04/ 21/ 2008
by Maggie Flynn
Unlike large corporations where employees come and go all the time, small businesses can be affected more significantly by new staff. For you and your employees, gaining a new team member can feel like inviting a stranger to sit at the family dinner table. Here are some tips to help you and your employees welcome your new hire into the fold.
Give them well-defined primary tasks to concentrate on their first few weeks
Most small business employees will eventually be asked to wear a variety of hats, but be sure you've created a clear-cut set of daily duties for your new hire to perform. If your existing staff is stressed out across the board and you're thinking that you'll bring in a new person as a "floater" who can help everyone, this can be a bad idea for a number of reasons.
First, this can create a tug-of-war between employees as to who gets to utilize the new person. Not only will this leave the new hire overwhelmed, it will make him feel as if he doesn't have a clear purpose within your organization. Giving new hires their own set of responsibilities is key to making them feel like part of the team.
Gradually fill them in on the big picture
Once your new employee gets her footing, don't neglect to show her the inner-workings of the company. Inform her about who does what and how the operations of your business interact. No need to make this a first day speech, as your new hire will likely be overwhelmed enough as it is. But taking the time to gradually fill in the blanks of how your company runs will go a long way towards making your new hire feel valued and at home.
Make sure directives are coming from you
Depending on the politics of an office, it's not unusual for existing employees to adopt new hires and attempt to get a fresh face on their side, so to speak. They may try to inform your new employee about their personal best practices (that often don't match your own) and even involve the new employee in personal grudges against other staff members.
If you see this happening, nip it in the bud. Simply tell your staff member that while you appreciate their efforts in helping the new employee, you don't want your newest team member to receive contradictory information from different sources. And make sure to train the new employee yourself or assign their department manager to the task, and tell the department manager specifically what you want covered and how you want them trained.
Check in with the new employee frequently
One of the most important things you can do for a new employee is adopting an open door policy and letting them know that you welcome any questions they may have. Even on busy days when you wish they'd take their questions to someone else, take the time to listen and chat with them, even if your answer is ultimately, "Let's take you over to accounting to take care of that." If an employee feels comfortable bringing his concerns to you, you'll decrease the likelihood of his receiving misinformation. Even if your new employee seems to be doing fine and isn't stopping by with questions, make a point of checking in with him before the end of the day and asking how everything went. Take a look at their work and make sure they're doing things correctly. Catching bad practices early will save you a lot of grief down the road, and your new employee will be impressed that you're personally taking the time to help him out.
Use as an opportunity to review important policies and procedures
Chances are, your new employee isn't the only one who could use information about the company. You might use a new hire as an impetus to conduct a staff meeting, reviewing everything from your goals for the year to customer service procedures. This can also be a great way to correct bad habits without coming down on a specific employee. For example, if you notice that a handful of employees always seem to be talking loudly into their cell phones while sitting at their desk, you can use this as an opportunity to remind employees to keep personal calls to a minimum during business hours.
Your two main goals when bringing on a new employee are training them to do their job with confidence and efficiency, and making them feel like a part of the team. This can be easily done with a little planning before the new employee comes aboard, and a little extra attention his or her first week on the job.
