The point is that bathrooms should be checked often, and that question misses the point. Using play and years of research as guideposts, Schank has pinpointed a list of must-do's for successful training. Trainers are real-life hourly employees who are likely to keep working with new employees even after the training is over. They get the lesson across through interaction and repetition, and encourage mistakes. At the end, employees are tested on what they can do, not on what they know.
Technology plays a supporting role.
Above all, learning a new job is fun. As is the case at Bennigan's, hourly employees do the training at Dobbs Foodservice. When the Memphis, Tenn.-based airline caterer revamped its training program 10 years ago, it certified 700 hourly employees as Subject Matter Experts, or SMEs, in Dobbs parlance. While they're not paid more, SMEs get lots of attention and acclaim, says Wayne Shannon, vice president of training culture at Dobbs. SMEs travel around the country to open new flight kitchens and conduct initial and follow-up training at their base kitchens as well.