5 Staffing Tips To Make New Employees Productive From Day 1

You’re a busy employer, and time is of the essence.It’s hard enough to find and hire the right people for your company (unless you work with a recruiter), but that’s just the beginning.  New hires bring new energy, skills and insight, but they also bring new challenges.  Those first few weeks on the job are crucial to ensuring new employees become productive and successful members of your business.  So what’s your strategy?

Don’t waste precious time: make new employees productive from Day 1.  We’ve got 5 tips to kick-start the motivation to succeed:

1.    Get cultural from the get-go

Interview time is the right time to expose potential new hires to your company culture and daily operations.  It’s not just about selling your business as a great place to work; it’s key to ensuring your new hires know what to expect before they commit to the position.

And it benefits your selection process. Candidates with the right combination of competence and cultural fit “can truly help a company thrive by aligning their career goals with a company’s values and mission,” as Business Insider contributor Aimee Groth says in her post “Workplace Culture Is More Important Than Anything Else”.

Your company culture can live and breathe in your office, online and throughout your community. An immersive company culture experience makes it easier to direct new employees towards achievement for your business from Day 1.

Get more tips for improving company culture in our blog post “Hey Clients! Is Your Company Attractive To Top Talent?”

2.    Minimize newbie status

Nothing screams “newbie!” like a workstation haphazardly cobbled together the morning the fresh hire arrives at the office.  You want your new employee to hit the grounding running with confidence, and that can be accomplished simply by pulling together a stocked and loaded desk before Day 1.

Provide the necessary resources (desk, computer, badge or key, software, basic office supplies, etc.) right away to accelerate the new hire’s integration into your existing staff structure, and make him or her feel welcome; like part of the team.

3.    Make the right introductions right away

The sooner your new employees build relationships with the key stakeholders in their success, the better.  So don’t wait for the weekly production meeting to make the introductions – do it on Day 1.

Personally escort new hires around the office for face-to-face introductions to establish connections with the people who contribute to building their value to the company.  Not only does this gesture show the new hires how invested you are in helping them succeed, it also accelerates rapport amongst co-workers, making it more comfortable for new hires to reach out for assistance and get the help they need to work more efficiently right off the bat.

Staffing tip: If you bring on temporary workers, make this tactic a top priority.  Your existing workforce is your most valuable resource to maximizing the potential of short-term staff.

 4.    Blend tasks across departments

Foster company ownership and propel productivity right from the get-go by assigning new employees tasks that require them to work across departments.  That way, they can become familiar with several facets of the company and contribute with a broader scope of daily operations.

In her Harvard Business Review article “Get Immediate Value from Your New Hire”, author Amy Gallo suggests putting them on a team project where they can “work on a real business problem,” with the support of others.  There’s no need to overwhelm new employees with daunting, specialized duties that tug them into one tiny corner of your business. Treat the first few weeks like a survey course (with homework!) in problem solving across departments, and let your new staff help you really get stuff done!

5.    Lead by example

From promoting workplace wellness to finding employees who share your values, you can’t go wrong with staffing when you lead by example.

As the saying goes, actions speak louder than words. When you manage your day-to-day with passion, focus and energy, people notice. Your new hires will notice from Day 1.  There’s no training manual that can emphasize your expectations for productivity as well as simply putting your expectations into action. It starts with you.

 

Have a question about Kelowna staffing?

Contact Stacey at Aspire Recruitment Solutions to get answers for your questions about staffing solutions in Kelowna, Vernon, Penticton and other Okanagan Valley regions. Aspire Recruitment Solutions also provides staffing solutions to clients across Northern BC and Alberta.  Let’s accelerate your business’ success.