Good employees can become bad employees very quickly if they aren’t given proper direction. Most people start a new job with a great deal of enthusiasm, and they can’t wait to learn how to do their tasks and impress the boss. Unfortunately, it’s common for managers to just throw a new staff member into the mix and rely on existing employees to train the new guy. That new human asset will become a human liability very quickly, and it won’t be his fault. It will be management’s fault.
Develop a good training program regardless of how big your business is or even what type of business you run. Start with a thorough orientation about your company. Include your expectations of the new employee. As you start to train the person in the basic skills needed to work for you, make sure you’re using an employee who has proven to be a good trainer. If you’re going to rely on a staff member to train, then make sure you make that employee’s salary reflect his or her duties. Check with the trainer and the new employee daily to see if there are any questions or concerns. Make yourself available to help train whenever you can.
Good managers are people that the staff can feel comfortable going to if they need help with anything. Part of the training process is to be encouraging and even forgiving of mistakes that are made while the person is learning. It’s always expensive and frustrating to hire and train a new employee, but it’s a huge waste of time and money if that employee gets frustrated with lack of training and quits before he can actually be an asset.