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Invest in Onboarding
Whether they are proven high performers or entry level team members, one of the most common failures when onboarding new employees is not investing the time to properly or fully train the new hire.
At Standard, we have developed a training program with a formalized manual that serves as our guide for training all new hires. The first step, and one of the most important components of our program, is time spent in the field with a longtime employee. This step includes safety training and assessing the new hire’s knowledge of the technical aspects of our business.
As the new hire is soaking up the training and beginning to understand and help resolve issues in the field, they should also begin learning how to effectively delegate. Effective delegation starts with being able to identify the right people to delegate tasks to—others who can be counted on to fully and correctly complete tasks that have been delegated. And all the while, the Project Manager should inspect the work to ensure compliance with technical and other requirements, using any missteps as opportunities for teaching moments.
The most important thing for everyone involved in the onboarding process to remember (including the new hire) is that the time required for new hires to “learn the ropes” and be trusted to ensure the work gets done, cannot be effectively compressed—this is a process that just takes time.