Employee training is taken very seriously at cannabis management firm, MedMen. In their line of work, state regulations require proof that new employees have reviewed policies and procedures related to their role. MedMen takes this a step further. Not only must employees take quizzes to acknowledge that they understand the material, but they must earn a perfect score of 100%!
Delivering training, administering quizzes and collecting signatures at a rapidly growing company in a fast-paced industry was a challenge. Trainers were constantly traveling between four locations in California and five in New York, according to Training & Development Manager, Charles Britton. This didn’t leave much time for new initiatives, such as expanding the training program.
Realizing this approach would not scale with their business, MedMen considered licensing a learning management system (LMS). But, these systems were very expensive—up to $75k per year. They also lacked document management system (DMS) functionality, too.
In contrast, ENSUR was more affordable than the LMS platforms reviewed. The document management system was right-sized for the young company’s training needs. Of course, ENSUR’s robust document control functionality was something MedMen anticipated needing in the near future for government audits. They felt that an electronic document control system was a significant improvement over a paper-based system. In addition to being easier and quicker to find documents, it would show auditors that the company is rigorous regarding internal processes.
Today, training management and delivery is much more efficient. New employees receive email notifications regarding required training. Instead of Charles maintaining an Excel list and following-up with people individually, the ENSUR document management system automatically sends reminders to employees. It also provides a virtual paper trail of communications, which helps hold busy staff accountable. Reports also show how employees are performing and who needs to complete compliance procedures. Charles is even notified if an employee doesn’t pass a quiz after three attempts!
With DocXellent’s help uploading files, it took MedMen only 1.5 months to set up ENSUR. Almost a year later, the training team has saved a tremendous amount of time delivering trainings—no longer are they required to travel to each location. With the time saved they are focusing on using ENSUR more broadly, such as routing training documents for approval. The vision is to have all training materials, HR memos, new hire documents, and more housed centrally in ENSUR. Security is also a priority. MedMen needs to have control over who accesses documents to provide documentation if the state inquires. As part of the company’s best practices, MedMen wants to ensure all internal documents remain confidential.
If Charles were to set up ENSUR again, one thing he would do differently is, ironically, training. Responding to questions about the training management system, the team trained staff after ENSUR was rolled out. Instead, he recommends training employees before the rollout—if time permits. This would help everyone fully understand how to navigate the system and manage documents right from the start.