| If you want to keep good
employees, you’ve got to start them off with a good training program.It took
you six weeks to find that ideal person for that highly sensitive customer service job,
but before you start patting yourself on the back, ask yourself this question: “Do I
have a training program for new employees?” If the answer is “No,”
don’t be surprised if you find yourself conducting yet another exhausting search much
sooner than you’d like.
A proper training program, even a simple and
informal one, gives your new employees the best possible chance at success. It’s also
the best way to make them feel good about their job, and your company. New employees will
usually make up their minds about whether they’re going to stay with a company within
their first 30 to 90 days on the job.
To maximize the chances of your new hire doing a
good job and sticking with your company for the long haul, simple procedures are available
for even those small businesses that have neither the resources nor the money to devote to
formal training programs. Here are recommendations from some of our clients who have
implemented training programs as part of their new employee orientation.
| New employees often feel
overwhelmed-swamped with work, unsure about what to do first and afraid to ask. |
Make a list of
the key points of the job. These are things that are the most critical before your new
employee begins. Make sure someone covers these points with a new hire because otherwise
important duties will fall through the cracks. The list not need be a long or a detailed
explanation. It should be a checklist to which you and the worker can both refer,
especially in the first few weeks of the job.
Choose your best worker to spend one-on-one
time with the new employee. Select the most qualified individual. This is the employee
who knows the job the best, rather than someone who just happens to be available.
Provide new employees with generous feedback -
both on what they are doing right and what they are doing wrong.
Establish a sequence for the training. Even
if it’s only a one day program, set aside specific blocks of time for each task so
that the worker receives at least some exposure to each element of their job.
Set a series of goals. A training program
for new hires must include sales goals as well as meeting and exceeding customer service
expectations.
Monitor the new worker’s performance. During
the first few weeks and days of the job, ensure that the job is being done correctly. Tell
the new hire you will be monitoring their work. Some of our clients require new hires to
demonstrate that they can execute functions early in their employment. They do
performance reviews
every month for the first 90 days of employment. By then, they get a pretty good idea of
weather or not they want to keep the new hire. Always hire on a 90 day probationary basis.
This way, the worker can be replaced with ease.
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