Training Your Cannabis Employees
Whether you are an existing Licensed Cannabis Operation, a startup or in the process of getting licensed in an emerging State, employee training should always be at the forefront of a Cannabis business.
Employees are inherently the "Gatekeepers of Compliance".
Compliance is automatically built into an employee's job role, whether they are a trimmer, budtender, growhand, lab tech, packager, janitor, or in a management position. Compliance matters at every level and so does employee training.
It is a requirement that employees at a minimum understand the structure they will be operating in, for example which regulations are directly related to their position and performance.
The best way to train employees is to not overwhelm them and the content in which they are trained on is tangible and easy to understand. Comprehensive content is good and beneficial for higher level training, but when it comes to onboarding all levels of employees - simple, clear, and clean is better.
Where is a good place to start?
Develop a strong compliance program for your licensed operation and incorporate the employee training into the program. Once you have created a compliance program, develop the company training.
Some companies hire ancillary businesses who specialize in Cannabis training to help buildout or contribute to their training program and other companies have the actual bandwidth to create their own in-house training. No matter which path your company chooses a few good reminders for training employees are well worth considering.
6 Tips For Training Cannabis Employees
- Have a well-structured training, an outline or a packet for them to follow along and take notes - flow matters.
- Ask employees questions to engage with them during the training, letting them give real life examples in certain areas of the training that applies. Let them participate in the process.
- Add in a few quizzes and awards during the training - it's important to celebrate the wins.
- Ensure there are breaks in between long training days - try not to cram everything in one day. Build it out like a workshop.
- Train employees quarterly on all SOPs, processes, and day-to-day operations. Refreshers are always good for brand new and established employees.
- Weave in leadership and teambuilding exercises to broaden the training experience, building a good team connection.
ICS Consulting specializes in Compliance based services, such as Third-Party State Regulatory Audits, State and Local License Application Support, Technical Writing, Standard Operating Procedures Development, Compliance Operations Training, Employee Retention Solutions, and Employee Onboarding. For more information on how ICS Consulting Service can help your Cannabis Business, book a free 30-minute consult and we'll help you map out your next steps to be successful in the Regulated Cannabis Industry.
