Imagine this

Imagine this:

Day-in-a-life of an Operations Manager

You're an operations manager who manages 20 employees per day. Your operation opens at 5:30 am and closes at 9 pm, 7 days a week. You have one supervisor who is your direct report. You have eight employees who start at 5:30 am, four at 12 pm, four at 2:30 pm, and four at 4 pm.

Every minute of each employees' job routine is crucial and every minute that the employee is taken away for a meeting, the operation will be set behind. With an operation that is behind, employees will have to be asked to stay behind to finish off the remaining tasks. What if employees are unable to stay behind?

It is mandated by WorkSafeBC and various authorities in your jurisdiction that safety training is to be delivered monthly. Employees have to attend this training, complete the assessment, and sign off on the training. Every month employees are waiting for you to schedule this training.

HOW can you fit in this training so that all employees can attend?

• Hold multiple training sessions throughout the month to ensure that all team members can join.

• Schedule the sessions in a way so that there would be someone manning the operations.

• Prepare a plan for when operations are behind during a training session to ensure that operations will not be further jeopardized.

WHAT is considered when you are delivering a monthly training session?

• Ensure the training session is meaningful for employees.

• Ensure employees are getting a clear understanding of the training material.

• Ensure that the same material is delivered during every session if multiple sessions are held during the month.

Monthly training is NOT the only thing you, as an operations manager, are responsible for. You have to attend to other employees' and clients' needs. You still have a manager to report to and other deadlines to meet. Further, you have monthly and quarterly financials to analyze.