You need people to grow your business.
Hiring the right people is tough.
Even tougher is to get them ready to do their best at work.
This takes training and handholding, which a lot of businesses ignore or just do as a formality. I am sharing some ideas to do it right.
You can use this to onboard and train both interns and full time employees.
How To Onboard And Train New Employees
#1 Make It Interesting
Don’t give boring lectures or start with monologues. Make it interactive, with at least the first day or first few days built around conversations. And, later get them to repeat concepts that you shared during conversations to understand if they were paying attention.
#2 Don’t Put All Responsibilities Of Training On One Person
Instead align everyone to train them. One person can be the main guide. This person can be the CEO in a small to medium sized business. Another person who will interact with them on a day-to-day basis as the new hire’s manager. Don’t stop there. Let them sit with existing employees so that they can learn what a particular employee is good at.
#3) Don’t Ask Them To Go All In At Once
Give them some space to land. It is good to have a structured action plan ready. But give them some breathing space during their first day and first week. So that they have time to understand the new place, culture and people there, and get over the feeling of the unknown. Imagine how you felt in your first job and show some empathy for your new hire.
#4) Plan Training Based On What They’ll Work On
This makes sure that you are not burdening them with extra work that will not be used immediately. This way you also equip them to do their assigned work right. This helps them be confident, happy and more productive.
#5) Give Them A Mix of Learning Methods
A part of it should be structured learning. Like several one-on-one’s during the first 90 days. Also get them to watch videos on an ongoing basis. Later, get them to take tests based on what they learned during a day or a particular week. You can also ask them to present what they learned once every fortnight.
Hope these ideas help you work with your interns and new employees better.
