What training do office-based staff require?

Posted 3 years ago

We’ve been providing offices with high-quality eLearning for well over a decade now and with over 10,000 UK clients, we know a thing or two about workplace training.

But we understand that figuring out training requirements isn’t always straightforward. What training is mandatory? Do all of my staff need the same training? Do staff in department X require different training? Are just some of the questions that employers may be asking themselves.

We’ve put together the following guide to help you work out which training your office staff may require.

First steps

The first step towards working out training requirements is completing a risk assessment for each job role to identify the risks associated with them. A risk assessment is a legal requirement for all companies with five or more employees.

You should also have a Health & Safety policy that is documented if you have more than five employees. Remember that a policy will only be effective if you and your staff follow it and review it regularly.

Learn more about the basics of Health & Safety in your business with the HSE’s Health & Safety made simple guide.

What training is mandatory?

A good place to start with workplace training is understanding what training courses are mandatory for all office workers.

It’s important to remember that all staff legally require some sort of Health & Safety training but there are more specific courses that staff will also need to complete.

Fire Awareness & Warden training

Alongside ensuring your organisation has an adequate and up to date fire risk assessment, all employees, regardless of their role within a business, should receive adequate fire safety instruction and training from their employer.

Employers are also required to offer specialist Fire Warden training to appointed members of staff.

DSE (Display Screen Equipment) training

DSE Training is a legal requirement for anyone who regularly uses display screen equipment as part of their job.

Manual Handling training

Manual handling training should be provided where your staff are required to do any lifting, lowering, pulling or pushing that carries any level of risk.

Just looking to cover mandatory training? Check out our mandatory training bundle.

Other training considerations for office staff

Other core Health & Safety

There may also be some other Health & Safety training courses that you offer staff depending on the nature of their work, including:

COSHH – Do staff ever work with dangerous substances or chemicals? If staff are regularly working with dangerous substances then you should provide them with instruction, training and information, although it’s not strictly a legal requirement.
Slips, trips and falls – Offices present many slips, trips and falls hazards so providing staff with this training is always a good idea.
First aid – Every workplace requires ‘adequate and appropriate’ first aid provisions including equipment, facilities and personnel. What is ‘adequate and appropriate’ will depend on the business itself. First aiders should be adequately trained, with face-to-face training being carried out once every three years, with regular refresher training in between.
Risk assessments – Every workplace with over 5 staff is required to document its risk assessments. Those carrying out risk assessments must be competent in assessing risks.
Accident reporting – as an employer, it’s a legal requirement to report all incidents, no matter how big or small. The appointed person must understand how to report an accident properly.

Data security

It’s likely that a lot of your office based staff will be working with data and computers/smart devices on a daily basis. With data protection laws ramping up and cyber criminals becoming more prevalent and dangerous in recent years, it makes total sense for you to provide staff with relevant training. We recommend that you give staff GDPR (or the equivalent for your territory) awareness and Cyber Security Awareness training as a bare minimum.

Bribery and corruption

Some, or even many of your staff will be dealing with external suppliers, clients and other partners on a regular basis and could fall victim to bribery and/or corruption. Some people get caught up with bribery and corruption without even realising. Staff who may be more susceptible are:

Sales staff and other similar client facing staff
Accounts and finance departments
Senior figures and officials within an organisation

Diversity & inclusion

The UK becomes more culturally diverse each year and as such, so do workplaces. Workplaces that are more diverse and inclusive see an increase in morale, better staff retention and improved company reputation. It’s a great idea to provide your staff with diversity and inclusion related courses such as EDI training and Disability Awareness training.

Mental Health & Wellbeing

Stress, depression or anxiety account for 55% of all working days lost due to work-related ill health. Prioritising staff mental health and wellbeing should be high up the agenda for forward thinking businesses.

Soft skills

Soft skills are becoming increasingly important in the modern workplace and 93% of employers say that Soft Skills are now either an “essential” or “very important” factor in hiring decisions (Study from Wonderlic). Some key soft skills include:

Looking for high-quality, cost-effective training?

iHasco supports over 10,000 UK clients with high quality training that doesn’t cost the earth. With over 130 eLearning courses, an easy-to-use Learning Management System and unrivalled support, sorting your workplace training has never been easier.

Why not get started today with instant access to our entire course library? Or if you’re ready to get started, request a quote today and we’ll be in touch within the hour.