Keep the honeymoon going

You’ve invested a lot of time and money in a recent hire. You’ve reviewed hundreds of resumés, done phone screening and face-to-face interviews, called references and made an offer to your top pick, who has said yes.

Now don’t blow it.

Sadly, that’s exactly what many employers do. Like a salesperson who promises the world but forgets about you once you’ve signed a contract, many employers do everything to woo candidates during the hiring process—the dating, marriage and honeymoon—but fail to deliver after that. All too often, a new employee shows up for work on her first day to find that the honeymoon is over, leaving her to wonder whether joining your company was a wise decision.

Here are the five most common mistakes that employers make during the onboarding process, and how you can avoid them.

1) You fail to provide the basics: Your new hire enters your lobby on Day 1 and the receptionist has no idea who he is. After making some calls, the receptionist finally tracks down the right person, who takes 15 minutes to come out to greet your new hire. Next he’s told, “We don’t have a desk for you yet, but we’re working on that. You can sit at Sharon’s desk for now, because she’s on vacation. Our IT guys have ordered a new laptop for you, but it’s not here yet. And we still need to set up your email and phone.”

How to fix it: Look after the basics so your new hire can be productive right away. Work through a checklist so that basics such as desks, chairs, stationery, computers and phones are ready for him. This list should also include where he’ll park, who he’ll report to and an email sent out before his start day letting your team know who the new employee is and what he’ll be doing.

2) You create a poor first impression: You really do only get one chance to make a good first impression. Many employers figure they’re too busy to spend time with a new hire, so they put her at a desk with a binder of policies and procedures and say, “Read this and come see me when you’re done.”

How to fix it: Put together a schedule covering the new hire’s first week—and, preferably, her second as well. Make sure your new employee sees that you’ve put some thought into her arrival. Day 1 could include coffee with the CEO, then introductions with a co-worker assigned to be the newbie’s buddy and to answer her questions during the first two weeks. Other items on this schedule may include completing all required paperwork, reviewing the company’s history, holding an orientation session about her department and having a team lunch with her new colleagues.

3) You don’t discuss expectations: In his second week, your new hire finds himself in hot water because he’s taking two 20-minute breaks and an hour and a half for lunch each day. It turns out that was the norm at his previous employer, and no one has told him that’s not the case at your firm. As well, your new employee has failed to use the mandatory email protocol and online calendar to send meeting requests. More importantly, you haven’t explained key deliverables for his new job.

How to fix it: To set clear expectations, have the manager review his job description and tell him what the firm expects in regards to hours of work, reporting, meetings, workload, training, how performance will be evaluated and any company philosophies or values and customer service. It’s also a good idea to have an employee handbook outlining key policies such as codes of conduct, and to have the newbie sign off stating that he has received, read and understood the rules.

4) You fail to follow through on promises you made during the hiring process: You’ve discussed things such as incentive plans, stock options, flexible work schedules and training programs during the courtship phase. Yet in her first month on the job your new employee hasn’t heard a mention of these, and she’s starting to wonder whether they were empty promises.

How to fix it: Develop a standard script or checklist to cover these key benefits during the interview process. Then use the same checklist in your onboarding program to explain the details and the timeline to your new hire and to ensure that you deliver on your promises to her.

5) You don’t have a formal training process: Many employers translate “We hire self-starters” to mean “We don’t have a training program.” Bad idea. As your new hire guzzles coffee to avoid falling asleep while reading about your firm’s policies and operating procedures, he’s not only bored but nervous. You’ve left it unclear how you expect him to deliver what you hired him for, or which resources you’ll provide to help him do so.

How to fix it: At a minimum, assign a buddy, coach or mentor to your new hire to train him about the deliverables of the job, computer systems and required reporting. Even better, include on the newbie’s checklist for his first two weeks a list of key people at your firm who he must find, introduce himself to and schedule a meeting with to receive training. For example, for Day 3 your checklist might say, “Introduce yourself to Jane Smith, the finance manager, and schedule an hour with her to understand your budget and monthly forecast reporting requirements.” This will provide structure for your new hire, and also make him accountable for carrying out some of the onboarding activities.

Derek Gagné is president of Vancouver-based Talent Edge Solutions, which helps clients develop integrated talent and knowledge management strategies to retain and increase the performance of top talent. His column on human resources appears exclusively in PROFIT-Xtra.