How To Make Workers Comp Training Effective

When designing training programs for workers comp (or anything else) you need to identify what you want the participants to “do differently” after the training. What do you want the training to accomplish? Do you want the participants to be able to pay a workers’ comp claim or recognize when there is a potentially fraudulent claim? Unless you are self-administered, you want them to do the later. Learning objectives must be developed “around” your objectives.

You’ll need to develop a list of “learner objectives” then develop your training materials to address those objectives. So, first determine your program gaps then design the material. Too often companies call me and ask for “a training program” and don’t care if it was developed for a different company in a different industry, they say, “just send me a training program”!

Well, while workers’ comp training can be use by different industries, it can only be used when the company gaps are the same. When your divisions take the best practice assessment in Workers Comp Kit, each operating unit will receive separate recommendations. These are the core of your learning objectives. See below. Success Story: In a company with five divisions, all divisions failed Best Practices #85 and 86, so those must be included in training. Four businesses missed Best Practice #5, so you’ll want to address that, also.

The Gap Analysis is a corporate-wide needs assessment that is a roadmap for your training program. Whatever else you cover, you must cover these questions because there may be opportunity for improvement in these areas. Do the assessment, THEN design the training program.

Author: Rebecca Shafer, J.D. Rebecca works with every size company as a coach and consultant. She can be reached at 860-553-6604.

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