How do I train new hires?
Every Human Resources Manager
The amount of times we get asked this question at SEED might surprise you. However, it is often a hot topic when companies are growing and begin to realize the value in onboarding employees with an immersive new hire program (e.g. better retention, more engagement, culture integration). Through all of our experience with previous clients, we have found the activities on this new hire checklist to provide immense value to both new employees and their bond with the new company.
Facility Tour
At some point, the new employees will be on their own to explore, make connections, and develop their personal brand at your company. A facility tour is a fantastic opportunity to show new employees where each department works, office of key individuals they will work alongside, the lunchroom, local amenities, and more. You can also use this opportunity to break the ice with other employees.
Here are several other activities to include on the facility tour
- Important safety topics (chemicals, emergency evacuation, first aid kits, etc.)
- Scavenger hunts work well with new employees. Make sure the items are relevant to their work.
Department Meetings
Joining a new company is an experience which is both exciting and scary. There are just too many unknowns in a new company. One way to alleviate this feeling is with department meetings. Each new employee will meet with one employee from several different departments. During this 30-60 minute meeting, they will get an opportunity to meet new people and learn about how they will interact on their daily routine with that department.
For example, let’s assume we have a cashier at a grocery store. We would design a program where they meet an employee in the meat department, so they can learn about the how the pricing and quality of the meat plays into the customer experience. They would then meet with the produce department to learn how their jobs impact one another. This process would be repeated with each relevant department, which provides the employee with a holistic company view.
Games
Most companies strive to incorporate a lively and festive atmosphere. This can be accomplished with games, trivia, luncheons, happy hour, and company events. When games are properly incorporated into a new hire checklist, it allows new employees to have fun while learning about their company and peers in a safe environment. This allows new employees to relax and bond with others employees within the company. It is important to understand that work needs to be done, but that doesn’t mean your company is devoid of entertainment, smiles, and positive vibes.
Culture
A previous client had asked us to develop a new hire checklist for their new hire onboarding program. After completing the new hire program, they sent us a draft of a three page new hire checklist. Upon first glance, we had to challenge them. If you are a company which strives on efficiency, why have your new employees spend hours reading a book? As it turns out, Senior Management loved the book. The problem was that the new hire program emphasized that the culture of the company was about reducing waste and limiting inefficiencies.
The new hire training program and new hire checklist need to be congruent with the company culture. Each of the items included in this post are aimed at making sure that new employees both understand the culture of the company and seek opportunities to actively engage in it. New employees should be very clear on what the company’s direction and goals are, not as written on a piece of paper, but immersed in the culture through both their onboarding and daily work life.
Lunch
One of the best ways to bond with new employees is a lunch on the first day. Sharing a meal with peers, family, and friends is such a great tradition that they will greatly appreciate the time spent to get the meal and engage with other employees. The lunch with the new hires can be done in several ways
- Lunch with Human Resources, an opportunity to thank the employee for joining the company
- Department lunch provides new hires with an informal meet and gret for their future team mates
- Gather the new hires and several currently emplyees who work in various specialties in the company. This provides opportunities to meet people who may share common interests, even though they may not regularly work together.
- BONUS: If you can manage to include upper management (C-suite, Directors, etc.), this tends to score very high on engagement scores.
Safety Training
This section of the new hire checklist is often the most obvious. Regardless of the duration and size of your new hire checklist, there will very likely be some amount of safety training. This could be a basic e-learning package which covers important safety considerations, or it could include a far more extensive training program which includes all of the necessary topics they will need to complete their job safely.
While this varies tremendously between job titles and requirements of the position, it is a complete disservice to new hires if some amount of safety training is not provided within their new hire orientation. Don’t be the company who loses work hours because their employees are not compliant with regulatory requirements.
These are just some of the items we have found immensely helpful when building out your new hire checklist. Contact us today to learn about the new hire programs we have setup and how we can design a specific program for your company. This will be a program which will increase engagement, bolster employee retention, and build a very important bond with your newest employees.
