Alright, so you have a new employee. How do you make sure they get off on the right foot? If you have no set stable place to start, let this become your stable datum:

 T-R-A-I-N-I-N-G.

This is absolutely vital to ensuring the person you hired actually does transition into being a productive employee.   Now you may think this is something that you would do only with someone unfamiliar with an area – not so! This is something you do with the guy off the street, the guy who has been doing this same job for the last 10 years AND the guy who has his 4 year University degree.

The right type of training goes beyond just throwing down an employee manual in front of them and walking away.  While you should not overlook ensuring they do read their manual, there are some even more basic steps.

I do recommend that you document what training was done and when for HR files as well as a point of reference for yourself.

First off, where is their office? Where do they sit? How do they get more supplies? Where are the files they will need? What computer do they use? What is the product they are expected to get? What statistics are they responsible for?

Do not overlook the smallest detail and never, never assume or have the mind set of “well, isn’t it obvious?”

Next train them on their position. Take them through all of their duties, step by step.

Consult their understanding and make sure they never go past a word or symbol they don’t understand (the topic of another blog soon to come).  Once they have this down and the above details down, step back and let them do it! Don’t micro-manage, but do make sure you stay on top of the area until you can see, for yourself that there is a positive response in the areas statistics.

If you are not seeing a positive change in the area in 30 days, personally go back into the area, find what part of the training they didn’t understand or was missed.  Next get them really trained up on that trouble area. Get them really up to speed, being able to that action in their sleep!

Before you think of firing that employee who just doesn’t seem to get it, check yourself. Have YOU given him full and complete training on his area?  Is there documentation that he has been trained? If there is any doubts that this person’s training was done fully or completely, get it handled.   If all looks in order and seems to have been correctly done, then one should consider locating someone else who does have the aptitude to take the data they were taught and apply it.

You did it! You landed that perfect position and your first day of the new job is coming up.  With it is all the awkwardness of learning the ropes and crossing your fingers that your co-workers are going to welcome you into “the family.”  So, how do make sure this transition is a success?

 Believe it or not, there is a tried and true method of making these vital first weeks/month a success. In fact it just takes a little communication and 4 little steps.

 1. Find who you would communicate with on a routine basis.

 Is this the receptionist? Your direct boss? Your bosses boss? Your subordinates? The payroll clerk? HR Manager?  This can vary depending upon your role within the organization.  For example, if you are a receptionist, you are probably going to need to communicate with not only all the staff at one point or another, but you are also going to start needing to get into good communication with the clients – especially “the regulars.”    If you’re the finance director, your going to want to find out who the HR Manager, who the CFO is and perhaps who your contact person is at the local bank.

 You may ask “what does find out who you would communication with, mean?” Well, it means just that. Who are you going to need to give information to or get information from on a routine basis? Let’s take the example of the Finance Director, ask the questions:  “Who do I deal with when I need to talk with the bank?” “When I have questions about someone’s time sheet, who in the HR department handles that?”  etc.

 2. Make yourself known to those people.

 Don’t sit around and assume they know who you are. Seek them out. Introduce yourself, tell them your name, what your official job title, what you’re going to produce for the company. Be pro-active in learning who everyone is, starting out with those you will need to deal with on a routine basis. But make sure they know not only your name but your job function as well!

 3. Discover from those people you found in point #1 above what they need and want from you. 

Yep, that’s right; you are the “suggestion department” right now.   This is where you are active in learning what’s expected rather then learning by trial and error; which is really not the way to ensure job security, especially if you are like most people and are under a probationary period.  This is also a way to start establishing a good reputation for yourself – starting on day one.

 This is also the point where you find out from the payroll clerk where and when THEY would like to have your time sheet turned into (just because Joe Schmidt has been there “forever” and he always does it a certain way, this may not be the correct way and thus the accounting department ever-so-innocently, “misplaces” his paycheck and “miraculously” finds it 5 minutes after he leaves on Friday evening).  Find out from the HR Manager what time breaks are taken, from your Boss if he/she wants you to send them a weekly report, does the receptionist want you to let him/her know when you’re leaving the building?  Etc.

 4. DO, PRODUCE, and PRESENT what you found in step 3.

 Don’t just listen to what people need and want, DO IT. Show them you heard and understand by DEMONSTRATING your understanding.  Make sure the boss doesn’t have to chase up your weekly report, make sure your time sheet is exactly how the accounting department asked them to be done and be sure that you get it in when they want it. Become the receptionist favorite person to work for because your calls are so easy to deal with as the people calling in are always given correct information and thus never get upset.

  Getting off on the right foot is vital to creating a long and stable career with any company.  Make sure you stay pro-active in learning the ropes and not become a victim of a frustrated HR Manager because you made every error in the book – and you just walked in the door! 

 Remember, just because in your mind you have arrived, doesn’t mean that you have. Until you do the above your still “non-existant” as far as others are concerned.

 So there you have it, you know what to do now. I’m sure you are going to be a great success!