The On-boarding Process and Your New Employees: 3 Questions to Ask and When

When a new employee starts, especially if there is only one starting at that time, the orientation or on-boarding process can be given little attention. The goal is to get the person to be a productive worker as fast as possible, so why worry about the "frills"?

The extra information presented, often at a slightly slower pace than warp speed, allows the newcomer to get acclimated to the company's culture and ways of doing things. On-boarding often occurs over a period of several days, weeks or even a year, depending on the complexity of the job and the amount to be learned.

After the new employee has been there a month, it's a great time to realize the employee may have ideas to share with his new employer - if the employer cares enough to ask. The employee may have worked for other companies with different ways of doing things, and may know a better way to do a process or project. He may know helpful websites, or have concerns about how things are done at your company. However, he is not likely to say these - unless a manager takes the time to ask these 3 invaluable questions.

1. You've worked at other places. Based on that (or what you've learned in school, if the employee is a new graduate), do you have some suggestions on how we might do things better? Every employee's ideas are of interest to us! We might not notice what we do, because we've done it so long or so often, but you as a new employee would notice these things right away.

2. Do you know of  non-confidential websites, great equipment or other resources that might be of special benefit to the company? If you find these, please let us know.

3. What information related to your job, the company or the industry would help you most at this time? Do you need training in a specific area? If so, do you know how to request it?

This is also a time to share some initial feedback with the employee, of positive things you have noticed. The employee then realizes that he matters to you,  that you notice what he does, and  he will usually try to please you.

Business Speech Improvement provides intensive coaching and e-books on various types of communication. If you found the above technique helpful, you'll definitely want to read Executive Communication Techniques, our e-book on many other practical strategies leaders can take to improve communication skills!