Mull over that while you're contemplating the bad news: You
probably don't offer much orientation to new hiresfew small
businesses dobut your bigger competitors do. Indeed, generous
chunks of training budgets at mammoth corporations are devoted to
orientation. "[Small businesses often] don't realize how
important it is to hold a thorough orientation, and they don't
think they have the time to spare," says Gioia.
"Small companies are really out of step," adds
Alexander Hiam of the employee training and development firm
Alexander Hiam & Associates in Amherst, Massachusetts.
"Orientation should be an obvious component; it's just
common sense."
Don't think that because your company is small and
doesn't have a budget for training that you can't afford an
orientation process.
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"Oftentimes, it's the small things that make the
difference," says Mel Kleiman, managing partner of
Houston-based Hire Tough Group, which provides training and
consulting for hiring and retaining employees. "Doing things a
little bit better will make you so much better than the
competition. Little things make a big difference."
Such as? First impressions, for example. "Employers need to
recognize that the first day on the job is the one day that a new
employee wants to do better than ever," says Kleiman.
"There's only one time to make a first impression, for
both the employee and the company, and making the first day the
best day will bring long-lasting results to both parties."
Want to make the best first impression for both of you? A
starting point is avoiding the common pitfalls many businesses
make. Kleiman has given us a road map around the must nots:
- Never start a new employee on Monday morning at the very
beginning of a shift when everyone is trying to get over the
weekend. Why not 10:30 a.m. on a Tuesday when the workplace
mood is cheerier and less hectic?
- Don't let a new hire spend the first day on his own.
Assign a "buddy" to answer questions, take the employee
to lunch and make introductions around the office. The buddy should
be someone who loves his or her job and the company, instilling a
positive attitude in the new hire from the start. And don't
just say good-bye when it's time to punch out. Stop a moment to
chat with the new hire; ask how the day went and whether he or she
has any questions.
- Don't give a new employee a work space that isn't
set up. Make sure the phone and computer are workingyou might
even set up a screen message that welcomes the new hire by
name.
- Don't bombard a new hire with a pile of forms to fill
out. Nothing dampens the enthusiasm of the first day faster.
Send out a welcome packet in advance.
- Don't expect a new hire to perform at top speed on the
first day or even the first week. Recognize there's a
learning curve of at least one to three months for practically any
job.
Stumble on a couple of these points and there's gloom
looming ahead because, says Kleiman, hourly employees have decided
by the first day whether they're going to quit. Salaried
workers may not jump to a decision so quickly, but bungle too many
first-day areas, and you can be assured your new employee is
questioning exactly where this relationship is going.
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