Yesterday, we reviewed some questions about OSHA training requirements. Today, we look at two other issues—one involving weekend training and the other about how trainers come across to trainees.
Q. Can we require an exempt employee to attend a weekend training that is vital to the employee’s job? The training is on a Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. We’ve given more than a month’s notice, but the employee says that she cannot find child care for those 2 days.
A. According to BLR editors, there is no federal law that would prohibit an employer from requiring an exempt employee to attend a training session over a weekend, especially where training is necessary for the employee to perform the job.
However, the company should consider any union contract, individual employment contract, or policy regarding hours of employment that might restrict its right to require this employee to work the extra hours.
In addition, this employee should not be singled out for treatment that is different from that of other employees in the same situation or job. Disparate treatment could result in claims of discrimination.
The fact that the employee was given a month’s notice means that she had time to make childcare arrangements. If the company intends to terminate the employee in the event she refuses to attend the training, it might be a good idea to let her know that refusal to attend would result in termination.
It might also be a good idea to consult an employment attorney for specific legal advice if the company has concerns about discrimination charges or its rights to require the weekend training in your state.
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Q. What do trainer’s hand gestures say about them as training facilitators?
A. Hand gestures can build trainers’ credibility during training—or damage it, says Carol Kinsey Gorman, Ph.D., a keynote speaker, executive coach, and author or several books, including Nonverbal Advantage: Secrets and Science of Body Language at Work (www.CKG.com).
Here are some of Gorman’s suggestions for trainers:
- Keep your hands visible, not in your pockets, behind your back, or behind the podium. If you don’t keep your hands where the audience can see them, people will perceive you as being untrustworthy.
- Keep palms facing up at a 45-degree angle. This is a sign of candor and openness.
- Avoid hand gestures such as finger pointing (which gives the impression you are scolding someone), putting your hands on your hips (which communicates defiance), and talking with palms face down (which is a controlling signal).
If a trainer is "authentic" in his or her approach, appropriate hand gestures will come naturally, Gorman says. "Authentic gestures begin split seconds before the words that accompany them. They will either precede the word or will be coincident with the word, but will never come after the word."
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