08/ 14/ 2006
In some ways your new hire is like a newborn––fascinated by this exciting new world but in need of care and guidance. Nurture your new hire with these 13 must-dos, and the result will be long-standing workplace success.
- Encourage healthy eating habits. From day one, ensure that your new hire enjoys a steady diet of encouragement, reinforcement, and coaching. The result will be a strong and healthy employee.
- Give your new hire plenty of vitamins. Good food isn't enough. Supplement your new hire's diet with opportunities to learn from peers, outside training and other affirming development opportunities.
- Spoon-feed when necessary. Sure, you may have done a great job in selecting your new hire––and an even better job at orientation. But don't assume that your new hire has the ability to do everything. Take the time to show him or her, step by step, how important tasks get done.
- Keep your new hire safe. You know the pitfalls of your operation. Help him avoid obstacles in his or his path, sharp objects and relationships, and places where he or she will fall down.
- Keep your new hire's ears clean. Set up a one-to-one orientation. Be sure your new employee clearly understands your policies, practices and traditions––and take the time to carefully explain anything he or she doesn't understand.
- Get close. From the start, let your new hire know that you want to be supportive, and that his or her success is one of your prime goals. Keep an open-door policy and spend time with your new hire whenever he or she needs it.
- Turn off the tube. Keep distractions out of the way of your new employee. These include inefficient procedures, unnecessary duties and time wasters.
- Kick the bad habits. The minute you notice an unproductive habit––lateness, lack of attention to detail, or poor communication, for example––nip it in the bud. Coach and instruct. Be clear in your expectations. Hopefully, the result will be the high-quality behavior and performance you want.
- Be sure your new hire gets plenty of rest. Whatever the level of experience and skill, virtually anyone who begins a new job feels some unease or stress. So, keep the workload at an even pace and wish your new employees restful weekends.
- Treat the fever. It's not uncommon for new hires to become momentarily upset or frazzled after encountering their first few challenges. Treat these problems with a calm, no-anxiety response––and help your new employee conquer them.
- Use strong medicine when needed. If your new hire encounters problems that simply won't go away, all is not lost. Use a peer mentor, outside training program or self-paced study course to build the skills and capacity that seem lacking.
- Teach your new hire to be independent. Slowly give him or her new responsibility and the opportunity to work independently. Congratulate your new employee on jobs well done and then plan the next big project.
- Stay the course. Don't worry when your new hire makes the occasional error, or when things don't work out exactly the way you want. Just remember that tomorrow is another day, and with the right attitude and serious effort, you'll have still another opportunity tomorrow to mold a great employee.
