MSV Life holds regular training for its staff across all the hierarchies of the company, combining learning with fun.
Throughout the year, MSV Life employees get technical and on-the-job training, benefit from academic sponsorships, participate in conferences and are invited to attend in-house training sessions specifically developed to tackle issues that arise from surveys the company holds to gauge the work environment.
Besides technical and soft skills training carried out every year, the Learning Through Fun initiative goes back to 2012 when MSV Life held its first one-day teambuilding session for all staff, split into groups for business continuity purposes, at Limestone Heritage. During the same year, an executive management development programme was held over two days.
In October of the following year, a two-day training programme was held in Gozo for senior executives, part of the organisation’s middle tier. The team of 14 staff members were taken to Gozo for an off-site programme of training and team building, coordinated by chief officer of HR and corporate services, Norman Mifsud, and conducted by Mdina Partnership and Jugs.
Participants learnt how to communicate effectively, the difference between leadership and management, the importance of values and beliefs, different behaviours and attitudes and interpersonal relationships. A similar programme was held earlier this year for the rest of the staff, in which 37 employees participated.
“We move out of our premises and incorporate sleepovers in our corporate training as we believe this is most effective in team building because our staff have to live together outside an office environment,” says Mifsud.
“We start off by building their expectations weeks before the actual off-site, like blocking their calendars, meeting them in the boardroom and announcing some of the information, so that they can plan their own shopping and cook for the whole team on the first day. They also have to elect a leader and other roles required during the training. Hence, the actual team building and excitement starts weeks before. We give them no clues on the whole programme, just what they need to know in little doses to make it fun.”
During the last activity, the team was ferried to Gozo where they found hired jeeps waiting for them, which they had to drive to their destination. The event was professionally filmed throughout to serve as a souvenir, as well as to give them the opportunity to learn by seeing what they did objectively.
Besides the actual working sessions, which are conducted in an informal and comfortable environment, there is also the fun element, which includes shopping and cooking, filming, off-road navigating around Gozo at night, looking out for planted clues on the way, rigging a rope at Dwejra Cliffs and zipping down, lip dubbing and geocaching – a sort of treasure hunt using GPS and jeeps and including abseiling and canoeing.
These training sessions were successful and left a positive vibe in all those who attended.
The concept of learning through fun was truly an effective exercise and staff members were back at MSV Life with refreshed vigour, improved focus and team wisdom.