Perpetual Ruminations

Tuesday

It's interesting how things transgress. Monday we finished training a new employee, and then he tested. The way this works is dictated by the store we work at as eight hours of training then test. If the person fails the test, they have two hours to study and then test again. If they fail the second time, they cannot be a security guard at the store. But, if you look at a previous page in the procedure and policy book, it states that ten hours of training are mandatory for all security guards.

Now, based on this information, the person we trained on Monday should have been tested after two hours, since he had trained for six hours on Thursday of last week. But, the store manager did not test him until shortly before the end of his twelve hours. Yes, he worked for almost twelve hours, not ten. He tested somewhere around eleven hours, not eight, and he did not get a retest, even though he failed. The procedure is clear, test and if the person does not pass, they have two hours more to study and then must test the same day.

What's interesting with this, is the fact that we have to perform by the book. But, the very store that dictates policy did not follow it at all! Of course, the policy is written at the corporate level, and this was a store manager not a corporate manager. But, if I had asked for more time, or tried to veer even an inch from policy, I would have been turned down, and possibly even reprimanded.

Also, at the time of the test, the store manager is suppose to notify our office with the results. At least, that's policy. They never have, but they at least notify me. Rhonda does the training, and also assists with some of the supervisory tasks, as needed. She can relay information to me, make most decisions if I'm not there, and fill in for me if I'm sick or injured. But, even after the test, the store manager did not tell her if this person passed or failed. I worked today and still did not know for sure if it was a pass or fail, and Rhonda worked after me, and she was not notified. It's nice to notify our corporate office, since it's out of state, but I can't do that if no one tells me the results. I finally had to call and ask if the person passed or failed.

It's crazy stuff, and really doesn't make any sense. But, that's the way it goes...