On Boarding - How To Bring New Employees Into Your Team

Creating an effective On-Boarding plan is not difficult, nor does it have to be elaborate. The main point is to number one, have a plan and number two, use it.

Below are some points to include in your On-Boarding plan, you can add whatever you think will help make a new employee feel like a part of the team and to start the road to productivity.

One of the greatest advantages of On-Boarding is your opportunity to proactively retain your employees and minimize team member turnover. Start building that trust and loyalty from day one and you can create a team that will stick around even when times get tough.

Some things you can do to immediately start building a long lasting relationship:

• Have a team lunch to welcome your new hire to the group. This will give your new team member the opportunity to meet everyone in a casual setting before getting right into the training process.
• Have a one on one lunch or coffee with your new team member. Spending some quality time at the beginning will help accelerate the relationship building and start the road to loyalty and trust. You’d be amazed at how many business owners never get to know their employees, yet are surprised when they leave for another job.
• Assign a mentor. Assigning one of your veteran or top employees to mentor the new hire has a two fold affect; The new team member now has a confidant, someone they can turn to, while the veteran employee gets empowered with the responsibility of helping to train new employees.
• Give a token of appreciation. A small welcome gift that is meaningful and related to the business can be a nice gesture that they are now part of the team.

Be Clear In Setting Expectations

If you want to be a successful business owner, you will need to become really good at setting expectations for your team members. Many a business owner has closed their business because of the frustrations in managing others. Communication is key to great employee relations.

For the same reasons you set customer expectations to ensure their loyalty, you need to set employee expectations so they know what you expect from them, and what they should expect from you.

• Spend the first day or two orientating, not training your new employee. Tell stories. Tell stories about why you conduct business the way you do. Give examples of the high standards you and your team have set for the business. Talk about customer success stories and examples of why you are such a great business. The last thing a new team member wants to do is ruin a great reputation.
• Explain to them how you and the rest of the team hold each other accountable. I like to tell new hires that my team members often call me out (the owner) when I fail to live up to the teams expectations. Be crystal clear in the importance the team takes in everyone pulling their weight. I have lost a few new hires during this stage as they realized we meant business and they knew they couldn’t live up to our expectations. Better now than later.
• As the business owner, you should tell them “Your Story“. How many of your employees know how and why you started your business? What the motivation is that drives you? You should be telling all of your employees why you do what you do. I find that when your team knows how much you go through as a business owner (they have no idea), they will try their best not to let you down.
• Perform frequent follow ups during the first few weeks. The best way to re-enforce good behavior and cut out bad is to give frequent feedback on performance. Your new employee will be looking for validation for their performance, be sure to give it to them.

Providing your employees with an Employee Handbook protects your business, as well as educates your employees on what you expect of them, and what they should expect of you as their employer. It does not have to be long, but it should cover enough so that it will serve as a reference for your new employee and answer their most common questions.

Some of the basic information it should contain:

• Employment Practices (Complaint Procedures, Emergency Closings, Immigration Law Compliance, Outside Employment, Workers Compensation Policy, Performance Appraisal System, Promotions and Transfers, Corrective Actions, Extensive Medical Leave, etc).
• Employee Responsibilities (Dress Code and Appearance, Standard for Conduct, Communication and Information Systems, Facility Security, Attendance and Coverage Procedures, Confidentiality, Drugs, Employee Conduct and Work Rules, Personal Property, Safety, etc)
• Compensation and Benefits (Payroll Procedures, Hours of Work, Scheduled Breaks, Overtime, Insurance and Benefits, etc)
• Time Off (Funeral Leave, Holidays, Jury Duty, Vacation, Sick and Personal Time)

Spend time going over your employee handbook with your new employee and answer any questions they have. There are other elements that should be included in your employee handbook but the above should serve as a base to answer questions and to help clarify procedures should a conflict ever arise. Be sure you are familiar with your state employment laws before adding anything that may conflict with them.

No matter what elements you decide to incorporate into your On-Boarding plan, your main goal is to quickly acclimate your new hire and to make them feel like a part of the team. The faster you can make them feel comfortable, the quicker it will be to train them and to turn them into productive employees.

If you are unfamiliar with creating written manuals for your business, you can check out this article, ”How To Create An Operations Manual For Your Business”