Dont Take New Hires for Granted

Hiring good people is only half the battle. The other half is keeping them, especially in a relatively strong economy where quality people are difficult to attract.

Let's face it. It has never been tougher to find quality people. While national unemployment figures have increased over the past year, there are many markets that are still classified as tight labor markets. In these markets, especially, this means that just about anyone who wants to work is already working, so to find quality people, managers must put on their selling shoes and persuade them that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.

When I interview a newly hired employee, it's sometimes like listening to a bride who recently returned from her honeymoon. What happened to all of the bouquets of flowers, the love notes and impromptu candlelight dinners that were so much a part of the dating process that convinced her that she was marrying such a thoughtful man? Much of the romance seemed to slowly disappear soon after newlyweds settle into the routine of marriage.

The same scenario often occurs when owners or managers bring in a sharp new employee that they have been romancing for several months trying to persuade him or her to leave their current job and join a new business team.

After completing a warm and professional hiring process with management, the new employee's first day on the job can be a real shock. More times than not, the new hires report for work only to be greeted by a sea of quizzical looks from veteran workers who had no idea that they were scheduled to arrive.

Bringing in a new employee to your company carries a lot of responsibility. How the orientation process is handled is critical. New employees' initial impression of the company  and the company's first impression of the new employee  can make a big difference in attitudes and performance over the long term.

If managers will discipline themselves to follow a few well-thought-out procedures, they can create an environment that will increase the comfort level of both new employees and their existing staff.

1. Well in advance of the new employee's first day on the job, send a packet of information on your company. Included in this packet might be the following:

? Your insurance booklet.

? A write-up on the company's profit-sharing plan.

? An organizational chart with the incumbent's name inserted in each block.

? Your company newsletter.

? Your company brochure.

? Your company policy manual.

? Some samples of your advertising material and anything else you believe will familiarize the new hire with the company.

2. Advise new employees' co-workers of their arrival date, but be careful not to oversell the new employees' credentials. Existing employees are naturally a bit insecure anytime someone new comes on board, so over-selling can cause the new hire to be perceived as a bit of a threat.

3. See that new employees' workstations are prepared for their arrival. There's nothing more frustrating than to arrive on that first day on a new job and find that you have no desk, no place to sit, no computer and no materials to work with.

4. Hand new employees an activity schedule that you have planned for their first couple of weeks on the job. This will keep them from suffering from that "lost feeling." 5. At least for the first week on the job, assign a different co-worker to take your new hires to lunch each day and include the co-workers name and job title on the activity schedule.

6. Assign each new employee a mentor who has been around long enough to know the ropes. Be sure to select the mentor carefully. Choose mentors who are respected by their co-workers and who will unselfishly help the new employee's orientation period become as pleasant as possible.

7. If the new employee has been hired from outside the area, be sure to arrange for his or her spouse to receive a warm welcome to the community. Assign an appropriate person to show the spouse around and answer questions about the community, neighborhoods, schools, etc.

(Bill Lee is president of Lee Resources, Inc., a South Carolina-based consulting and training organization and author of GROSS MARGIN: 26 Factors Affecting Your Bottom Line. E-mail your order to blee@mygrossmargin.com. Cost: US$29.95 plus US$5 S&H per book + 50¢ for each additional book.)

---

Rethinking Workplace Security: How the Rules Have Changed

The workplace has traditionally been a dangerous place. Very early... Read More

Negative Self-talk is Too Expensive

I'm always fascinated by the people who lift huge weights,... Read More

Muggers in Our Midst - When Rumour and Gossip Pay You a Visit

'I heard it on the grapevine' the old song goes.... Read More

Success in Business Means Managing Negative Emotions

You may have the MBA but if an internal critic... Read More

Knowledge Management - Learning Whilst Doing - Facilitating an After Action Review

Introducing a learning culture into organisations can be difficult at... Read More

Understand What Flows Through Your Business to Find Improvement

I remember once seeing a cartoon which showed two people... Read More

Time Management and Team Development - The Yes and No of It

Sometimes.In fact making some small changes to the circumstances when... Read More

Get It Done! Soft Skills not Hard Tools are Required

If your organization has people, then interpersonal skills are needed.I... Read More

When Change Is In the Wind...Heads Up!

In these days of takeovers and mergers, of downsizings and... Read More

Got A Meeting Planned? Ask This Question

Meetings ? they are a fact of our business lives.... Read More

3 Simple Things the Best Managers Do - And You Can Too!

If it's so simple, why don't managers all over the... Read More

What Every Manager Should Know About How to Become An Effective Executive

In his book, The Effective Executive, Peter Drucker pointed out... Read More

Being a Great Boss

Are you one of those bosses that people just love... Read More

Six Sigma Training 101 ? Better Management Basics

What is Six Sigma?Six Sigma is a quality management program... Read More

Problem-Solving Success Tip: Whatever You Do, Do It on Purpose

Decision-making shows up throughout the problem-solving process. The decisions may... Read More

Is this A Good Time To Sell Your Body Shop Business?

Have you ever asked yourself the question? "Is this a... Read More

Top 5 Services Your Company?s Accounting Department Should Outsource

Accounting is one area which every company has to maintain... Read More

Tales From the Corporate Frontlines: Team Dynamics and Communication

This article relates to the Team Dynamics competency, which evaluates... Read More

Sarbanes Oxley 404 Compliance - How Nov. 15, 2004 Deadline Affects You

Fast Relief for Sarbanes Oxley Section 404 ComplianceSection 404 of... Read More

Innovation Management ? what are the practical impediments?

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

The Seven Cs: Partnership Danger Signs - Conflict Becoming the Norm ? Part 1

A series of articles exploring the seven critical areas that... Read More

How to Enhance Quality in Your Business

Every business must strive to provide quality products and services... Read More

Innovation Management ? the Root of the Problem

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Innovation Management ? IBM Opens Lid On Its Treasure Chest

IBM, which registered 3248 patents last year, has decided that... Read More

Employee Turnover: Is It Eating Up Your Profits?

Keeping the cost of doing business down, yet providing a... Read More

Business Innovation ? Core Competency and Competitive Advantage

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Creativity and Innovation Management ? Psychological Reward

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Increasing Employee Retention Through Employee Engagement

You've seen it happen many times. An organization that provides... Read More

4 Simple Steps to Successful Delegation

Last month, my featured article was about creating a "Stop... Read More

Don?t Forget Where You Came from - Why the Past is Important in Implementing Business Change

Much of the literature and advice on implementing business change... Read More

Learning To Let Go

If you have the entrepreneurial spirit (which clearly you have!),... Read More

10 Steps When You Need Help in Your Business

If you think ahead and plan, many nightmare panic and... Read More

Goodwill is an Intangible Asset

'Goodwill' is regarded as an intangible asset in a business.... Read More