How McCormick Builds Skills in the Flow of Work

How do you deliver consistent training across a global manufacturing workforce without losing the human element? McCormick & Company, a global leader in flavor and spice, is tackling that challenge head-on. Regional Training and Development Leader Courtney Johnson Wasylenko explains how structured onboarding, on-the-job learning, and career pathways come together to support growth at scale.

Show Notes:

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko shares a practical, human-centered approach to building skills, confidence, and long-term careers. Her key points include:

• Standardization + flexibility is key: McCormick establishes consistent training frameworks across sites while allowing for local customization to reflect unique equipment, teams, and challenges.
• Onboarding builds both skills and community: A structured five-day onboarding program introduces culture, safety, and quality—while helping new hires form connections that support long-term success.
• Learning happens best on the job: Hands-on training, repetition, and immediate application are prioritized over classroom instruction to improve retention and real-world performance.
• Career pathways drive engagement and retention: Clear, flexible growth paths—including both vertical and lateral movement—help employees see a future within the organization and stay motivated.
• AI is a tool—not a replacement: AI is improving efficiency and access to information, but human oversight, strong content systems, and thoughtful implementation are critical to making it meaningful.

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Transcript

Susan Cort: [00:00:00] How do you scale meaningful hands-on learning across a global workforce? 

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: I want people to go home happy when they leave. At the end of the day, I want them to go home and say, I had a great day at work. My manager had a great developmental conversation with me. I feel good. I want to go back tomorrow. So I think it's a very holistic approach to taking care of people.

Susan Cort: That's Courtney Johnson Wasylenko, Regional Training and Development Leader at McCormick & Company, she joins d’Vinci's Angeline Evans and me to explore how McCormick is rethinking training and career development to better support employees from the first day on the job to long-term growth - next on Powered by Learning.

Announcer: Powered by Learning is brought to you by d’Vinci. Interactive d’Vinci's approach to learning is grounded in 30 years of innovation and expertise. We use proven strategies and leading technology to develop solutions that empower [00:01:00] learners to improve quality and boost performance. Learn more at dvinci.com.

Susan Cort: Joining me today is d’Vinci Client Solutions Consultant Angeline Evans and Courtney Johnson Wasylenko, Regional Training and Development leader at McCormick & Company. Thanks for being a guest on Powered by Learning, Courtney.

Angeline Evans: We are so excited to have you today, Courtney. 

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko:Tthank you so much. I'm really excited to be here with you.

Susan Cort: Courtney, McCormick & Company is such a household name. We all have a little McCormick in our spice cabinet, and your company's been making food taste good for such a long time. Tell people more about McCormick & Company. I'm sure most people don't know the scope of what your company does. 

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: Yeah, so it's a fascinating company, you know, you know us by the spices in your cabinet, of course with the little red caps, but you know, beyond that, you know, we are a global flavor company. So we work with many, many organizations. Um, if, if you are eating something, there's a really good [00:02:00] chance that a McCormick product is in it. So, you know, from the seasoning blends through, you know, flavoring with different organizations. We, we really do flavor everything in, in our lives. 

Susan Cort: And not just in the United States.You've got a global presence. 

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: Yes, absolutely. Multiple countries. Um, and, and different manufacturing and distribution processes. So we truly are a, a global organization. 

Angeline Evans: And tell us a little bit more about your role at McCormick. What do you, what are you involved in? 

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: So, I am responsible for learning and development within the America supply chain.

And my role is really in kind of two halves. I support our site training managers, so I provide the standards for them. I provide direction and support for them to implement training standards within their sites and also for their growth and development as training managers. And then the other half of what I do is a lot of our people programs, so our career development programs, um, setting the standards for [00:03:00] culture and working on, you know, how we drive that.

To the site level and, and down to the technician. So it's a very broad role and it's, it's a new role. So I feel very blessed to be able to kind of step into this and define it and make it, make it a, a role that could really support end-to-end supply chain for the Americas. 

Angeline Evans: That's incredible. So I imagine your, uh, site locations are all across the country then?

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: Yes, yes, multiple, you know, locations. East coast, you know, in the Midwest. We have locations in Mexico and Central America, um, Canada. So we are, we are everywhere. 

Angeline Evans: Yeah, it sounds like it. And I'm sure, so I'm sure there's differences at each location. I'm always curious when folks are in a role like yours, how do you approach consistency when you're training?

You know, 'cause we always wanna be consistent in training. Everyone's getting a similar experience. We have to tailor it, I guess, to the nuances of each site. How do you tackle that? [00:04:00] 

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: Of course, that is absolutely a challenge and every site has. Their own culture, something really special that they do something that's really vibrant about them.

And so regionally we can establish standards for maybe 80%. Uh, we can, we can get you very close to a standardized system, whether it's our Train the Trainer program, or how we do on the job training support. There's a standard template, there's a standard process, but then the sites have to take that and implement it in the way that works best for them.

And that will look similar site to site. So if we have someone who transfers sites, they're going to have a very similar experience. It won't be completely foreign to them, but we also recognize that the workforce is different in different areas. They have different challenges in, in different places. So we allow that little bit of customization within the framework of, of what is the intent of the [00:05:00] standard.

Angeline Evans: Tell me more about your structured training, like the onboarding training and some of that learning on the job. Um, at each site. What's, what sort of modalities do you have and what does that look like? 

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: Yeah, so we bring everyone in through a standard five-day onboarding program, and this is their introduction, our culture.

So we go through, you know, here's McCormick here, our safety principles, our quality principles, what you need to know. To be great on the job, to be safe, to keep quality in mind, and then we move into our ways of working. So, by the end of that first week, I think the magic of our orientation program is really that you're building community with a group of people that is starting with you.

So they're all at the same place. So you kind of go into it with, with some friends, which is nice. And then, you know, once you have the standards, when you get onto the floor during week two, now it's like, I've seen that before. I've heard [00:06:00] that before. And, and they can start to make those connections between like the, the nebulous, you know, thing that we talked about and what they actually need to do in real life.

So when they move into that next week, they start on. The job training. So, they're working with a qualified trainer who's going to take them through the job, and then they're going to really work side by side with them. That is very much hands-on, on the job, very little classroom time, and they're showing them, you know, here's how we do the job.

Here's why we do it. Here's how you fit in, and then here's how you access all of the training resources that you need, or that on the job support that you're going to need when the trainer kind of fades away as they become, um, more competent in, in their role. So you know it, it does look a little different site to site because the equipment's going to be different.

The processes are going to be a little different. So for some of our sites, that training period lasts maybe two to three weeks, and then that employee's pretty good on their [00:07:00] end. But for other equipment, you know, you might see a six month training plan. So that's where the sites really have to know their teams, know their equipment, and understand the processes so that they can develop that training experience that works best for that employee.

Angeline Evans: It sounds like you're really following best practices then. Just making sure your new hires are retaining everything you're giving them 'cause you're not having too much time between. You know, the concepts into practice, right?

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: Absolutely.

Angeline Evans: Yeah, that's wonderful. So you also mentioned that you are building career progression programs.

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: Yes. 

Angeline Evans: What are you seeing as the biggest opportunity when it comes to developing long-term growth pathways in manufacturing roles? 

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: Really, you know, if we go back to why we started it, um, we had questions about what do I do next? You know, where do I go from here? I'm a technician and you know, maybe I know I wanna be a crew leader, a team manager and ops manager.

Like that path is clear, [00:08:00] I think, when you get into operations. 

Angeline Evans: Yeah. 

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: But then when we look at, well, I don't wanna be a crew leader. I wanna develop my technical expertise. I wanna be a subject matter expert. And so we saw that, you know, not only did we need to develop paths for people and show them how you can grow and move.

We need to make it really clear and transparent because some of those conversations weren't necessarily happening, not by anyone's fault, just I think there was, you know, this is the path. That's the path you take. And so as we've developed this program, we really show there is the latter approach, but there's also the lattice approach.

So you can move sideways and, and if you want, you can move sideways into a different department and come back into your original department maybe once you've gained some skills. 

Susan Cort: Mm-hmm. 

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: And then we incorporated development plans so that employees can look at what do I need to grow today to get to the next level?

And what's my five-year plan and what roles do I need to move into [00:09:00] to kind of reach my ultimate goal? 

Angeline Evans: Mm-hmm. 

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: So as we develop this, it's really been about how do we provide employees with the best experience possible and keep them with us because they're growing and they're satisfied and they, they see the long-term career.

And then how do we give them some real transparency around the conversations, like these roles are available. Maybe our site doesn't have the role you wanna move into, but we might be able to find a site that does. Mm-hmm. Or we might be able to give you some developmental opportunities that aren't the official role, but we can build your skillset.

So being able to provide a system that allows for those conversations. And allows for the transparency. And I think that that's, that's the unlock people need to feel good about. I have a career here, I can go places. 

Angeline Evans: Yes. 

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: And it's supported. So, I think that like, that's the culture shift that we're working towards.

How do we build the confidence [00:10:00] for people to, to feel good about being with us and want to stay and also recommend it as, as a great place to work. You know? Cause ultimately people who feel good about their work. Are far more productive. We know that, you know, that's just good business sense. But they're also gonna tell people what a great place, you know, we are.

And so that's gonna build business. So, you know, there's that. And really, I want people to go home happy when they leave. At the end of the day, I want them to go home and say, I had a great day at work. My manager had a great developmental conversation with me. I feel good. I, I want to go back tomorrow. So, I think it's a very holistic approach to taking care of people. 

Susan Cort: I love how the development can shed light for team members on where they may go. Cause not everybody knows, well, here's where I am and here's where I want to go next and here's where I wanna end up. But it sounds like you're really giving them the flexibility to explore things through the your development program.

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: Yeah, we certainly hope so. We definitely want to see it as a very flexible plan. And I think about [00:11:00] sometimes, you know, when we're interviewing and they ask you that question, where do you see yourself in five years? I have no idea. You know, I am, I'm, I'm a full grownup and I still don't know what do I wanna do in five years.

But I feel like we can set a standard that the world is your oyster. You know, like you can have whatever you want if you're willing to put in the work. You know, there's, there's some definite accountability for that employee. There's so much out there and, and we need to make sure that people have access to those opportunities.

Angeline Evans: Thank you so much for sharing more information about that. Hearing about different organizations' growth pathways and career progression is one of my favorite topics to hear folks talk about just because of that human-centered element, everything you just said, and how holistic the approach is because you do, you want them to make, make sure they feel good about their job.

And make sure they can see their future there. And I think that's just incredible. 

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: Mm-hmm. 

Angeline Evans: So there's a shift happening from telling people what to do and giving them access to resources in the [00:12:00] moment of need. So like learning in the flow of work. How are you thinking about it at McCormick and when you design learning that really supports employees in the flow of work, which I'm sure is an even higher demand in your, in the nature of who you're training 'cause they're on the floor.

Talk a little bit about that. 

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: Yeah, of course. We really have worked to remove a lot of the classroom training, the traditional instructor led, whether it's in person or virtual. But we're, we're moving away from that because it's just not realistic to take people off the floor. And it's not sustainable, you know, when you leave that classroom, unless you have an opportunity to apply and practice it immediately, it's not gonna stick.

So how do we make learning stick? How do we make opportunities where people can apply it? And that's where, you know, on the job training. The hands-on. I'm going to show you what to do. I'm going to tell you, and then I'm going to show you, then you are going to do it. And we go through these repetitions. So we build [00:13:00] into our training cycle, seven repetitions.

So, um, between, you know, telling, showing, doing that employee for that task has had multiple times that they've gone through it, seen it, heard it done it. 

Angeline Evans: Mm-hmm. 

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: And then they don't move on until they're comfortable and competent. And so they might, you know, the next day we're gonna move on to maybe a different equipment center, a different area, but we come back, you know, we, we come back to that first, first task that we learned.

So we're kind of continually refreshing the skills and we make sure that when we sign off on training, it's not just you showed me once, I'll check the box. We build in periods of practice into our training plans. So you, you have to continually be able to show and demonstrate that you can perform that skill.

And, and then when that trainer who's moved on, when maybe that employee is working [00:14:00] somewhere by themselves, we provide that in the moment. Job support through job aids, uh, videos. We've really tried to integrate more of the bite-sized learning into the, the processes of training. So I have a task, I need to change labels on a labeler.

I can see a video that shows me just that I'm not looking at end-to-end full line production. I can do it by, by task and just see the steps that I need. 

Angeline Evans: Mm-hmm. 

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: So the videos, uh, digitalizing our, our training content. It wasn't long ago that we, and. I'm sure many organizations have had, you know, the binder of training and SOPs just sitting there, you know, on the line.

And how frustrating is it? You know, let me pull this out, dust it off, flip through the pages till I hope I find what I need. And by then it's like I've wasted so much time. But instead creating a system where things are very searchable, where everything is kind of [00:15:00] very organized with the document management piece.

I'll be honest, you know, document management when it comes to like learning and development, it's not the cute part of what we do. You know, it's not fancy, 

Susan Cort: It's not the spicy part. Yeah. 

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: But it's so, so critical because if you can't access materials, then my system isn't really helpful to people. So that whole system of like, how do we kind of design, help people access it, update it. That's all part of our training systems. So I think we do a lot of work on the back end. We do a lot of work, you know, in, in the shadows to make sure that our employees have what they need and can access it. We're also working on, um, testing out some line bots, so integrating AI to make things even more searchable and more relevant.

So. We're working on a couple different things and, and how we can make, [00:16:00] uh, training relevant. Accessible and meaningful. You know, really, really that's what it's about. 

Angeline Evans: Mm-hmm. 

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: How does it help me in the flow of work? 

Angeline Evans: I'm curious, um, I'm assuming employees probably can't have their cell phones on the floor, or maybe they can, how are you, are there like computer pods set up or if they need to go check a video before they do something like.Is that… 

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: yeah, 

Angeline Evans: the setup. 

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: So we do have computers on the lines, but we also in many of our sites have iPads. 

Angeline Evans: Okay. 

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: They actually do have a device. Um, every employee may not have their own device, but they are accessible so that they're on the lines and we had to go through, you know, testing to make sure that they are appropriate for the environment.

So we, we can't necessarily do that with employee's personal cell phone. 

Angeline Evans: Right, right. 

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: But we, we do control the equipment, um, to make sure it's appropriate for what they need, but also appropriate from like a safety and food safety standpoint. 

Angeline Evans: So I heard you mention AI, and I know, you [00:17:00] know, we're seeing it.

Obviously many organizations are using it for productivity, but we're also seeing it shift to more advanced use cases like avatars and simulations. Can you talk a little bit more about what you're seeing your workforce at McCormick use AI for and how you might see its adoption in the future? 

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: Yeah, absolutely.

So right now I think we're still in the stage where we're kind of moving from using it as a really high-powered Google to starting to use it to help us kind of brainstorm and think things through. And, and do I go to AI and search for things when I probably should be using Google? Absolutely. But then it kind of helps me jumpstart the brainstorming process.

So I think for some of our more creative work, uh, using it to brainstorm, using it to help us take our notes from meetings and give us summaries. So an administrative use of it I think is pretty strong. Where we are, where. I think we [00:18:00] need to get to is using it to help us develop some training. So, and, and I have used it a little bit to, to develop training, um, and it's fine and I'll say it's fine.

It, it meets the need, especially when I have a very quick turnaround. So if someone wants something right away, yeah, I can really enhance my productivity by using ai. 

Angeline Evans: Mm-hmm. 

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: But I think we need to be really careful in what we allow AI to do. So, you know, the avatars, are they helpful? Are they meaningful?

Is it just a talking head? You know, when we're adding those elements, really, like when AI is adding those elements, we as the human need to go back and, and really look and edit and say, this is meaningful. This will help learning. This will support. And maybe we remove things. Maybe we add things, but it can't just be.[00:19:00] 

Hey, AI, create this course for me and then we, we just send it off. It must be AC company, right? With that revision. And I would say the same for, you know, things like the line bot where we're, you know, working on using AI to help people find material that they need right away. It truly is garbage in, garbage out.

If we don't have back to document management, if we don't have great background processes in place, accurate materials, the right things for AI to pull from. It's going to be inaccurate. 

Angeline Evans: Yeah, 

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: so there's a lot of work that goes into the backend and also teaching people how to use it. How do we craft prompts that get us the results we need?

And how do we integrate it into work in a meaningful way? So it's a, it's a journey and it has been a very quick journey. You know, I think about, we talked about, you know, a couple years ago we were talking about AI as this, you know, kind of very 

Susan Cort: like futuristic thing. 

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: Yeah. All of a sudden it's [00:20:00] here and it's here.

We're using it, and so we very quickly also need to help people understand how to use it safely, intelligently, um, and, and really help it work for us. So I think that's the challenge that, that we face is how do we make sure that what we're getting out of AI is meaningful, it's reviewed, it's, it's something that enhances what we do and not replaces it.

Susan Cort: Well said. 

Angeline Evans: Absolutely. We've been hearing more and more people just use the term human in the loop. You really can't just 

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: Yes. 

Angeline Evans: Have it do everything. You'd have to, you have to be connected to it and there's a craft and making sure that it's, you're feeding it the correct information and like you said, the correct prompts.

Um, so hearing you talk today, I mean, clearly people are at the center of what you do and you have a very humanistic approach. How do you shape decisions around training and in innovation, keeping your people at the center? 

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: Yeah, so I constantly have to remind myself who's my audience. And multiple [00:21:00] times I will come back to that because sometimes I'll get going, you know, if I have a stretch of time, I'll just, I'll just get to work and I'll be producing things.

But I have to stop and say, okay, who's my audience? Does this resonate with my audience? And will it matter to them? So I constantly come back to who is at the center of it. And I genuinely love people. I find them fascinating. I find them intriguing. I wanna spend time with them. I wanna learn about them and get to know more.

And I think that that kind of naturally helps shape my view of how we create learning. And I think you've gotta blend the learning science, the brain science, you know, how we know things, work with people and, and what they want, what they're experiencing. 

Angeline Evans: Yes, 

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: I would recommend for anyone in, in any learning field to spend time in the environment of your audience.

See their struggles firsthand. And I have the [00:22:00] benefit of having a strange career, I guess, you know, I've, I've had kind of two careers, so I started out in retail leadership and, well, even before that, my degree in education. And so I had, you know, a, a crisis in my twenties and I was like, I don't know what I wanna do.

But I know that going into the public school system, isn't it. So instead I went into retail and I was like, wow, this is amazing. I get to work with people, I get to teach, I get to train, I get to do all those cool things. And I, I am kind of at heart an operator, so I loved that. And then I got the opportunity to move into a learning and development role.

And I knew I wanted my career to kind of get back to something that was kind of more purely training and development. So I got that opportunity, but my years as an operator have truly helped me to remember what it's like and to be able to put myself in their shoes. You know, when we have people who are up against deadlines from [00:23:00] customers, quality issues, safety issues, um, you know, the calls in the middle of the night to the team managers because something's gone wrong.

Susan Cort: Mm-hmm. 

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: And I'm not saying everyone has to go have a career in operations to get it, but put in the effort to understand your audience, you know, when you're going through that analysis piece, know who you're serving. And, and I'll also say that you have to have the mindset of. I serve that population.

Susan Cort: Mm-hmm. 

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: They don't report to me. They don't need me. You know, I, I am there to serve them. So I think having the concept of who's my audience, what is their world really like, and I'm here to serve them. Those are the things that keep people at the center and keep it human. 

Susan Cort: I think too, when your learners know that you get it, that you've walked in their shoes to a degree, that has to make the learning and the training more meaningful for them.

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: Yes, and I've definitely seen those moments when people find out like the things that I've done that are kind of relevant to what they do, and they're like. Oh, okay, she gets it. [00:24:00] You know, it's always an interesting shift in the relationship. 

Angeline Evans: Yeah. 

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: But it does help to build relationships. That's another piece of it too.

You know, I don't want to be just, you know, someone from corporate, you know, sit sitting at my desk at headquarters. No, like I really truly want to be seen as someone who has empathy for the experiences of other people. Like I want to empathize, I want to, I want to be seen as someone who positions themselves in a place to be support.

You know, that's, that's really what it's all about and relationships are a big piece of that. And trust. 

Angeline Evans: Wise words, Courtney. 

Susan Cort: I know I was thinking the same thing. 

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: Oh, thank you. 

Susan Cort: So many good little soundbites in here, Courtney. I really, really appreciate the conversation and Angeline and I know we'll see you at, uh, upcoming a ATD chapter meetings and we invite you to come back on as a guest on Powered By Learning anytime.

We really enjoyed learning more about you and about your company. 

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: I'd love to. Yeah, this was great. 

Angeline Evans: [00:25:00] Thank you. Thank you so much, Courtney. 

Courtney Johnson Wasylenko: Thank you. 

Susan Cort: My thanks to d’Vinci's Angeline Evans and our guest Courtney Johnson Wasylenko of McCormick & Company for joining me today. If you have an idea for a topic or guest, please reach out to us at PoweredbyLearning@dvinci.com.

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