Sparklean Training Procedure
Please double check that you and your trainee have the following training materials before beginning:
Laminated task lists/sheets (backup in case the trainee forgets their binder)
A copy of the training format so you don’t lose track of who should be doing what at each house (available for viewing on the “Shadowing” page of the online training)
The training binder (the trainee should have this with them, please remind them the night before)
A pen and notepad for taking notes
Always start the day with a warm, friendly greeting to your trainee. The goal is to make them feel welcome and comfortable!
Supply Pick-up/Drop-off
During day one and/or day two, have your trainee pick up supplies with you and use this time to get to know them as you prepare for the day. Have your trainee pack everything - just guide them through what to pack and show them where the reminders are posted. They will retain the most information by doing the tasks themselves.
During day three, have your trainee drop off supplies with you. Teach them what regular daily TLC and drop off is first, and then teach them all of the extra tasks for Friday TLC. Again, have your trainee do all the work.
Getting Started
When you arrive at your first house of the day, take a moment to talk to both your trainee and your cleaning partner, introduce them if they haven’t been already, and go over what the day is going to look like. Ask your trainee what their extent of cleaning experience is, and what they’re most excited to learn more about.
Once that has been discussed, you can move on to talking about walkthroughs, why we do them, what we are looking for during them, and what you always make sure to talk about/mention to your partner while doing them. Then, do a walkthrough with them and your cleaning partner. Encourage them to ask questions.
While cleaning: explain everything you’re doing and the process (and why) to the trainee as you are cleaning.
While shadowing: offer advice and corrections as needed. Praise the trainee often for the things they get right and don’t be afraid to speak up and correct anything that isn’t right. Ask questions to get your trainee thinking about what might work better than their current method instead of jumping in right away, but tell them how what you would do if needed.
DAY 1: Before getting started in the kitchen, spend some time getting your trainee familiar with the products that we use for the kitchen/bathrooms. Use open ended questions like, “what do you know about Norwex and Melaleuca/EcoSense?” “what are your experiences with using oven cleaner?” and “what do you know about Barkeeper’s Friend?” to see what they already know about our products.
DAY 2: Before getting started on dusting and vacuuming on day two, spend some time getting your trainee familiar with the vacuum and its attachments, the high duster, and the dust mop.
DAY 3: Give your trainee a rundown on what the day should look like, let them know that you’ll be giving them guidance and direction as you see that they need it, but that this day is for them to demonstrate what they know/have learned. They should be striving to impress you and prove that they can be trusted to clean to our high standard with minimal supervision.
Tips and Tricks for Success
Ask your trainee questions about what they already know about cleaning. This gives you a great idea of the background they’re coming from and what they might already be familiar with and what they might benefit from knowing. Listen well and avoid talking at length about topics they’ve demonstrated being knowledgeable about, this will help them feel both comfortable and trusted.
Always explain the “why” behind what you do, and how you do it. People tend to retain information best when they understand how that information is relevant to them, their job, and their success.
Verbalize EVERYTHING! Never assume that your trainees will have the same “common knowledge” as you. Even if it feels silly or redundant while you do it, I promise you that it isn’t. By verbalizing everything that you’re doing, your thought process, and your reasoning for things, you’re giving your trainee the best foundation for knowing the ins and outs of the job and how to be successful.
Ask your trainee about what they already know and/or what their instinct is for the things you come across. This will give you an opportunity to see what they know so you can minimize talking about things they are already knowledgeable in and also give you a good chance to see if their instincts align with yours and give you an opportunity to explain why yours might be different.
Take frequent breaks to ask your trainee about their understanding of what you’re teaching them. This will give them an opportunity to demonstrate that they’ve been paying attention and ask questions, and it will give you an opportunity to correct or clarify things if it seems that their understanding of what you said doesn’t match what you wanted them to understand. This also helps keep your trainee engaged. You can increase the frequency of those conversations if you feel like your trainee isn’t paying close enough attention.
At the end of each day, ask your trainee if they have any questions and also ask them what the most interesting/helpful things they learned were. By asking them what was the most helpful, most important and/or most interesting, you are helping keep their attention and mindset positive and encouraging them to reflect on what is being taught to increase information retention.
Always give lots of encouragement and praise alongside your corrections or feedback! Knowing that their successes are going to be noticed and acknowledged will help trainees remain positive and start to build trust with you. When people feel like only their failures are noted, it leads them to feeling like perfection is the goal and that nothing else matters. If people know that their successes are seen and appreciated they will be more likely to be able to adopt a true growth mindset where their shortcomings are not failures, but serve to highlight where the next step in their learning journey should be taken.
If your trainee seems very dismissive and uninterested despite trying to keep them engaged or is being rude and disrespectful - express what you’re seeing to them and explain how it is harming their chances for success. If you feel it is necessary, you can ask them if they think they will be able to achieve our standards and if they think this job will be a good fit for them. Let management know immediately if this becomes the case or if you would like additional support with a difficult trainee.