Symptoms and Signs of Employees Who Need Training

In my first year as a clinical student, one of our recommended texts was titled “An Introduction to the Symptoms and Signs of Surgical Diseases” written by Professor Norman L. Browse. The book highlighted what to look out for when patients presented with surgical diseases. It also showed how to make a conclusive diagnosis of surgical diseases.

Subsequently, in my interaction with hospital entrepreneurs and managers (especially when designing training programs for their hospitals), I have come to realize that there are also symptoms and signs exhibited by employees which point towards a “Training-Deficiency”.

Understanding these symptoms and signs will help you decide who needs training, the focal areas of training, the timing of training and the methods of training. Like we have stated in previous posts, training of employees is a necessary prerequisite for maintaining excellence in hospital operations.

There are at least five (5) symptoms of employees who are “Training-Deficient”. Though these symptoms may mimic symptoms of stress, don’t be deceived. It is better to introduce stress management into the training program rather than foregoing training altogether.

1.     Lack of Self confidence

It is common knowledge that when you are skilled at doing something, you exhibit boldness and confidence when faced with related tasks. An employee who lacks a particular skill will exhibit fear when faced with a task that requires the use of that skill. Lack of self confidence may manifest as hesitancy in task performance, delays and avoidance of certain tasks by employees. This may be a pointer to the need to equip that employee with the missing skill (through training).

2.     Low Productivity

Productivity is the rate at which your employee provides services in relation to the number of materials used or the time spent in task performance. A productive Pharmacist for instance, will fill more prescriptions in a given time period than an unproductive one. An unproductive Records Clerk may spend a much longer time looking for patients’ records when compared to a productive clerk. When a previously productive employee consistently shows low productivity, it is probably time for a refresher course.

3.     High Rejects and Low Quality Output

An employee with this symptom may actually be productive, but his output will be full of rejects i.e. faulty outcomes. There will be more mistakes, more excuses and more substandard work. For instance, a doctor with this symptom may send home a patient who is not fit for discharge, or may suture a laceration very poorly leading to readmission. An employee with a constantly poor output will need training to acquire the cutting edge in his/her task performance.

4.     Sloppiness

A sloppy employee produces work that is carelessly or badly done. Sloppiness also means lacking order. Such an employee lacks composure and is tardy. A sloppy employee will frequently display a lack of interest in the job. Sloppiness may also result in high incidence of mistakes and accidents. Another feature of this symptom may be excessive complaints and excuses.

Here, the output may not be the primary problem. Rather, the manner in which the job is done calls for a lot of improvement. An example is a Ward Attendant who does a bad job cleaning the floor. You may need to teach such an employee about universal precaution and disinfection practices.

5.     Negative attitude to work

An employee with this symptom may demonstrate the following signs; lateness, absenteeism, frequent excuses, rudeness, insubordination and irritability. The employee may also be uncooperative with patients and other employees. Don’t be in a hurry to sack such an employee. He/she may just be suffering from “hypo-trainemia” (a gross lack of proper training). An infusion of several doses of training may be the cure.

Finally, it is important to be on the lookout for these symptoms and signs. Ensure you introduce training interventions appropriately. Remember, training is a necessary prerequisite for maintaining excellence in hospital operations. Cheers!