Online Trainings...Putting The "Suck" In "Soul-Sucking"

 Okay, that's a little harsh. It's not completely "soul-sucking," but it was a fun title for a blog post so I kept it. The problem is, it's part of the job.

I have a theory as to why we have so many trainings--the main reason? It cuts down on insurance. I may be wrong, but it makes sense that by having all employees take the same trainings, every year...

Every year...

Every year.

Since this is my 26th year with the organization, I've completed these trainings a lot. I haven't counted them, but there must be 20+ trainings we complete annually. Most are fine...they go over the same stuff, how to treat sensitive information, how to handle an armed intruder, how to deal with fires, what to do and not to do when it comes to harassment. You know, the basics. I don't want to diminish the importance of this knowledge. It's just when you take the same trainings again and again and again...well, it can feel like the dementors and circling and beginning that "soul sucking" thing.

I took a screen shot of one particularly frustrating training I did last week. I was stuck on one question for a long time. I even went back and studied the previous screens, studied the earlier information to make sure I was getting it right. The good news is after all that time I doubt I'm ever going to forget the answers to that question again...

Until we're required to take it next year, that is.

My Learning...There Is No Learning

 I don't know how things used to be done, but I do know how this particular part of employment training is done now.

It's all online.

And we do it year after year after year.

For purely practical reasons, the online training is amazing--I'm sure management loves it. You send out links to every employee and the software tracks each employee to make sure they've completed the training and logs how well they've done if there's a test. It really couldn't be easier. I imagine my employer can show to interested parties that ALL of their employees have completed training on important subjects like emergency situations, harassment at work, and so forth. In addition, all new training and policy updates can be distributed to everyone.

As I see it...there's only one problem.

Repetition.

I've been completing these online trainings for years, so much so, that even though we're only required to do the trainings on an annual basis, it feels like I'm doing the same trainings every couple of months. And the trainings get easier and easier the more times I take them. Doesn't that miss the point?

The trainings show up every couple of months...a few at a time. I try to get them done as soon as I can--I hate having them hang over my head. When I'm done, I get the message that's in the above photo.

My Learning

There is no Learning.

There's probably a message in there somewhere.