Article on Leadership Skills:
The article below (and any other article specified on this website) is available for use in your organization’s newsletter or for printed training materials. All we ask is that you include the following acknowledgment with each article you use from this site: Integrating the New Employee“He’ll figure it out…eventually. We all did.” A few months back I did some work for a company that seemed to operate in crisis mode most of the time. They were hard-pressed to find time for me, or for their employees, as I discovered. They were occupied completely by the crisis of the moment with seemingly less emphasis on the future. One of the many problems this operational style created was how to adequately train and orient a new employee, a process which I observed with a particular new employee in one department. When I discussed with the client how they handled new employees, the response was basically, “Yeah, I wish we could do better, but we just don’t have time. We’ll give him a couple hours and then he’ll figure it out, just like the rest of us did.” Obviously, I had my work cut out for me. What’s wrong with this approach? The first 30 to 90 days are a critical time with a new employee. If the person is not well-treated and the company doesn’t seem to have time for them, the odds are good they will not remain in the job. After an organization has invested in recruiting and hiring a new employee, completing some or all of the initial training (not to mention the additional cost of covering those duties while the position is vacant) it only makes sense to protect that investment. The organization has a great deal to gain by making a genuine effort to integrate the new employee and make them feel welcome. An employee’s level of commitment is often determined right from the start by the amount of help and interest shown them in the early days and weeks. Even if you are not totally responsible for new employee orientation for your organization, there are a number of things you can do with and for a new employee working under you. You can help your new person succeed by carefully crafting your own part in the new employee orientation process. Use this newsletter article as a reminder to reconsider whether you are doing all you can do to integrate a new employee and make them a productive part of your organization. Try These Ideas for Your New Employees 1) If you are in charge of a unit and supervise or manage new employees, you should plan to work closely with your Human Resources Department or the person in your organization who is responsible for meeting with new employees to explain various employment, tax, and insurance forms and get their signature. Plan to do more than just what you have to do by law. In most companies someone should be clearly assigned to spend time on the first day explaining the organization’s mission, structure, policies, benefits, and other helpful information. This should be someone who can be pleasant and set a helpful, welcoming climate for the new employee from the first moment. 2) If you are not responsible for this general part of the orientation, make sure you work closely with the person who is. Find out what they cover, so you know how to reinforce and augment the groundwork they have laid. Repetition of key information can be helpful to the new person. 3) Talk to three of your newest employees. Ask them what was helpful in whatever orientation process or briefing they received. Ask them, too, what they now know that could have been included in their own orientation to improve their adjustment. By getting ideas from those who have “been there,” you can improve your own approach. 4) Plan a new employee’s start date on a day when you can be available, if at all possible. You may not have total control over the start date, but do what you can to make a new person a priority in your schedule. If you simply can’t be available, make arrangements for someone else to assist in the key components of the orientation. 5) Develop a structured approach. Make a list of the things you should include: introductions (to whom?), information to share (which? How much?), tours, shadowing of or interviews with other employees, demonstrations, work samples, assigned readings, videos, or anything else that is relevant. Organizations that orient new employees in a hit and miss fashion or simply by using the “What questions do you have?” approach do themselves and the new employee a disservice. 6) Spread the orientation out over several days, or even a few weeks if the job is complex. People can only absorb so much information. If you are trying to be very thorough and helpful you run the risk of making the new employee feel overwhelmed. Thoroughness is good, but examine your pacing. 7) If possible, introduce your new employee to your own manager within the first few days, or ask your boss to make a special point to meet your new employee at a specific time that’s convenient for the boss. This promotes a positive mindset and goodwill with the new employee. 8) Check in frequently with your new employee. This can scarcely be over-emphasized. For the first few days, plan to check in or meet with the new employee several times a day. Encourage them to ask questions. Ask them how they think they are doing. Find out what has been particularly helpful to them. Ask how they like things so far. If there are issues or barriers you can find out about them early on and address them before they have time to discourage your new worker. 9) Can you plan some kind of informal social event for the whole team on one of the new employee’s first days? This may help the teamwork in your unit. It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive—even something as simple as Friday afternoon popcorn, a brown bag lunch, or ordering in together can serve the purpose. Well-done new employee orientation will require your time and attention. If you don’t make the time to do helpful orientations, your turnover is almost certainly higher than it needs to be. Making extra effort in the early days with a new employee will help your organization capitalize on its considerable investment and lay the groundwork for a longer, more productive working relationship. Return to List of Free Articles on Leadership Skills
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