A new staff member’s first day at the office may bring a sense of relief that the hiring process is over, but in reality, it doesn’t end there. Advisors need to take the time to make sure new team members settle in properly during the first few months to avoid ending up back at square one and short-staffed.
Many employers fail to take the appropriate steps to ensure new hires are comfortable in their roles, says Cissy Pau, principal consultant, Clear HR Consulting in Vancouver. Often, employers are so focused on finding a person that they forget how intimidating or uncomfortable it can be for the new employee to start a new job and learn all the new procedures.
“You need to take some time to communicate [those processes],” says Pau, “to make it a smoother transition so that you’re not frustrated and they’re not frustrated.”
There are a number of steps advisors can take to avoid that frustration for everyone, the first being to simply show up. Arrange to be in the office to greet new hires and introduce them to the rest of the team. Also, make sure basic logistics are taken care of, such as having a desk, computer and phone ready for the staff member.
In addition, it’s important that the new employee becomes acquainted with the official and unofficial rules of the office.
“They may have the knowledge, skills and capabilities [for the job],”says David Zweig, associate professor of organizational behaviour and human resources management, department of management, University of Toronto Scarborough, “but what they’ve got to get on board with quickly is understanding the culture of the organization.”
Most people will eventually learn this over time, but letting them know what’s expected right away in terms of behaviour and performance will help them adjust much faster.
The staff member also needs to learn about the business itself. “Anybody that works for you needs to be a champion for your business,” says Pau. “So you need to give them reasons to champion the business.” You can do this by discussing the firm’s competitive advantage over other advisory businesses.
Use a detailed training schedule to ensure new team members can get up to speed quickly on all aspects of the business and their own job. The job description that was created as part of the hiring process can act as a reference for what skills the new hire must be trained on, and in what order. For example, the first week might be spent learning the contact management system.
“A lot of times advisors just skip over this step,” says April-Lynn Levitt, a coach with the Personal Coach in Oakville, Ont. “And then it’s just like dive right in and learn by doing.”
It’s also a good idea to get into a routine of giving the new hire feedback on his or her performance.
“[Providing feedback] helps solve problems early and helps clears things up before it becomes a problem,” says Pau. Simply check in at the end of the day or once a week to let new staff members know what they are doing well and what could be improved.
Mistakes are bound to happen as new staff members adjust to their roles, and Zweig says it’s important to be understanding of that during the first few months. However, advisors may want to have a more formal discussion if serious errors persist or if the new team member isn’t meeting performance expectations. If that’s the case, identify clear and achievable performance goals for the individual to work towards.
To really make new hires feel like they’re part of the team, consider spending some time together out of the office.
“A real key to integration is actually having some non-work time with the employee,” says Levitt. For example, advisors could welcome the new staff by taking them out to lunch or organizing a team-building event where everyone can get to know each other personally.
This is the third article in a three-part series on hiring support staff.