When you hire new people to join your company, what do you teach them first? Second? Do you have a master list of everything they need to be shown, practice, and master—or at least achieve a level of competence in before you allow them to spread their wings and fly on their own? Did you have a job description for the position to establish some of the expectations of the job? If you don’t, are you often frustrated with mistakes that your employees should have avoided because they should have known better? Have you properly educated your people and tested them to make sure they retained the information they were taught when you first hired them? Before this training begins, do you have a process for onboarding a new hire, which is administratively one of the most difficult procedures to complete because there is an immense amount of paperwork required. Think I9, W4, background checks, time and attendance software, and employee handbooks—and this is just the short list of all the things that should be handled prior to the hire’s start date whenever possible.
The hiring/training process is a crucial element of your business. I have created two lists for new hires joining the company: One consists of an orientation checklist that has to be completed, and the other involves a series of training tasks that my workers must learn how to do to be able to operate/function on their own. Do you also work with a third list—that is, a training program that consists of more advanced practices/processes that help someone who is looking to advance in your organization? When interviewing potential new hires, I’m always on the lookout for signs that they’re not just in the market for a job. I want individuals who are interested in advancing in the organization. I want people who are self-motivated or at least money motivated because I can usually count on such individuals to have a great work ethic. They are careful and attentive workers who will do a good job.
My New Hire Onboarding Checklist (post interview) looks something like this for my franchise stores:
New Hire Onboarding Checklist
- Job application sent in (on our online hyrell platform)
- Offer letter signed
- New hire info sheet completed (rate of pay, shirt size, availability, etc.)
- Background check run
- W4/I9/ADP direct deposit form completed
- Handbook sent and signed
- Online backend access for employee setup completed
- ADP login procedure established—how to clock-in and clock-out
- Health insurance/life insurance forms completed
- NY disability policy explained (if a NY store)
- Web Based Trainings completed (Learning Center)—login process and procedure for reviewing assignments
- Hire tech- worker’s opportunity tax credit (WOTC) applications/qualification form
- Embroidered uniforms ordered for the new hire (but provide one temporary, plain uniform on the start date if the ordered one has not been received)
- Name badges printed and provided by the master trainer on the new hire’s start date
- Business cards ordered (they will be given to new hires on the first day of their third week—that is, after two weeks of training)
- Notary public applications completed
- ID on Point of Sale system
- Staff contact list provided to the new hire (how to access in Wheniwork)
- Callout/tardy procedure explained
- Cell phone usage during work hours explained
- Start times explained (new hire should be ready to work at the start time and know what early clock-in and late clock-ins are permitted)
- Orientation completed:
- Sexual harassment training
- Time-off request
- Who to call if there is a problem
- Direct call info (regional, managers, etc.)
- In-person training scheduled
At the conclusion of each week of training we prepare a training summary—for review by their future store manager to follow-up on training completed and add additional elements not yet covered or needing improvement based on the trainers summary/assessment.
Before someone has spent a single day behind the counter, we have gone through all of these items on this checklist. Prior to creating this process, I found it incredibly difficult to keep track of all the staff paperwork and to ensure that my workers were paid the correct rate, got their uniforms, and completed their online training. In the pre-checklist days, I also had trouble determining whether or not we qualified for tax credits when hiring new staff members. Each item in that checklist is important because it ensures a smooth onboarding process. If you skip payroll onboarding, you’ll have a pretty upset employee on payday. If you skip sexual harassment training or you don’t review the employee handbook, there could be fines from the state. If you skip the WOTC (Work Opportunity Tax Credit) file, then you won’t get tax credits from the government for hiring people who meet certain criteria. If a new team member doesn’t know how to properly request time off, including the deadline for when the paperwork needs to be done, then problems may ensue. If the request is denied, for example, because the employee did not follow the correct procedure, he or she is frustrated. On the other hand, tensions mount if the person who failed to follow the proper procedures is unwilling to budge and says he or she is taking the time off despite the request’s denial. Now the employer is the one who is frustrated.
Now that we covered all of the pre-start date processes I have put in place for my team, let’s talk about the training list that is covered during the first two weeks on the job. In our retail stores, that training is in-person training, which is run by a master trainer in 1-1 or 2-1 settings (one or two trainees with one trainer). The trainer has a master list of the skills that need to be covered over the course of each week, and the list of core items that must be covered is sequenced. Many other items on the list are covered either over the course of the two weeks after the trainees have mastered of some of the basics or when an opportunity to do something that doesn’t come up often arises during the course of normal business. Because my training list is a little different in each business, I’m providing here a general list of skills that might require on-the-job training for a customer-service–related job.
New Hire Training Checklist
- Familiarity with the products/services we sell
- Detailed knowledge of how each of those products and services works
- Pricing for our most commonly sold products and services
- Common customer service concerns or problems that arise
- Some diffusion techniques for handling difficult or frustrated customers without escalating the negative interaction
- Opening/closing procedures for start-of-day and end-of-day
- Email/phone etiquette with customers
- Introductions to colleagues/management team, including a primer on who to call when confronting different types of problems
- Tech support and common technology issues to be aware of/potential resolutions and who to call for assistance
- Job specific functions for each individual role in the store, and a support system/buddy/supervisor to turn to when needing support or answers to questions (on sales, support, or the job role) once the initial training period has been completed
Compiling a list of the training items, reviewing that list in pieces, and then doing a full recap with the new hire are very important. The process builds confidence and allows trainees to see they’ve learned the things you expect of them and also lets you to know if they have experienced and understood the tasks that their job entails. It’s also important to observe the trainees and give verbal and written feedback to let them know how they are progressing. Belittling trainees should be avoided at all costs, but constructive criticism can help them know what part of a process or piece of information they are struggling with. The process establishes clearer expectations. Body language should also be closely observed because people are often shy or nervous, making them afraid to ask for help. During training, I love getting asked questions, even the so-called stupid ones because this is the best time to go through the process without passing judgment. (In fact, there is no such thing as a stupid question. Asking questions is one of the best ways to learn what you need to know.) It would be much worse to be asked entry level questions six months down the road because something wasn’t clear during the training sessions. And in a worst-case scenario, you might find yourself cleaning up a mess at some point because a simple piece of the puzzle was missing from the start.
Investing in training does a few things for the company and new team members.
- It ensures they are familiar with/able to perform the required tasks.
- It gives the trainee confidence to do the things assigned.
- It builds a support system of colleagues and supervisors who can assist in solving problems that arise.
- It sets clearer expectations for the job and for what will arise over the course of business.
- It builds a bond connecting both the trainer and trainee that helps improve the company culture.
If you haven’t built out your hiring/training program, it’s never too late to start! Build those skills early, and create a bond with your new team member. Training and staff turnover are very costly to businesses both big and small, so building and growing talent is critical to success!