Training Diggers and Changing Cultures: Embedding a ‘Training Hour’ within the Working Week

This study investigates the relationships between key organizational factors that influence employee motivation, performance, and productivity outcomes. Specifically, it examines the impact of work environment quality, salary satisfaction, and training hours on employee productivity indices. Using a dataset of 200 employee records, descriptive statistics indicate moderate mean ratings for work environment (mean = 5.53) and salary satisfaction (mean = 5.41), with training hours averaging 19.89 and productivity indices averaging 54.15 points. Correlation analysis revealed that the productivity index is strongly associated with work environment scores (r = 0.63) and salary satisfaction (r = 0.59), whereas training hours exhibited a weak correlation with productivity. The findings suggest that workplace environment quality and compensation satisfaction exert a more significant influence on employee productivity than training investments alone. This research advances human resource management literature by highlighting effective strategies for enhancing employee motivation at the organizational level. It underscores that comprehensive employee development requires attention to environmental factors and financial recognition, rather than focusing solely on training initiatives. Organizations are advised to balance moderate investment in employee development programs with efforts to cultivate supportive work environments and competitive compensation structures. The regression models used in this study offer practical predictive tools that can help managers identify key motivational drivers, optimize workforce productivity, and ultimately enhance organizational performance and competitiveness in evolving market conditions.

The aim of this study is to identify and evaluate the specific characteristics, preferences, and needs of different generations in the workplace to support management that is more effective, motivation, and employee retention. The research, conducted in 2022 and 2023, utilized a survey among 488 respondents aged 18 and older to enable relevant generational comparisons. Factors examined for motivation to switch employers included higher financial compensation, more interesting job content, work environment, career growth, the option to work from home, benefits package, development and training, and changes in leadership. Statistical analysis, including t-tests and correlation matrices, revealed significant differences and relationships between motivational factors across generations (Baby Boomers, X, Y, and Z). Results show that across generations, key motivators are career growth associated with interesting job content, development opportunities, and a higher benefits package. Baby Boomers emphasize social interactions within the workplace and opportunities for continuous education. Generation X prefers a combination of stimulating work with flexibility for working from home and more extensive company benefits. For Generation Y, significant factors include career growth linked to financial compensation and work-from-home flexibility. Generation Z prioritizes higher financial compensation for career growth and engaging job content with opportunities for development and training. This study brings a key new insight by revealing how the combination of flexibility (such as remote work options), employee benefits, and opportunities for professional development significantly contributes to job satisfaction across different generations. These findings provide practical guidance for designing motivational strategies tailored to the specific needs of each generation in the workplace.

Changes to Training Practices during a Pandemic - The Experience of the Irish National Trauma & Orthopaedic Training Scheme

Faced with highly threatening competition from Japanese companies, a major U.S. automotive manufacturer attempted to induce cultural change in a mature workforce during the launch of a new vehicle in an assembly plant. Workers completed eighty hours of training designed to modify their attitudes and create a work environment with greater cooperation, motivation, and continuous improvement. To measure differences in attitudes between trained and untrained populations, 35% (1039) of the hourly production workers completed a survey conducted in-plant during working hours. The researcher found that, to a limited extent, the trained employees exhibited more positive attitudes than their untrained counterparts; some cultural change did take place as a result of the training. At the end of the two-year training period however, the actual work environment had not changed to accommodate the new attitudes. Trained workers demonstrated frustration with unaltered management policies and actions. Several initiatives in the plant have been developed to continue the process of cultural change.

AITRANS – Web Application for Training and Testing Operative Personnel in High Voltage Power Substations

With all of the Engineering Institutions having established training requirements for graduate and chartered engineers, many in the engineering profession feel that the debate regarding ongoing professional training is over. It appears that if an engineer accumulates a certain number of points or training hours per year, then he or she is considered to be up to date, competent, ready and able to work as an engineer. But is this really the best approach for the engineer, the Engineering Institutions, employers and society? This paper provides an alternative perspective on engineering education and training, arguing that the current model of engineering education and training are not adequate to produce and maintain good, professional engineers. The authors' view is that a broader approach to training and education would result in better engineers being produced and would improve both their lives and their professional careers. (6 pages)

Generally, hospitality industry experiences incessant wave of high turnover than all other industries. Due to alarming levels of competition in staff training and growth opportunities in different industries, organizations in hospitality sector face challenges in retaining their employees. Employees quit hospitality organizations in pursuit of world-class training and the opportunity for professional development offered in competing organizations, both within and outside the hospitality industry. However, prior research has largely ignored the role of staff training on employee retention in hospitality organizations. There is growing debate about the relationship between staff training and employee retention. Hence, behooves the researcher to accentuate the impact of staff training on employee retention with specific attention given to five subsidiaries of the leading hospitality organization in Zimbabwe. For this study, the data was collected from a sample size of 120 employees. The sample was selected using systematic sampling technique under the ambit of probability sampling method. The data was analyzed using the descriptive and inferential statistics. The results unearthed that staff training has a significant impact on employee retention. The study produced compelling evidence that staff training was insufficient and was not coping with constant changes in the surrounding. In addition, strong evidence in this study indicated that coaching and mentoring were the most preferred types of training. Therefore, the top management should increase the amount of investment on staff training to retain employees. The managers should ensure that all the equipment and tools used for staff training are aligned with prevailing technology to wane turnover rates. Considering huge turnover rates in hospitality industry, comprehending the influence of staff training on employee retention is boon to improve the management policies within the organization. By shedding light on the influence of staff training on employee retention, this study lends preeminent credence to previous claims regarding the importance of the staff training at the workplace.

Job satisfaction and digital talent are topics of growing interest in the context of digital transformation. Digitalization is changing the way organizations operate and how employees perceive their work. The state and its administrative staff is no exception, as these capabilities are essential to perform operational tasks that underpin the public institution's documentary processes. This study investigates the influence of digital talent (independent variable) on job satisfaction (dependent variable), employing structural equation modeling (SEM) using WarpPLS software. Digital Talent is broken down into three sub-variables: Digital Competencies of Employees (DCE), Capacity for Digital Innovation and Creativity (CIDC) and Adaptability and Continuous Learning (ACL), while Job Satisfaction is measured through two sub-variables: Work Environment (WE) and Professional Development Opportunities (PDO). The analyses revealed that Capacity for Innovation and Digital Creativity (CIDC) has a significant impact on Work Environment, with a path coefficient (β) of 0.13 (p = 0.01). Similarly, adaptability and continuous learning (ACL) positively influence the work environment, with a path coefficient (β) of 0.10 (p = 0.04). In addition, a strong relationship was found between professional development opportunities (PDO) and work environment, with a path coefficient (β) of 0.68 (p < 0.001). For the relationship between digital competencies (DCE) and career development opportunities, the path coefficient was 0.10 (p = 0.04). Digital talent is a key predictor of job satisfaction in administrative staff. The results suggest that investing in the development of digital capabilities, especially innovation and creativity, as well as adaptability, is essential to improve the work environment and career development opportunities.

Transition to Practice: Onboarding Components for Establishing and Sustaining Healthy Work Environments.

IntroductionIn regional Australia and New Zealand, museums and art galleries are increasingly becoming primary sites of cultural engagement. They are one of the key tourist attractions for regional towns and expected to generate much needed tourism revenue. In 2017 in New South Wales alone, there were three million visitors to regional galleries and museums (MGNSW 13). However, apart from those (partially) funded by local councils, they are often run on donations, good will, and the enthusiasm of volunteers. Regional museums and galleries provide some paid, and more unpaid, employment for ageing populations. While two-thirds of Australia’s population lives in capital cities, the remainder who live in regional towns are likely to be in the 60+ age cohort because people are choosing to retire away from the bustling, growing cities (ABS). At last count, there were about 3000 museums and galleries in Australia with about 80% of them located in regional areas (Scott). Over the last 40 years, this figure has tripled from the 1000 regional and provincial museums estimated by Peter Piggott in his 1975 report (24). According to a 2014 survey (Shaw and Davidson), New Zealand has about 470 museums and galleries and about 70% are located outside capital cities. The vast majority, 85%, have less than five, full-time paid staff, and more than half of these were run entirely by ageing volunteers. They are entrusted with managing the vast majority of the history and heritage collections of Australia and New Zealand. These ageing volunteers need a diverse range of skills and experience to care for and interpret collections. How do you find the time and budget for professional development for both paid staff and volunteers? Many professional development events are held in capital cities, which are often a significant distance from the regional museum—this adds substantially to the costs of attending and the time commitment required to get there. In addition, it is not uncommon for people working in regional museums to be responsible for everything—from security, collection management, conservation, research, interpretation and public programs to changing the light bulbs. While there are a large number of resources available online, following a manual is often more difficult than learning from other colleagues or learning in a more formal educational or vocational environment where you can receive timely feedback on your work. Further, a foundational level of prior knowledge and experience is often required to follow written instructions. This article will suggest some strategies for low cost professional development and networking. It involves planning, thinking strategically and forming partnerships with others in the region. It is time to harness the power of modern communications technology and use it as a tool for professional development. Some models of professional development in regional areas that have been implemented in the past will also be reviewed. The focus for this article is on training and professional development for workers in regional museums, heritage sites and keeping places. Regional art galleries have not been included because they tend to have separate regional networks and training opportunities. For example, there are professional development opportunities provided through the Art Galleries Association of Australia and their state branches. Regional galleries are also far more likely to have one or more paid staff members (Winkworth, “Fixing the Slums” 2). Regional Museums, Volunteers, and Social CapitalIt is widely accepted that regional museums and galleries enhance social capital and reduce social isolation (Kelly 32; Burton and Griffin 328). However, while working in a regional museum or gallery can help to build friendship networks, it can also be professionally isolating. How do you benchmark what you do against other places if you are two or more hours drive from those places? How do you learn from other colleagues if all your colleagues are also isolated by the ‘tyranny of distance’ and struggling with the same lack of access to training? In 2017 in New South Wales alone, there were 8,629 active volunteers working in regional museums and galleries giving almost five million hours, which Museums and Galleries NSW calculated was worth over $150 million per annum in unpaid labour (MGNSW 1). Providing training and professional development to this group is an investment in Australia’s social and cultural capital.Unlike other community-run groups, the museums and heritage places which have emerged in regional Australia and New Zealand are not part of a national or state branch network. Volunteers who work for the Red Cross, Scouts or Landcare benefit from being part of a national organisation which provides funding, support workers, a website, governance structure, marketing, political advocacy and training (Winkworth, “Let a Thousand Flowers” 11). In Australia and New Zealand, this role is undertaken by the Australian Museums and Galleries Association AMaGA (formerly Museums Australia) and Museums Aotearoa respectively. However, both of these groups operate at the macro policy level, for example organising annual conferences, publishing a journal and developing Indigenous policy frameworks, rather than the local, practical level. In 1995, due to their advocacy work, Landcare Australia received $500 million over five years from the federal government to fund 5000 Landcare groups, which are run by 120,000 volunteers (Oppenheimer 177). They argued successfully that the sustainable development of land resources started at the local level. What do we need to do to convince government of the need for sustainable development of our local and regional museum and heritage resources?Training for Volunteers Working in Regional Museums: The Current SituationAnother barrier to training for regional museum workers is the assumption that the 70:20:10 model of professional development should apply. That is, 70% of one’s professional development is done ‘on the job’ by completing tasks and problem-solving; 20% is achieved by learning from mentors, coaches and role models and 10% is learnt from attending conferences and symposia and enrolling in formal courses of study. However, this model pre-supposes that there are people in your workplace whom you can learn from and who can show you how to complete a task, and that you are not destroying or damaging a precious, unique object if you happen to make a mistake.Some museum volunteers come with skills in research, marketing, administration, customer service or photography, but very few come with specific museum skills like writing exhibition text, registering an acquisition or conserving artefacts. These skills need to be taught. As Kylie Winkworth has written, museum management now requires a [...] skills set, which is not so readily found in small communities, and which in many ways is less rewarding for the available volunteers, who may have left school at 15. We do not expect volunteer librarians to catalogue books, which are in any case of low intrinsic value, but we still expect volunteers in their 70s and 80s to catalogue irreplaceable heritage collections and meet ever more onerous museum standards. That so many volunteers manage to do this is extraordinary. (“Let a Thousand Flowers” 13)Workers in regional museums are constantly required to step outside their comfort zones and learn new skills with minimal professional support. While these challenging experiences can be very rewarding, they are also potentially damaging for our irreplaceable material cultural heritage.Training for museum professionals has been on the agenda of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) since 1947 (Boylan 62). However, until 1996, their work focused on recommending curricula for new museum professionals and did not include life-long learning and on-going professional development. ICOM’s International Committee for the Training of Personnel (ICTOP) and the ICOM Executive has responded to this in their new curricula—ICOM Curricula Guidelines for Professional Museum Development, but this does not address the difficulties staff or volunteers working in regional areas face in accessing training.In some parts of Australia, there are regional support and professional development programs in place. For example, in Queensland, there is the Museum Development Officer (MDO) network. However, because of the geographic size of the state and the spread of the museums, these five regionally based staff often have 60-80 museums or keeping places in their region needing support and so their time and expertise is spread very thinly. It is also predominantly a fee-for-service arrangement. That is, the museums have to pay for the MDO to come and deliver training. Usually this is done by the MDO working with a local museum to apply for a Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF) grant. In Victoria there is a roving curator program where eligible regional museums can apply to have a professional curator come and work with them for a few days to help the volunteers curate exhibitions. The roving curator can also provide advice on “develop[ing] high quality exhibitions for diverse audiences” via email, telephone and networking events. Tasmania operates a similar scheme but their two roving curators are available for up to 25 days of work each year with eligible museums, provided the local council makes a financial contribution. The New South Wales government supports the museum advisor program through which a museum professional will come to your museum for up to 20 days/year to give advice and hands-on training—provided your local council pays $7000, an amount that is matched by the state government—for this service. In 2010, in response to recommendations in the Dunn Report (2007), the Collections Council of Australia (CCA) established a pilot project with the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder in West

State and national organizations recently developed policies focused on increasing physical activity (PA) in afterschool programs (ASPs). These policies emphasize "activity friendly" environment characteristics that, when present, should lead to higher levels of PA and reduce the amount of time children spend sedentary during an ASP. Currently, little is known about the impact of existing PA policies on children's PA and sedentary behaviors in ASPs. A sample of 18 community-based ASPs serving 1,241 children (5-12 years) were audited for environment features outlined in existing PA policies (i.e., presence of a written policy to promote PA, collecting child feedback, staff training to promote PA and the quality of that training, holding parent workshops, use of PA curricula, evaluating PA, allocating time in the schedule for PA opportunities, and providing activities that appeal to both boys and girls). Children's PA and sedentary behavior were measured via accelerometry. Unexpectedly, the presence of a written policy, collecting child feedback, and receiving 1 to 4 hours of staff training for PA was associated with an increase in time spent sedentary and a decrease in PA. Conversely, allocating 50% or more time in an ASP schedule for PA and providing activities that appealed to boys and girls was associated with a decrease of time spent sedentary and an increase in PA. The present state of practice in ASPs suggests that policy environment characteristics are largely unrelated to the amount of PA children accumulate while attending ASPs.

This study used the Ivancevich and Matteson Stress Diagnostic Survey to gather data concerning job stress for a large national sample of internal auditors in the USA. Survey respondents indicated that the organizational job stressors in their work environment were more a source of stress than the so‐called individual job factors. Specifically, respondents would like to be paid more and participate more in the decision‐making processes relating to their jobs. Company politics and lack of training and development opportunities were other major sources of stress. Implications for the profession are clear. Internal audit managers should be aware of the job stress inherent in the nature of the work of an internal auditor and take appropriate steps to reduce organizational job stressors rather than face the risk of increased staff job turnover.

In 2007, the Japanese Ministry of Education revised the Education Law to pave the way for the introduction of a teaching license renewal system in 2009. The reform required all teachers to complete at least 30 hours of training in specially tailored university courses as a prerequisite for renewal of their teaching licenses every 10 years. In late 2021, however, the government abruptly announced it was ending the scheme in 2022 in a policy about face reminiscent of the abolition of yutori kyōiku (“education without pressure”) in 2007. This qualitative study aims to examine the background, outline and issues of Japan’s license renewal system in order to understand the reasons for its demise and illustrate the similarities with the yutori kyōiku experiment. Drawing on interview data and reflections from the author’s experiences with the system over 12 years, it looks at some of Japan’s unique training opportunities and, employing examples from other countries, examines what kind of ‘training’ is needed moving forward. It concludes by calling for a widening of the interpretation of ‘training,’ and indeed, the license itself, so as to increase diversity in what is a considerably restrictive employment sector.

The global aging workforce necessitates new approaches in designing work environments to cater to the needs of increasingly age-diverse work groups. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has in reaction outlined that organizations need to provide age-inclusive work environments that support the needs of their multigenerational workforce, to ensure their sustainability and profitability. To capture the age inclusiveness of the work environment, the present study proposes and validates an age-inclusive "environment check" for organizations referred to as the Age-Inclusive Work Environment Instrument (AIWEI), which covers discrimination, inclusion, and development opportunities. We validate the 9-item AIWEI using cross-sectional and multilevel data from 2,892 Swedish workers across 101 workplaces who completed an online survey, using confirmatory factor analyses across young, middle-age, and older workers. Using a nomological approach, we also evaluate the concurrent validity of the AIWEI with a 2-1-1 path analysis. The factor analyses supported a 3-factor model comprising of inclusion, discrimination, and development opportunities, across 3 age groups (i.e., young, middle-age, and older workers). These 3 factors had high Intraclass Coefficient (ICC) scores showing consistency in responding in the workplace. In accordance with the nomological approach, the factors of the AIWEI were linked with Psychosocial Safety Climate, burnout, and engagement, demonstrating concurrent validity for the AIWEI. This new "environment check" provides a way to capture age-inclusive work environments for both younger and older workers, in an age-diverse workforce. In the validation process, age-inclusive work environments were found to exist as a group phenomenon, through shared perceptions within an organization, as well as an individual phenomenon, as experiences specific to an individual. This is important for the development and implementation of policies and strategies designed to benefit workers and organizations.

Studies have suggested that autistic individuals are as much as 30% more likely to receive a cancer diagnosis which may be associated with co-occurring IDD or birth defects. Following a diagnosis of cancer, outcomes have been documented to be significantly worse for autistic individuals. Autistic individuals experience numerous barriers to care across healthcare settings, including a lack of appropriate communication with providers, a lack of accommodating healthcare environments, lack of mental health support, and too few providers who are trained in working with individuals with autism or IDD. This leads to numerous negative health outcomes, including lower likelihood of having a regular source of care, lower satisfaction with healthcare, reduced screening utilization, delays in recognizing early symptoms of disease, higher ED utilization, and anxiety and stress associated with healthcare visits. We report on the results of a recent Medical Oncology provider survey conducted from 10/31/22 - 12/16/22 to evaluate for opportunities to address barriers to care facing individuals with autism and/or IDD. Of the 49 respondents comprised of physicians and nurse practitioners, 93.9% (46) noted receiving five or fewer hours of specific training or education regarding caring for populations with IDD. Additionally, providers cited the following barriers most commonly related to delivery care to patient with IDD: Lack of strategies to enhance communication on site (32, 65.3%), Inadequate time allotted for visits (28, 57.1%), Inadequate staff training and education related to this group (27, 55.1%), Limited resources to support vulnerable or lower socio-economic status populations (22, 44.9%), and Fragmentation of care (19, 38.8%). The Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center and the Jefferson Center for Autism & Neurodiversity have collaborated to develop a culturally competent care design aimed at understanding the needs of our neurodiverse population through a joint research effort. The results of our Medical Oncology provider survey identified the need for training of providers and staff to optimize the patient experience, creation of accessible cancer screenings, and the adoption of an environment that supports the sensory and communication abilities and needs of neurodivergent patients. Providers that adopt best practices in the care of autistic and/or IDD individuals have noted that patients and families report marked improvement in the rating of their patient experience in the visit. The desired product is care plans, appropriate medical settings, and trained providers that will meet the needs of this population and improve overall health outcomes. Citation Format: Avnish K. Bhatia, Alexander Fossi, Brooke L. Goodspeed, Jane Tobias, Christopher McNair, Dwight McBee, Wendy Ross. The conception of an Oncology Neurodiversity Work Group to address cancer disparity for individuals with autism and intellectual or developmental disability (IDD) at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 2 (Clinical Trials and Late-Breaking Research); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(8_Suppl):Abstract nr LB138.