Staff Induction Secrets: How to Turn New Hires into Great Performers!

<div class="grey-callout"><h2>Key Takeaways</h2><ul>
<li>First impressions: A well-structured induction process is crucial for new employees' long-term success.</li>
<li>Resource availability: Ensure new employees have access to all necessary tools and resources from day one to perform their roles effectively.</li>
<li>Support and mentoring: Pairing new staff with a mentor or "buddy" can help them settle in and understand their role better.</li>
<li>Continuous feedback: Regular check-ins during the induction period allow for adjustments and address any concerns early on.</li>
</ul></div>  

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Employee Onboarding

Starting a new job can be like diving gracefully into a pool or doing a painful and embarrassing belly flop! A lot depends on effective staff inductions.

An employee wants to be an immediate success. Even more is at stake for them as they only have one job, whereas an organisation has multiple employees.

Equally, an employer needs the employee to become an immediate success to recoup the time and money invested in recruiting, and ensure the employee adds value quicker.

Critically, if the employee isn’t successful, their credibility and confidence will be damaged and may never recover. (This is why we judge Presidents and Prime Ministers on their first 100 days in office.) Consequently, new employees are very susceptible to leaving within the first couple of months, and then you must start recruiting all over again!

I therefore recommend serious consideration be given to employee onboarding.

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Common problems

There are three common issues new employees face:

1. Poor work relationships: To succeed, a new employee needs a supportive alliance vertically (eg. with bosses and direct reports) and horizontally (eg. with peers and other stakeholders). Unfortunately, many new staff are too focused on the technical elements of a job, and don’t consider the cultural relationships and politics that form power and decision-making.
2. Lack of understanding of the job: Errors damage a new employee’s reputation and cost the business money. This often occurs because an employee incorrectly believes that what made them successful at their last role should be applied to their new job.
3. Unrealistic expectations: Expectations are often established during an interview; and sometimes a candidate lies about their skills, the organisation lies about its resources and future, or everyone lies to themselves! If people are not clear or realistic, then failure is almost inevitable.

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Common solutions

To set your new employees up for success, make sure you:

• Plan team activities: Schedule in-person meetings, such as coffee breaks and lunches, where colleagues can connect on a personal level. Fostering a sense of belonging is critical. It significantly increases employee retention, positively impacts everyone’s well-being, leads to high job satisfaction, lowers levels of work-related stress, and increases productivity. This is even more important for remote and hybrid workers who easily feel isolated. For clarity, I’m not suggesting raft-building and the like, because these activities are time consuming and expensive, and are more appropriate when an entire new team is introduced, rather than an individual.
• Use a Great Performance Profile: The same document used in recruitment is also used for employee onboarding and future performance evaluations. Ensure it is up to date, particularly when establishing realistic Measurable Outcomes. Overall, this document will help everyone objectively assess a new employee’s performance and provide constructive feedback.
• Plan employee training: Progressively help new employees understand their role. Training is often a mix of practical training, workshops, and mentoring. While you want to increase confidence and competence, you also want to reduce overwhelm and early failures. Naturally, the schedule should be flexible as people learn at different paces, especially those in early careers transitioning from education to work for the first time.
• Plan quick wins: It is essential to ensure the new employee has quick wins to build their credibility. If necessary, artificially create them (eg. give a salesperson warm leads).
• Accelerate their success: For everyone’s benefit, ask yourself, “What can be done to achieve breakeven sooner?”
• Conduct a Pre-Mortem: Ask yourself, “90 days from now, the new employee has been a complete failure and left. Why did this happen, and how could it have been avoided?”

General employee onboarding checklist 

Imagine checking into a hotel and finding that they don’t have your reservation. You’d be upset, concerned, and frustrated. Unfortunately, I’ve seen some employers provide a similar “service” by not being prepared.

To make matters worse, many new employees feel anxious, overwhelmed, and perhaps like an imposter. They may miss their old colleagues and be rethinking whether they should have left, so their emotions are already heightened.

I’ve provided a to-do list, and I’d like you to notice how important it is to build relationships. The new employee’s manager typically hosts onboarding:

• Greet the new employee at the door: Leaving them waiting creates a bad first impression and is likely to make them more nervous.
• Show them their workspace: Encourage the employee to personalise it if they wish. Have their technology and login credentials ready. If they work remotely, ensure that any equipment is sent to them promptly.
• Tour the office: Do this early in the day. Show them the emergency exits and fire procedures, as well as the location of the toilets and where to get a drink.
• Get other staff involved: Ask them to describe their roles and how they might work together.
• Have lunch together: A new employee who has to eat alone on day one is likely to feel embarrassed and uncomfortable. Arrange to take them out to lunch or invite them to join you at the canteen. This will build relationships and help the new employee integrate more quickly.
• Explain the Great Performance Profile: Provide them with a copy so they know how their performance will be measured. Explain that performance reviews will be held regularly and that you encourage lots of feedback.
• Explain the organisation’s values: This helps new staff understand how to use their initiative and work independently.
• Give a plan for their first week: This should include the times and locations of any staff training sessions and introductory meetings.
• Assign a workplace buddy: More advice is covered below.

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Assign a workplace buddy

A workplace buddy is a colleague assigned to a new employee to help them settle into their role quicker.

The benefits of having a workplace buddy extend beyond just a friendly introduction; they play a crucial role in helping new hires integrate seamlessly into their teams and the wider organisation. This sense of connection is instrumental in boosting job satisfaction, a key factor in employee retention. Moreover, with a knowledgeable buddy to guide them, new staff can quickly become adept at their roles, enhancing both their performance and overall productivity. This support system not only alleviates the common anxieties associated with starting a new job but also contributes to a reduction in employee turnover, underscoring the importance of a buddy system in fostering a supportive and efficient workplace.

Because you need to set appropriate standards from day one, a Great Performer is usually preferred as a buddy. But to be effective, they must be:

• Knowledgeable: About the business, its policies and procedures and the new employee’s role and responsibilities.
• Patient: Willing to take the time to explain clearly.
• Supportive and encouraging: Helping the new starter feel welcomed and included.
• Responsive: Can answer questions and give guidance promptly.
• Professional: Maintaining confidentiality when appropriate.

In addition, group new employees together. They often find it easier to build relationships as they’re going through the same transition together.

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Additional Resources

• Talent Acquisition Book; The Secrets of Great Recruitment: How to Recruit Great Employees.
• Downloadable PDF guide; Simple Steps to Enhance Employee Retention & Reduce Turnover.
• Downloadable checklist; Checklist for Employee Onboarding.
• Article; Improve Employee Retention & Reduce Staff Turnover.
• Article; Performance Management Secrets: How the Best Leaders Handle Reviews.
• Article; Staff Training Secrets: Why Your Best Trainers Might Be Sitting Next to You!
• Article; Employee Promotion: Why Merit Beats Tenure Every Time.