A structured process is essential to help your new assistant get up to speed with the intricacies and nuances of your business, says Sara Gilbert, founder of Strategist in Montreal.
“If your new hire doesn’t know what you are expecting from them, they likely won’t be able to meet your goals,” Gilbert says. “You must have a structured onboarding plan to help integrate that person into the practice.”
Gilbert offers the following steps to help you bring a new assistant into your team:
> Establish “point people”
When a new assistant comes in on his or her heir first day, they probably aren’t aware of all the key people in the organization. So, you should have a document that lists people he or she should contact in the event of certain issues arising.
For example, if you have specific contacts for banking products or insurance products, be sure to highlight those names for your assistant. A detailed “who’s who” will help them get to know your network.
With such a document, says Gilbert, “The new person will know where they need to go for help.”
> Prepare the team and clients
Before your new assistant starts, notify your team and your clients that a new team member will be joining your practice soon.
It is important for your internal team to know that there will be a new member joining your practice so they will understand the role of the new person and feel a part of the integration process.
It is also important for your clients to know so that they will not be surprised when an unfamiliar voice greets them on the phone.
> Designate a “question period”
Expect and encourage questions from your new assistant.
Gilbert recommends that you set a time each week for you and your new assistant to talk about any issues that might have arisen.
Whether you choose to do this formally or informally is up to you. What is important is that you have set a time, so your assistant doesn’t feel that he or she would have to interrupt you in order to ask a question.
Remain approachable, Gilbert says, and invite questions. It’s the best way for your assistant to become familiar with your practice.
> Find a mentor
Depending on your new assistant’s level of experience in financial services, it might be good idea for you to set them up with a mentor.
A mentorship strategy will help make your new hire feel more comfortable in their role and help integrate them into the team.
As well, mentorship can help prevent problems or misunderstandings that could hinder your new assistant’s overall job satisfaction.
This is the second instalment in a two-part series on how to develop an onboarding process for new assistants.
For more on finding the right assistant for your practice, please see our April special feature, “The Right Fit.”