Training and onboarding set the tone for the rest of a new employee’s tenure at your company. Are you doing enough to bring them up to speed? By upgrading your approach to this crucial process, you can develop more productive employees and improve your long-term retention.
After all, the first days on a new job set a critical precedent. You need to develop a healthy foundation for what will hopefully become a long-lasting relationship. Investing the appropriate time and resources in this process can save money and headaches down the road.
Unfortunately, many companies fall short of expectations in this area. While some believe their employers did well with the onboarding process, many new hires have felt unprepared for their expected roles.
This means you can gain a significant competitive advantage by enhancing your training and onboarding procedures. Here are some steps to take to better bring your new hires up to speed:
(Better) Bringing New Hires Up to Speed
Know What You Want to Accomplish
For each incoming hire, determine what you need them to know. Include a specific timeline laying out how you hope their training will progress. This process will help you clarify your goals. At the same time, it will provide a benchmark with which to measure their progress once training begins.
Create a Detailed Onboarding Plan
Once you’ve set your goals, you have a framework for developing a detailed plan. Outline the steps you plan to take with your new hire. Connect the information you want to impart with the methods you will use to deliver it.
Provide Preliminary Materials
You can ease the transition by starting as early as possible. Provide preliminary training materials before your new hire’s start date. They might not be able to jump into them immediately or digest them completely before starting work. But sending the information will give your incoming employee a chance to familiarize themselves with the basics before Day One.
Make It a Team Effort
Don’t limit onboarding and training to the HR department. Include the wider team in the process. Ask your incoming employee’s new coworkers to participate in the effort. At the very least, they can reinforce the formal training with reminders and encouragement. At the same time, other team members can become a friendly source of information if the fresh hire has any questions.
Go in Stages
Try not to overwhelm your new hire. The initial training should provide the information necessary to get started. From there, you can supplement this basic knowledge on an ongoing basis. Delivering the material in chunks lets you start productive work faster and gives the lessons a chance to sink in.
Assign a Mentor
Your new hire will likely have lingering questions, even after the formal training and onboarding process is over. Provide ongoing support by assigning a mentor, a veteran member of their team who can give them continuing guidance and support.
Encourage Back-and-Forth Communication
Training shouldn’t consist of a series of lectures. Yes, you have the information to deliver. But you also want to receive feedback from your incoming employee.
Create a process that nurtures a two-way conversation. Encourage your trainee to ask questions. This will ensure that they fully grasp the information. At the same time, solicit their opinions about the training process itself. That way, you can improve your approach over time.
Looking to Find the Right New Hires for Your Team?
Training and onboarding become much easier when you know you have the right person joining your team. A top recruiter, like Elby Professional Services, can deliver the talent you need to take your company to the next level.
Contact Elby today to learn more.
