THE BOSS IS WATCHING--SO WATCH YOUR iPOD.

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Author: Woyke, Elizabeth

LABOR NOTES

Trying to turn out productive workers as efficiently as possible, a few fast-food chains are using iPod video players to train new employees. Pal's Sudden Service, a regional chain with Tennessee and Virginia outlets, started iPod video training in its 20 restaurants in February. "We're looking to expedite the learning process through technology," says Pal's CEO Thom Crosby. Chuck E. Cheese's, the pizza-and-games chain, is a few months into testing the video iPods in one of its Dallas outlets.

Both programs, developed by podTraining, a Flower Mound (Tex.) startup, use short video clips to show new hires how to do their jobs. Unlike video or DVD-based training systems, the iPods can be updated quickly and cheaply by downloading new content. And the portability of the iPod allows training to be done on the job. New Pal's employees practice making the chain's trademark Big Pal burger while watching a video of the process. Other videos address customer service, ethics, and cashier operations.

TJ Schier, president and founder of podTraining, says he is developing more fast-food training videos for the iPod, including troubleshooting segments produced with Coca-Cola to teach workers what to do when a soda machine breaks. He says retailers, banks, and pharmaceutical companies are now asking the company for iPod videos to train clerks and salespeople. At Pal's, the iPod program has shaved a week and a half from new-employee training times, Crosby says, and has created a cool factor that has given a boost to recruitment.

The McGraw-Hill Companies, Copyright 2006

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By Elizabeth Woyke

Edited by Deborah Stead