How To Create Successful Employees

Imagine you hire a new employee, show the person to his workstation, and leave him to it.  On the first morning.

What do you think his chances of success would be? Pretty low.

And yet, this kind of thing happens all the time in business.

Employers hire people mostly for skill set. With this practice can come the belief that the person is ready to roll on day one.

So, once new hires have filled out all of their paperwork and been shown where the bathrooms are — they are let loose to do their job. The result can be less than stellar performance and everyone ends up unhappy.

Hiring right is the first step to future success. The second, and equally important, step to creating successful employees is onboarding.

The onboarding process is critical and should cover these three areas to set the new employee up for success:

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Create a Culture Impression

All companies have a culture. Make sure new hires understand your company’s culture from day one.

Spend time reviewing policies, setting expectations, and outlining company communication streams. This helps new hires embrace how all employees work together toward a common goal.

Understanding culture is one place where having a team approach can be impactful. Have a team of employees — not just managers —  meet with new hires to welcome them. Hearing how things work from peers can be just as valuable as hearing it from HR.

New hires are less likely to be intimidated by peers and more likely to open up and ask questions.

Define Roles and Responsibilities

Don’t assume your new hire knows everything about his or her position — no matter how much past experience the person has.

All companies do things differently.  Take the time to review not only what the job is but how the employee will be evaluated. Now’s the time to tell everything.  Explain how you define success in the role.

When people know what’s expected, they have a better chance to be successful employees.

Point Out Resources

Make sure all new employees are aware of the resources available to them. These include things like manuals, records, computer programs, and people to answer questions. Don’t expect a new employee to figure it out or just plain know these things. It may seem like common sense to you, but remember, you’ve been there for a while.

Try to walk in the new person’s shoes.  If you were new, what would you want to know? What would your concerns be? What would help you in your quest to do a good job?

The best way to lay the foundation for successful employees is to make sure they have what they need from day one.

It’s easier to spend the time up front than to have to fix things later on. This is especially true when we consider what a lack of effective onboarding can do to someone’s attitude and self esteem.

Creating Better Employees photo by Shutterstock

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