HELP!!! Training/Testing/Performance

tfevergrn

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 11-02-01 AT 10:05AM (CST)[/font][p]We have employees who are not stepping up to the plate with learning required government programs for qualifying applicants for residency in apartment complexes. Most employees have been employed with us past their orientation period and we have provided in-house training on many occasions. Our most recent round table training was very disappointing as we provided them with our own test and no one passed it. Not conducting the government programs correctly, accurately and following the required procedures will lose us tens of thousands of dollars per unit, per year.

What we want to do is put the employees on notice that we are bringing in a special firm to provide an additional official course of training which each employee will be required to take and pass it successfully, along with passing the final exam. Failure to do so will be grounds for immediate termination.

Does anyone see any problem with this? I need to know ASAP......

Gillian

Well, this will test how well I remember my test development experience from the past. No, I don't see any problem with what you propose to do, provided that the test that is given actually measures the requirements for the job. A non-technical way of looking at that is - Will the people who pass the test do well on the technical aspects of the job and will those who don't, not do well? If so, then the test will probably meet the standards of validity which will be required if the test is challenged. A challenge may occur if there is a discrimination charge filed when you terminate based on test performance. At that point you may have to prove the validity of the test and that will require more than just your thinking that it does. You should make sure that the test is based on a job analysis and there is a clear, documented relationship between the knowledge, skills and abilities for which you are testing and the items on the test. Particular attention should be placed on the pass point - can you prove that a score of 75 will mean success on the job while 69 won't?

E-Mail me if you want to discuss this some more - [email]shugh@westernu.edu[/email]

Theresa Gegen TX

The only problem I can see is if the test is somehow biased against certain groups. You will probably recall that in the past there has been lots of media attention on how intelligence and appitude tests were biased against minorities.

If the test is focused on the specific items the employees need to know, then I don't think you will have a problem. But if you are seeing that a lot of a certain group of employees (by race, gender, age, etc) are failing the test, then you may need to have the firm redesign the test and let the people retake the test.

One thing you also might want to consider is reviewing and updating job descriptions of employees, so that you can be sure that this knowledge is needed by all of them.

And, it seems that immediate termination upon failing a portion of the test may be a bit harsh. You may want to consider allowing an employee a chance to relearn and retest, then fire them if they don't pass the second time. You might have lots of employees who haven't been in school or tested for a long time. Therefore, you may want to be a bit more flexible.

Good Luck!!