How To Get New Employees Off To A Great Start

Published by Mike Michalowicz (Google+)

Hiring and training new employees is not only time-consuming, but is also costly. That’s why, when you bring someone aboard, you should be doing all you can to make it a great start. First impressions go a long way, and if you can get that new hire off to a great start, you will have a much greater chance of having them stick around.

Here are some ways that can help you get your new employees off to a great start:

  • Celebrate their arrival. Most employers have a going-away party, but you need to have a welcome party! This will help set the tone, make them feel special, and give everyone a chance to meet the new team member.
  • Advance notice. Let them know ahead of time if there is anything they should be aware of, such as where to park, your smoking policy, or how to dress. This can help prevent uncomfortable situations from arising.
  • Be prepared. Before they start work, have all the paperwork done. The first day should be about meeting people and getting integrated, not doing paperwork. You should also have the materials in place that they will need to do their job, like business cards.
  • Be there. Greet them as soon as they come in. Then start taking them around for a tour and to meet people. And, in addition to being there, make sure you greet the person by name, and act as if you were eagerly awaiting their arrival. The new employee will not feel very valued if they walk in and have to explain who they are and why they are there.
  • Heads up. Let the new employee know what to expect that day. It is weird enough, starting a new job, but when you add not knowing what to expect, all day, it can make matters worse. Let them know how you see the day playing out.
  • Time matters. Especially on the first day, try to avoid keeping them late. As it is, they have taken in a lot and will need some time to decompress. The last thing they need is to have to put in extra time when they are just starting.
  • Pair up. Trying pairing up the new employee with someone who knows the company well and is a good role model within your business. That way, there will be a dedicated person they can go to, when they have questions. And that buddy can also try to help them feel more at ease, along the way.
  • Go easy. Especially on the first day, avoid information overload. Too much information given to the new employee at once will just overwhelm them. On the first day, keep it simple. You will have plenty of time later for loading your new employee up with information. But the first day is not the time for it.
  • Follow up. At the end of the first day, or week, ask the new employee for feedback to see how they feel about the position, how they are settling in, whether there is anything they need, etc.

Settling In
One of the most important things you can do, to get employees off to a great start, is to give them the proper training they need to do the job you have hired them to do. Many people leave positions because they feel they are not receiving the proper training, which can make someone feel overwhelmed and stressed out.

The more you can do to welcome the employee and make them feel comfortable, the better start they will experience. And that’s a good thing for both your new employee and your business! From giving them a company shirt or hat to throwing a pizza party lunch for their first day, there are many things you can do to help get the ball rolling in a successful direction.

 

By Mike Michalowicz, Author of The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur

Category: Hiring & Firing, Human Resources
Tags: , , , , .
  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jack-Whealan/1175578134 Jack Whealan

    Years ago, I played football.  It was a blast in retrospect and that experience has shaped my life in many ways…. BUT it was an initiation process that bore no kid gloves and very little coddling.  It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done [start your season in early summer voluntarily showing up for workouts at 6pm where you would sprint up a mountain trail repeatedly with a lineman on
    your piggy-back].  I wouldn’t change a thing.

    I disagree with the stated approach to new employees completely.  The process of hiring in
    construction these days [despite the economy] is STILL one of attrition; try 20
    to keep 1.  I could write a book [and someday I might] on the systemic
    issues in the labor market that make the approach listed above about 5x more
    expensive than it has to be.  New employees need to prove to YOU that they
    have the right stuff and there are a thousand ways that people try to mask
    issues that are not only problematic to your company but outright poison.
     Take a slightly rotten egg and put it in the salad…. goodbye salad.

    Take a look at the following video:  http://www.skytopbuilders.net/html/join_us.html

    From the initial contact to the process of filling out a form [it takes 10 minutes] the drop off rate is about 15 to 1.  In fact, people send me hate email about these videos.  Nevertheless, the ones
    that do get through are screened by having them do work up front – they are quizzed
    to see if they read and watched the content intended to screen them.  Eventually they start.

    Of the ones that start, about one in ten has the right minimum tool requirement.  They are given
    a short time to comply – but it’s very easy to tell if they intend to comply in the first couple of days. 

    Here’s the rub when it comes to hiring blue collar workers in a formerly hot economy when dealing with a generation of workers that have been given snack juice boxes and cookies their whole life:  Construction is hard work – most are not tough enough.  Period.  Add to the mix a pervasive sense of rebellion and the notion that “the Man” [that would be me] is an adversary and you have a
    HUGE waste of time in the recruiting department.  I’ve done this for almost 30 years in several
    industries.  I want to build something that is exceptional.  Most Gen-Xers don’t
    have the Jam for construction.   My approach has this in mind – taken right out of “From Good To Great”:

    Be Systematic – have a system in place that is clear and automatic that helps to streamline the process of educating new recruits.  They will waste your precious time.  Don’t let them BECAUSE the time wasters are preventing you from finding the ONE that you need

    Be Quick – don’t make processes that compensate for people’s
    shortcomings.  If they can’t do the job, replace them. by the way, Be Quick… or be Dead!

    Be Targeted – all of this recruiting stuff assumes you know what your Hedgehog Approach is. 
    Huh?  Read “From Good To Great”.  People that don’t fit here – replace

    Get On The Bus – if you have the right people on the bus [ones you don’t have to coddle], the bus can go ANYWHERE!  Yes… I said ANYWHERE.  The Hedgehog approach may yield you are in
    the wrong industry…. Follow the rules and your team will help you get there.  People who are coddled have no grit.  Get them off the bus.  Need more information on this bus
    analogy?  Read “From Good To Great”.

    Have Fun – this sounds like torture.  It’s not and look at it this way:  If the person is not suited for construction [yes, those of us who have been in construction a long time CAN tell], you are
    setting them free to do what they were truly intended to do – seriously.  They belong on another bus… or they need to learn the hard way that you have to earn things.

     

    Note that I’m assuming the reader wants to shed the
    mediocrity that is so typical in the construction industry.  Hiring is a brutal process – like making
    sausages… and as Otto Von Bismark said “It’s a process that is better if not
    watched”.   YET…. the result is totally
    worth it.

    • Tom Leblanc

      I agree with you totally.  I have read the book “From Good to Great” and use it as a reference to many situations in my company.  You are point on.