When it comes to creating an amazing staff and improving employee engagement, it's all about on-boarding new employees. It's much easier to get started on the right foot than to redirect and encourage an employee who was never properly oriented.
Poor orientation or on-boarding results in employee burnout and, as a result, a lack of productivity in your small business. What can you do to prevent this problem? Avoid making the following employee on-boarding mistakes.
1. Failing to Plan
We've all heard the phrase, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." It's never truer than in the case of employee on-boarding. You simply can't have a successful on-boarding experience without adequate planning.
To avoid poor orientation or on-boarding with each new hire, consider putting these steps into action:
- Establish specific goals you want to accomplish with employee on-boarding;
- Determine what knowledge and tools new hires will need to effectively do their jobs;
- Decide what type of training fits best within your company and helps achieve your goals;
- Schedule regular training sessions for the first year -- don't quit after the initial orientation.
2. Moving too Quickly
Many small businesses are guilty of rushing new hires through the on-boarding process because they're desperate for workers who can contribute to daily tasks right away. They believe that as long as new employees gain some basic knowledge, the rest can be taught on an as-needed basis -- sort of a learn-as-you-go philosophy.
The problem with this idea lies in the inability of staff members to pick up on every necessary detail. With no other direction available, new hires begin to follow the path of current employees, which may not always be correct. It's much more efficient to onboard slowly in the beginning than it is to correct bad habits.
3. Training Inadequately
Training is perhaps the most crucial element of employee on-boarding. Of course introducing new hires to the culture of your company is important, but inadequate training leads to discontentment and other issues that become problems for your human resources department down the road.
Instead of seeking HR solutions after the fact, begin with the right training methods. How? By assessing your new employees' needs, the roles they have been hired for, and their existing knowledge and experience levels and aligning those attributes with your goals.
4. Neglecting Proper Follow-Up
Small business success boils down to employee relations. If your staff members are happy, they're more productive. And that means more revenue for your business.
One way to make sure employees remain enthusiastic about your company is to continue the on-boarding process for the entire first year of employment. Obviously, you won't be training during this whole time, but you want to have regular follow-up meetings to see how things are progressing and to iron out any issues.
Provide continuous support and additional training as needed. Doing this shows employees you care and helps them grow in their positions.
Margaret Jacoby, SPHR, is the founder and president of MJ Management Solutions, a human resources consulting firm that provides small businesses with a wide range of virtual and onsite HR solutions to meet their immediate and long-term needs. From ensuring legal compliance to writing customized employee handbooks to conducting sexual harassment training, businesses depend on our expertise and cost-effective human resources services to help them thrive. This article first appeared on the MJ Management Solutions blog.