Training the trainer – what managers need to know about rolling out HomeSafe

12th July 2018

My name is Edward Sarasketa and I’m the Rochester Plastics Recovery Facility Manager and I’ve been rolling out HomeSafe to my staff.

The first thing I would like to say is that I have had some great feedback from the staff as they’ve gone through the first 4 modules. This does work, it is fun for them and it is generating real discussion and an influx of ideas.

However, this only happens if you are prepared. I can’t stress enough to you how important it is to be prepared. If you are just experiencing your first facilitator training session or just finished it, then practice each module. Train your Work Place Coaches during these practice sessions, learn your mistakes in that environment so that you are prepared and professional when you deliver this to your staff. Also, don’t forget that your second facilitator session is about delivering modules to your peers and to the HomeSafe team, you want to be ready for that, trust me.

You will need to persevere. Not everything goes to plan! Translated materials can arrive late, by one week in my case. Cleaners can take the key to the office that you’re storing your projector in by accident (yep, that did happen). And your interpreter can be delayed by an hour and a half because of an accident, and this all happened to me in one week! But by knowing your modules, being confident in your approach and by having trained your Work Place Coaches, you can overcome pretty much any obstacle.

Feedback has been positive, and it has come from third parties as they’ve overheard staff discussing how enjoyable and beneficial they’ve found it. When information comes back from third parties, you know it’s real. So, it is worth that effort you’re putting in, you will get it back in spades.

Lastly, enjoy it. It does take up a lot of your time but watching your staff experience that light bulb moment is rewarding.