Helping New Employees Become Productive
Employees who receive good induction and orientation are generally more productive, more quickly, because they know more about the company and their role in it. Read on for some practical tips on how to help get your new hires become star employees.
Before they arrive
Check all the equipment they need is in place. Make sure their work area and computer are set up. Print business cards for them if possible. Share with the employee any information you can such as company reports, marketing materials or other documentation. Ask them to get familiar with the company website, LinkedIn page, and other web media used by the company. Send them an agenda for the induction training and a plan for their first 90 days in the company. You can see a checklist for induction training on the AAA website here Arrange for them to shadow an employee doing the same or a similar role for the first two weeks at least to learn the basics.
The first day
This is the most important day of their employment. It will set the tone for the rest of their career with your company. It is really important to make the new employee feel welcome. The boss of the company or the head of the department should physically greet the new employee. This is a great way to let the person know that they are important to the team. Introduce them in person to everyone in the internal team in which they will work.
The activities the employee participates in on their first day should match their job from day one. If they are in customer service, get them on the phone with a customer; if they are in marketing, help them to make an update on the company facebook page. Completing a real task right from day one will help them to feel a part of the company and commitment to the job. And it gives them something to tell people about when they go home in the evening. At the end of the day, have a short debriefing with the boss or manager to make sure that the employee had a good day. That shows that you care about them and you want to hear their opinions.
How to make a 90 day plan for your new employee
New employees generally need a lot of attention, and sometimes you will have other things you need to complete. So set up a 90 day plan for them with clear objectives so that they can work independently when others are busy. This will help the new employee to feel more comfortable and confident in the role early on in their career with your company.
Set goals for week one; week two (15 days); 45 days; 90 days. These can be professional goals relevant to the actual work the new hire will be going, or they can be personal regarding familiarisation with the organisation, contacts made, etc. As part of the 90 day plan ask the new employee to keep a reflection journal. New employees, particularly those at more senior levels, provide the opportunity for a valuable fresh look at the business. Ask them for their thoughts to help your company learn and grow.
Week one
This should include familiarization with the key tools, software, and processes for the job. It should also include becoming familiar with the work of other people who are associated with this job, such as key internal support people, key customers or suppliers, and others with whom the employee will need to collaborate. There should be clear goals for week one.
As with day one, aim to get them completing real, low-risk tasks to help the new employee feel like they are making a contribution and are a part of the team. At the end of week one ask the employee to share their journal notes on the first week in the company. This should be done by the employee’s manager and the head of the department, or the boss of the company.
Week two
At the end of week two ask the employee make sure you sit down for a one-to-one conversation with the new employee. Check in with them regarding the goals that you set at the start for their orientation. Also ask for their feedback on the orientation process. This can help you to improve it for next time. This is also a good time to get their first impressions on the role; the company; what it does; and how it does it. This may be valuable feedback for you and your team. You can start setting a combination of smaller and larger projects during week two.
45 day follow up
HR industry studies show that a significant amount of staff turnover – as high as 20 percent – typically occurs in the first 45 days of employment. So this is a great time to sit down with the new hire not only to assess their familiarity with the organization and their role but also to see how happy they are. You can assess their performance to this point on some of the shorter projects you assigned while also talking to them about their ideas for the bigger projects you hired them for. This meeting could go a long way in retaining the employee.
90 day follow up
At this point the employee should be familiar with key work in their role and how to get things done in the company. You should also have seen completion of some of the smaller goals and real progress on the larger goals. This will help you to assess the employee for their probation review and to help you decide if you will offer the employee a permanent position.
For help with making a 90 day plan for your new employees, please contact us at: info@aaa.com.kh