Archive - Originally posted on "The Horse's Mouth" - 2009-02-02 15:31:58 - Graham Ellis
We're a training company, and we believe in getting our staff trained. Today, being a quiet day, Chris and Sharon attended a Health and Safety course run by Switch Training in Malmesbury. Chris called in shortly before the start to confirm that he had found the place ... and said he would let me know when they were done for the day; I expected to hear at about half past four.
It wasn't half past four when Chris called - it was shortly after half past one. "Lunch break?" I asked. "No, we're finished" he said; apparently, they had worked through lunch and finished all the material.
At Well House Consultants, we sometimes finish a little early on the last day of a course; instead on 16:30, I finished at around 15:30 last Wednesday at the end of a 3 day course, and on Friday at around 16:00 at the end of a two day course - but having said that, we started between 30 and 60 minutes early each day - I want my delegates to learn thoroughly, to have plenty of time to ask questions, but at the same time I don't want them to have to hang around on the last day when they have long journeys home. There's a fine balance here, and I am very conscious of my duty to their employer (the bill payer) who expects a full course for a full fee.
I, personally, feel slightly disappointed that a course of seven hours was concluded in four. Something that was 'sold' as six hours of teaching cut by a third. I'll let you, the reader, draw your own conclusion as to whether you think my slight disappointment is unreasonable.