Learn About On-Boarding and Training in our May Newsletter

Why a Sink or Swim On-Boarding Strategy Is a Waste of Talent

Last month we discussed your selection strategy, so now let’s talk about on-boarding and orientation. As the title suggests, many companies current orientation and on-boarding strategy (that usually consists of putting them to work on the front line on day one) is a waste of talent. Why? Because research suggests an inability to immerse and on-board your new people correctly will dramatically increase the likelihood that they will leave you quickly. What a waste; especially after you spent so much time and money selecting your people in the first place. To clarify, the on-boarding process should cover the first 30-60 days of an associate’s time with you: the orientation should be the first day of that on-boarding process.

As I speak on this topic around the world I repeatedly suggest the following phrase, “The first day of your associate’s new job should be a great experience, while the next 60 days should be about teaching him or her to deliver great experiences to your customers.” An employee’s first day on the job should be memorable, motivating, and effective in introducing your new employees to your brand, your culture, and your business. Unfortunately, many times this doesn’t happen.

Companies usually throw people directly to the front line with no orientation or introduction because they want to see what the new employee is made of (an outdated philosophy). Alternatively, an associate’s first day on the job is uninspiring (reading all those rules and signing paper work), disorganized (no one realized they were starting today), or a waste of time (they sit on the sidelines because we are all too busy to care). As a result, many people’s first impression of their new company is a bad one. But of course, no one ever blames the lack of orientation for team members quitting quickly; they blame the lack of work ethic and loyalty that the modern worker displays. In reality, quick turnovers are the smart ones who get out before it’s too late. Continue reading this blog on SGEInternational.com.

– Shane Green, Founder & President of SGEi

What is culture hacking? Check out this video of SGEi Founder & President Shane Green as he discusses how to take control of your company culture.

Are You Ready to Launch Your Training?

We have discussed what goes into developing effective training experiences and some considerations for how they should be delivered. Yet the biggest question must be answered; how do you roll it out and who should attend? I go back to the statement that has haunted me my entire career in training, “Fix it! Send them to training.” Yes the magic, silver bullet that training is perceived to be. But send “them?” How will it be effective if the group that is often referred to as “they” are not also in the know on what is being taught, or in support of the changes taking place? The important question to ask now becomes how will this training be supported?

How Will This Training Be Supported?

For many companies over the years, I have developed culture pieces that often include values with supporting behaviors, which go beyond, and Mission and Vision. They must be actionable and measurable, but how well do Senior Leaders, let alone line-level supervisors, know exactly what is expected? Not only do they usually not know what the expectations are, they are not prepared to model the desired behaviors to “walk the talk.” All too many times we are in a hurry and dive right into the intended target while forgetting about how this will take root in the organization.

Walk The Talk

“The leaders’ exhortations to employees ring false when their subsequent actions contradict their words.” A CEO once asked, “Why do they do what I do and not what I tell them to do?” Another asked, “Do I really have to change, too?” “These are scary questions coming from leaders,” says Susan Heathfield in Walk Your Talk, for About Money. Remember, it all starts with WHY and that WHY has typically come from the same leaders (they) that want to bypass responsibility. How often has a trainee returned from a class, all fired up, and shares their new learning with a manager only to hear “This is the first I’ve heard about that?”

According to Machiavelli, “There is nothing more difficult to plan, more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to manage than the creation of a new system. For the initiator has the enmity of all who would profit by the preservation of the old system and merely lukewarm defenders in those who would gain by the new one.” So how do you get your leaders involved, to become champions of your training and any initiatives that are crucial to the continued success of your company? Continue reading this blog on SGEInternational.com.

– Thomas Martin, VP of Culture and Learning

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