NEW HIRE ORIENTATION

I Don’t Need to Know That -- NEW HIRE ORIENTATION

I was laughing the other day at how some companies do orientations.  They believe that it is mission critical to tell the new employee how the company started in 1865.  Now you may work for one of those companies and if you do, there obviously is a reason they set up the introduction to their company the way they do.

My opinion is that new employees are working TODAY, not in the past.  They want to know what is in it for them in the future.  So, that is where we should be as well.  As you think about the journey of a new employee.  They interview, they start and based on the beginning, it determines the end.  What I mean by that is we should not have anything in our introduction to the employee that does not help them become successful.

START WITH THE END IN MIND

Every time I do an orientation with a new employee, I take something they said in the interview and I project that into the future as big as it can be.  My role is to then paint a verbal picture so that the new employee can see themselves accomplishing it even bigger than they dreamed they could.  WHY?  Because when they do that, you will have an employee that is focused on not only them, but also ensuring that all they do is for the good of your business.

USE EXAMPLES ON HOW THEY CAN SUCCEED

Every company that I have worked with or for has a set of rules that explain to an associate the things they should not do.  I love when I can convince a company to set up rules an associate should do.  It takes the process and makes everything a positive.  Some examples of the ones I have used in the past:  (now of course labor laws might impact some of these, but go with me on the thought process) 

·         Show up to work 10 minutes early

·         Work 5 minutes longer than your boss

·         Take a lunch break, but never take the entire break

·         Work faster than anyone expects you to

·         Be positive and happy all the time (remind them they have a job and some people don’t)

You get the idea.  No reason to make it all the things people shouldn’t do. 

SET CLEAR EXPECTATIONS AND TIMELINES

So many times, I hear employees say, “I didn’t know that”, “When did they say that”, “If I would have known that, then I would have done it”.  Any time you have expectations or a timeline, put it in writing and have them sign for it.  I know that this sounds elementary, but trust me they will thank you for taking the time to explain and for giving it to them in writing.  One time, I set some expectations, and when they were not done, I approached the 3 people that were in the orientation.  I asked them why they had not done what I had asked, and each one of them told me that when they discussed it, they were not clear what or when I had asked it to be done.  Lesson learned, put it in writing.

MAKE PROMISES ABOUT YOUR ENGAGEMENT

If you are the manager for the new employees, make sure that you have “skin in the game”.  You need to ensure that they know that you are as bought in to their success as they are.  People tend to work much harder for you when they know how much you care.  Teddy Roosevelt said this and it is still accurate today.  Have you ever noticed how much harder you try when you know that someone is counting on you and working just as hard as you are?  Try it; it will make a difference in your life and your business.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST

Make sure that within the first 5 days that the new employee is on the job that you pull up with them, answer any questions, reinforce any major messages, and give them positive feedback on the awesome job they are doing.  Next we are going to talk about formal performance reviews, and the power they can have when you catch people doing something right.  If you have missed any of our articles, catch up here.