What My Work Day Ideal Work Day Would Be Like

¶ … Life:

Head of training and development at a medium-sized software company

8:30 AM: I arrive bright and early to check my email and review my schedule for the day.

9:00 AM: The day begins with a staff meeting. We review the training schedule for the new recruits and go over the materials to ensure they meet the company's objectives. The atmosphere is relaxed and congenial over coffee and bagels. Everyone is excited to talk about the new orientation program which we have worked hard to design to meet the goals of various department heads. We feel confident that it will better enable the company to meet its recruitment and retention goals. Then I meet with several department heads to better define specific projects and objectives.

11:00 AM: Of course, training isn't confined to new employees. I meet with the director of sales who has some concerns about slumping figures. We discuss a new approach to marketing one of the company's core products. We need to retrain the staff to better communicate the advantages of using the project for potential customers. I feel gratified that my input as a trainer is so important regarding the company's bottom line.

12:00 PM: The upcoming week is going to be very busy, given that my time is going to be devoted to training the new employees and implementing the new orientation package. I review the inventory of the materials to make sure we have everything that is needed, check to make sure the necessary rooms are booked, and confirm that the needed staff members are available who will be giving lectures.

12:30 PM: I meet with an outside salesperson in the lunchroom who is trying to sell me a supplemental package of training materials for the new computer system to which the company is transitioning. It is a rather expensive system. I think it is worth it, but I will need to discuss it with the financial staff to ensure we can afford it. I feel confident they will trust my words and understand that the costs of poorly trained employees will outweigh the costs of the initial investment.

1:00 PM: Finally, I get a chance to have lunch. Today, we've ordered in some fancy thin-crust pizza from a local Italian place. It's a nice chance to sit and talk with my friends. The company is medium-sized, so people from every department and at every level of the organizational hierarchy mingle and chat in an equitable fashion in the lunchroom.