We recently worked jointly with HR to "revamp" our orientation program.  Our orientation for professional support staff is broken down into two components - records training/education with the records department and application training with our IT department.  Since we are a multi-office firm, the records manager/supervisor in each office meets with new hires during their orientation period.  We have pre-established criteria that each office is expected to cover, and I can share that if you'd like.  Since we have a limited time with new hires, such as what services the records departments offer, what they should be sending to records, the difference between an official file and working file (and why it matters to distinguish between the two), and address those areas that are particularly risk management sensitive (file transfers, destructions, etc.).  We have a complete set of records polices and procedures on our intranet page and make them aware that it is available for a resource.

Each records manager/supervisor then continues to follow up on a periodic basis for a few months after the new hire is on board to make sure they are getting the support they need.  It is also important to work with the professional support staff managers to make sure they are also enforcing the importance of good records management.  It's also important to remember that while orientation is important, your message needs to continue to be reinforced.  Our records managers/supervisors periodically attend support staff meetings to discuss particular records issues, or to engage in a question/answer session.

As far as incoming associates, it's a bit more difficult.  Generally, the attorneys arrive and receive brief orientation and are already consumed with work within minutes of arriving.  The same orientation guidelines outlined above apply, but often times, our orientation time is cut short or eliminated altogether and we need to, as records department managers/supervisors take a more proactive approach when dealing with these situations.  Most of the time, effective training with the support staff "trickles upward."

Leigh Isaacs | Firmwide Records Manager | HellerEhrmanLLP | 1717 Rhode Island Avenue, NW | Washington, DC 20036
tel: +1.202.912.2131 | fax: +1.202.912.2020 | email: [log in to unmask] | web: www.hellerehrman.com

                                                             


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