Lessons in On Boarding Strategies from the Dog Park

Jack, our young black/chocolate lab, and I visited the dog park on the east side of Cincinnati this week. There is certain camaraderie there and I typically meet some interesting dog owners. This week was no exception and I had an intriguing conversation with a fellow dog owner that owned a business. He had recently hired several new employees and was struggling to develop a plan to effectively acclimate them to the firm. Last week’s blog post focused on Servant Leadership. This week’s post focuses on Servant Leadership in the context of on boarding new employees.

As the economy gets back on its feet, more and more firms are slowly beginning to hire employees. In addition, firms are concerned about high performers leaving their jobs for new opportunities. The Cincinnati Enquirer published an interesting article recently, “As economy improves, workers leave”. According to a study from the Harvard Business Review in May 2010, “approximately 25% of companies’ top performers are planning to leave their current job within a year”. It is critical that the business owner or leader is proactive and develops a strategy now to effectively on board new employees so they can be successful in their roles.

1. Develop a plan and goals for the new hire.
The company has invested significant resources in hiring a new employee. It is important that the leader develops a plan that takes into consideration the skills, knowledge, experience, resources and relationships the new employee will need to be successful in order to maximize their return on investment. Companies can no longer afford to hand the employee a manual, instruct them to read the manual independently and chat with co-workers to learn about their job. They need to have a plan with specific and measurable goals and objectives.

2. Identify key individuals the new hire will be working with and facilitate networking opportunities for them during on boarding.
Business relationships and networking are critical to an employee’s success whether they are in a large firm or a small business. By incorporating networking opportunities into the on boarding process, the leader is placing a high priority on this skill when the employee is in learning mode. 

3. Assign a culture mentor to help the new hire acclimate to the culture.  Acclimating to the corporate culture is one of the most important and challenging tasks for a new employee. Identify a high performing employee and assign them the responsibility of helping the new employee learn about the company culture. It will serve as a development opportunity for both parties.

4. Assign the new hire to a real project immediately so they can create value for your company. 
Employees like to feel their work is valuable and helps to move the business forward. By assigning them a real project early in their on boarding, the employee feels valued and the employer is able to see how the new employee performs on a task or project. Often, companies will have experienced employees working with the new hire on the project so the employee isn’t left completely alone without support to complete the assignment.

We would love to hear your ideas on the approaches that have worked well in on boarding new employees!