses are choosing a SaaS (Software as a Service) training provider who makes cloud-based recordkeeping a breeze - so you and your team can check status, pull reports, or grab a certificate with no problem. An expert provider who’s got your back 24/7 is a powerful tool in your risk management strategy, and it takes the stress and hassle of recordkeeping off your shoulders - so you can focus on your profits!
Click here to download our eBook “Challenges & Opportunities: Regulatory Compliance Training in the Food & Beverage Industry” to deepen your knowledge about the array of risks, challenges, and consequences - and let us help you create training, tools, and an action plan to mitigate any danger to your business!
Sources
https://www2.illinois.gov/ilcc/about/Pages/FAQs-BASSET.aspx#qst4
https://www.laboratoryequipment.com/article/2009/10/importance-keeping-training-records
https://blog.bizzmine.com/en/why-you-need-to-keep-training-records
https://www.techopedia.com/definition/155/software-as-a-service-saas
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/01/17/where-millennials-end-and-generation-z-begins/
https://99firms.com/blog/generation-z-statistics/
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Generation%20Z
https://www.inc.com/ryan-jenkins/the-2019-workplace-7-ways-generation-z-will-shape-it.html
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/01/61-million-gen-zers-about-to-enter-us-workforce-and-change-it.html
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/english/cloud-computing