AYR Wellness

Sarah Sidell

Sarah Sidell is the Human Resources and Leadership Training Manager at AYR Wellness Inc., with over 17 years of experience in training and development. She specializes in leadership training, new hire onboarding, and virtual training using platforms like WebEx and Adobe 9.

Through this article, Sidell highlights the importance of implementing comprehensive training and development initiatives to ensure a well-trained and effective workforce. She also emphasizes the need for initiatives like orientation, leadership development, and flexible learning programs to address the varying needs of employees.

My background and passion have been in training and development for the past 17 years. In my current role, I am the Training and Development Manager at AYR Wellness, with a focus on Human Resources and Leadership Development.

Key Initiatives for a Well-Trained and Effective Workforce

To ensure that team members are well-trained and prepared, there are several key initiatives that I believe should be prioritized. Those initiatives include Orientation, regardless of title or position, setting expectations with new employees is critical to retention and growth. Creating a welcoming environment, setting the stage for what good looks like at an organization, sets people up with tools and resources to get them started on their journey from day one. Leadership development is an equally important initiative. Providing opportunities for leaders to learn and apply not only the tactical part of the job but also the human skills required to be a successful leader is time well spent. Providing streamlined orientation day one gets employees started on the right foot. Leadership development allows us to build strong leaders who help drive the business through our people.

“Providing streamlined Orientation Day One, gets employees started on the right foot, Leadership Development allows us to build strong leaders who help drive the business through our people.”

Common workforce challenges

The most common challenge I hear in today’s business landscape is that everyone is being asked to do more with less. With fewer employees, less time, and more work, we have an obligation to provide development opportunities that meet the demands of our workforce. The current development programs at AYR meet the demands of our workforce by being flexible. For example, orientation was designed to meet the varying needs of our employees. Team members can complete orientation on their own (self-paced) or in a group setting (live). I believe that flexibility within development programs is necessary for sustainability.

Successful Training and Development Initiatives

In addition to orientation, we have built Quick Hit videos that highlight sales tips and tricks, allowing our front-line employees to learn at their pace. Following each video is a quick check for understanding as well as additional resources if seasoned team members would like to go beyond the basics. These bite-sized chunks of learning take no more than 10 minutes to complete while providing meaningful content to help drive key performance indicators.

Emerging Technologies in Training and Development

If yes, please explain them. From a training and development perspective, I am most excited about AI capabilities, specifically surrounding script writing and content creation. As a small but mighty T&D team, I look forward to uncovering how we can leverage AI to effectively and efficiently create meaningful content for continuing education.

Advice for peers and Emerging Professionals

This might seem like a no-brainer for new and emerging professionals in the leadership development space; don’t be afraid to try new things and pivot if necessary. Pilot an orientation program and tweak it; if necessary, try different types of technology such as AI, Chat-GPT, or Tik-Tok videos. With new and advanced technology at our fingertips, be open to trying new ways of doing things to meet the needs of a multigenerational workforce.