By Hannah Whittenly
The lifeblood of a company lies in the quality of its employees. A characteristic of successful entrepreneurs, small and large businesses is that their employees have a passion for their company. These companies build this passion through integrating new talent into their company extremely well.
A company’s success has a lot to do with how well new employees are integrated in. Here is a short guide on how to effectively train new employees, which will ultimately lead to a better working environment.
Winning the Loyalty of New Employees
First impressions are everything. It’s important for management to lead by example when training new employees. If you are going to advise them to be on time, you need to be there ten minutes early. New employees will constantly be evaluating you on every aspect of your demeanor, from how you dress to how you speak. Winning their loyalty means winning their respect, so be on your game.
Senior Mentors Make a Difference
I just recently read about a company in Canada called 20/20 NDT who has an excellent training program in their company. This company does non-destructive inspections of industrial construction using various radiograph instruments. These inspections detect the loss of integrity to structures before they become a problem. Needless to say, this is a complex job that requires a very specific type of training. So how do they do it?
Upon hiring, an employee is assigned a mentor to shadow for the first 3 months of employment in the company. With the mentor, they learn everything they need to know about working on the job. The employee graduates from this status once they pass an evaluation. The opportunities for advancement in the company are given strictly by merit. I think every small business can learn from this model.
Creative Time Gives Way to Brilliance
One of the most important resources to tap into is your employees’ creativity. In them lies so much innovation that could be the start of something very beneficial to your company. This is especially true for new employees who bring fresh views and perspectives to your company.
Google Inc. knows this is true and actually gives an assigned time of the work day for “creative time”. Employees are given time to work on their own innovative projects without the need for company approval. Many ideas you see Google releasing as products now have been born out of this creative time that Google trusts their employees with. Because of this, Google employees feel ownership and give much more to the company.
Inspiring New Employees
As the old saying goes, “They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”. Find out what inspires your team members. What are their short-term and long-term goals? How will you identify them?
Here are a few suggestions to help get more acquainted with your employee’s goals:
- Have them take a business oriented personality test
- Have short, but meaningful conversations about their plans for the future. Look toward their future and help them aim high.
- Find meaningful questions to ask in performance reviews about their work and what drives them to find success.
Teach Strong Work Ethics
Teach new employees not only to work hard, but to go the extra mile. Hard work is one form of intelligence that some have yet to develop. Effective employers help employees find that hard work intelligence. Try giving multiple small goals to the employee. Success will fuel success.
Together Everyone Achieves More
Teach trainees about the value of teamwork. Teamwork fosters a positive work environment and is conducive to production goals. Give a seminar as part of new employee orientation that addresses tips on how to work as a team, such as working for a coworker when they get sick, etc.
These five tips are a helpful guide for new employees as they enter the workforce. Showing interest in your team and teaching good work habits will help them achieve success and, in turn, propel the company to new heights.
Hannah Whittenly is a freelance writer from Sacramento, CA. Most of the time she loves to write about business and family. She regularly interviews small business owners from around the world about their business practices, products, and services.
