Create a training manual

Putting together a training manual for a new employee doesn't have to be difficult.

At Offhaus Farms, in Batavia, N.Y., the old manual for the calf operation — hand-written in a spiral notebook — had not been updated with the latest management changes. So, when calf manager Pam Sojda needed to train an employee with a non-farm background, she decided to go one step better.

Instead of re-writing the manual, she simply revised it with type-written duties, a job description and standard operating procedures for the calf operation, along with pertinent articles saved from magazines and other information sources.

The articles reinforce the hands-on training provided to new employees. And since everything is in a three-ring binder, whenever she finds an article of interest she can easily insert it into the proper place.

Submitted by Pam Sojda, Offhaus Farms, Inc.

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