When it’s time to expand your business and you’ve done the hard work of finding yourself the ideal recruit, you might wonder…where to next?

They’ve had a successful interview, their references check out, and they’re happy to accept the salary and conditions of the role. Providing every new team member with an orientation and training schedule is a must-have for any fresh employee to a company, and failure to do so correctly can have serious consequences.

Starting at a new workplace can be daunting enough, so providing your new employees with some basic information and safety guidelines about your company can help ease them into the role a little better. Not only is it beneficial for your new recruit, but it saves you time and headaches in the future if issues ever arise.

Why Is New Employee Orientation and Training So Important?

Although not a legal requirement for all companies, most workplaces offer their new employees a training and orientation day before beginning their new job so they can cover the basics about working for the organization.

This training can cover everything from background information about the company and enter into the more serious territory of occupational health and safety procedures too.

If the statistics are anything to go by, injuries and deaths occurring in the workplace are still alarmingly high. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 4,836 workers were killed at their workplace or on a work related task in 2015.

That equals more than 13 deaths a day, as a result of a number of different injuries.

Having a plan in place that covers the health and safety information relating to the job and the workplace environment is a must-have for any company.

What Should Be Covered In Your Business’ Orientation and Training Plan?

How to perform their job, including all tasks and responsibilities required of them;

A thorough guide on how to use machinery, materials, and other equipment safely and efficiently;

Work schedules of the organization, including information about meal breaks, start and finish times, and requesting leave;

Background information on the company such as their history, the mission statement, goals, services, customers, and products they offer;

All health and safety requirements, including safe procedures for operation and how to report an issue;

Employee rights and responsibilities, as well as information about the human resources department and how to discuss any issues regarding their employment;

How to access information such as the intranet, web and email, and the different departments and benefits that might be of use to them.

But, what other benefits are there to the employee and employer? 

The Benefits of New Employee Orientation Training Programs

Having an employee training and orientation plan in place at your company might seem like a lot of work and effort, but it’s one of those tasks that will pay off tenfold in the long term.

When considering the benefits of implementing such a program for new recruits, there are benefits to be had by both employees and employers:

According to a study discussed in Forbes, new employees who receive adequate and well thought out orientation and training are more likely to perform better at their jobs. This study showed that when the orientation focused more on the employee and how their strengths could be of use, this gave them an instant feeling of satisfaction about the workplace.

When new employees are schooled on everything there is to know about their role, the company, and what’s expected of them, there’s less room for them to make errors. They can also feel more relaxed and comfortable in their role than if they had been thrown in the deep end.

Having one set training and orientation plan for all new employees can save the company a lot of time and resources in the long run as there’s less chance of a health and safety incident, and less need for employees to ask questions.

With every employee on the same page having received a set training and orientation, a company can be assured that their values and goals have been expressed to all staff so that they can work on building their vision together. Today, most training and orientation is done in a boardroom or other similar classroom setup, but what does the future of employee training look like?

How Workplace Orientation and Training Will Evolve 

Just like all other areas of workplace training, the trend for new employee recruitment and orientation is leaning towards the digital sphere. Both employers and their staff can benefit from this mode of teaching, as it not only ensures the staff are retaining information better but saves the company precious time and money on training each staff member individually.

With an e-learning approach to orientation, staff can enjoy an interactive and educational orientation process that they can refer back to at any time of their employment. This type of training means all new employees are receiving the same information, and that it’s kept relevant and up to date. As we look to the future of training and education processes, this digital approach is just the start of what’s to come.

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Is your new employee orientation and training OSHA compliant?

If you’ve just landed a new job as a training manager, you might need some help as you settle into your new role. Like most sectors, the learning industry has its own language, terminology and jargon, that can seem overwhelming if you’re not familiar with this work environment.

For seasoned training managers, moving to a new company is obviously an easier transition. You’ll be used to the many different eLearning and EdTech acronyms that appear in day-to-day discussions. But for anyone new to training management, you’ll want to start at the very basics.

To help you out, we’ve put together some of the most common acronyms and terms that are used by learning and development professionals.

Acronyms you need to know in the learning industry

Monica Grimsley, in her article Diary of a New Training Manager: My First Days of Alphabet Soup suggests new training managers familiarize themselves with certain abbreviations.

“Naturally, we can’t use simple words like “classroom” or “webinar” or “online” to describe types of training,” Grimsley says. To get started, she recommends becoming familiar with these top three commonly used acronyms:

ILT is another term for traditional classroom training, such as you’d see in schools, universities or corporate workshops.

There is no need for technology to be used in these kinds of training sessions, as both trainer and participants will be together in one physical location.

In contrast to ILT, or traditional training, vILT relies on technology or software to connect trainers with students in real time. It is delivered in a virtual or simulated environment, such as a webinar or remote lab, that has been designed to replicate the traditional classroom learning experience.

With this form of eLearning, participants can be in any geographical location, connected to their trainer and other students by the internet. vILT can occur synchronously (meaning students are learning from a trainer at the same time) or asynchronously (as students learning from a pre-recorded video by their trainer).

As its name suggests, WBT is training that is web-based – that is, online. Developed through special software, students can log in and learn at a time and place that is convenient to them.

Unlike vILT, WBT is usually available to students 24/7, as there is no virtual trainer or need to connect in real time. This makes web-based training self-paced and flexible, which makes it a very effective learning method.

With some research, you’ll start to feel more comfortable hearing and using these kinds of terms, which certainly abound in the eLearning industry.

Grimsley also outlines a common mnemonic that’s used in the learning industry. Many companies use these four steps, known as ADDIE, when discussing the four steps of the training process.

A&D, is the first step taken at the start of any training process. Through the analysis and design stage, training managers can define and analyze the areas that need to be solved through training. A plan than then be designed to solve any identified problems.

In the learning industry, training managers commonly refer to the plan that is produced as a ‘design document.’

In this second step, the training process is created, reviewed and validated. This development occurs in line with the plan outlined in the design document above.

The third step, whether it’s implement or instruct, is where training is delivered to the student. Training is implemented, or content is instructed, depending on the format of the learning experience.

Evaluation is the last step of the training process and should never be overlooked. It’s important to take stock of your training methods to determine whether they were effective for your audience.

There are many different ways to evaluate training and you may like to do further research in this area. Simply asking for feedback at the end of any course or session is a good place to start.

Hopefully this information will prove useful as you start your journey as training manager. Taking the time to get your head around these basic terms might save you a lot of time and confusion in meetings or discussions with colleagues.

If you’d like to learn more eLearning acronyms, Sam Weston has written a helpful list of acronyms for training managers in his Ultimate EdTech & eLearning Jargon Buster. Look through Weston’s full list of acronyms to become more accustomed with these common eLearning abbreviations.

What you need to know as a new training manager

We recently talked about how improving your listening skills can make you a better leader, helping you to be more effective in understanding, supporting and developing employees. As a manager, knowing how to listen to staff during training is a particularly important leadership skill.

Employee training sessions provide managers with some of the best opportunities to engage in important conversations with staff and collect valuable feedback. Take a look at your current training program – are employees being given the chance to contribute, or are your business leaders doing all the talking?

Training should be a mutually beneficial process, where employees and managers can learn from each other and grow, through conversations that are a two-way street. As Amy Jen Su, co-owner of executive training firm Paravis Partners, says – “as a leader, you need to have a strong voice and you need to know when it’s time to listen.”

Here are some steps you can take, to make sure you’re maximizing your potential to listen to employees throughout training.

Good listeners know how to practice ‘active’ listening, using a combination of “physical, mental, and emotional presence” to form a stronger connection with people as they speak. When using active listening, it’s important to maintain eye contact, turn your head and body towards the speaker and use physical cues such as nodding while listening.

Evan Hackel, author of the book Ingaging Leadership, takes this concept of active listening further, believing it’s just as important to “actively listen for what people are saying that is right, not wrong” and encouraging leaders to “stay alert for the good and useful things employees say.”

Hackel suggests that by focusing on trying to hear what is right in what another person is saying, rather than what is wrong, you can focus on the right issues instead of any preconceptions about what problems might be. He calls this approach “looking for kernels of wisdom” and believes it can significantly improve the way we listen, while allowing leaders to learn more about the perspective and talents of individual staff members.

“When I focus on trying to hear what is right in what another person is saying, I learn more, discover promising and even brilliant ideas, and focus on the right issues instead of my preconceptions about what problems might be,” Hackel says.

Another way for employers and managers to show they’re listening to their staff is to get them more involved in the design of training programs. This can have great benefits for an organization, as it’s often employees who can identify problem areas and training hiccups that leaders may not have a clear view of.

Ask staff for input on the type of training they want and need. This way, you’ll be able to design a training program around what employees need to learn; not what you think they need to learn to do their jobs.

As well as getting staff involved in the planning stages, continue to ask for feedback while training is being delivered. There’s no reason why you need to wait until the end of a training session or program to see if it’s been effective – if issues are identified during the course, address them as you go.

Ask employees questions as you go, listening carefully to their responses. Onboarding can be a particularly good opportunity to listen, as new hires can bring fresh perspectives and honest insight into the training practices of your business.

Ongoing feedback allows you to keep adjusting your sails to the wind, making your training methods more effective and improving the results for your employees and organization.

At the conclusion of a training session or program, you may think the opportunity for feedback ends there. However, by continuing to engage staff in meaningful discussion about training methods, you can commit to continually improving your activities within this area.

It’s also important to show that you’ve listened to feedback provided, by taking action on constructive points. Hackel points out that after listening, “certain business processes may need to change [as] implementing new and improved processes goes hand in hand with listening.” Employees will appreciate that you’re making changes to training based on their feedback, which will further encourage them to continue this dialogue in a positive way.

After following these steps, you should be able to once again look at your training program and know that employees are being given the chance to discuss, review and contribute to training methods within the organization. Showing staff that you know how to listen to their individual voices will also help to create a more positive work culture, with each team member feeling more valued and connected.

How to listen to employees during training

Unsure about whether your organization needs a social media policy?

Recent headlines involving the Secret Service are a strong reminder of the importance of social media guidelines for any organization. In January 2017, a Secret Service agent was criticized for her use of social media, after posting comments on Facebook suggesting that she would rather go to jail than risk her life for Donald Trump.

The events drew negative attention to both the agent and her employer, with the Secret Service forced to issue a statement about the incident. The statement, from the agency's headquarters in Washington, assured members of the public that "any allegations of misconduct are taken seriously and swiftly investigated.” “All Secret Service agents and employees are held to the highest standards of professional and ethical conduct," the statement continued.

In this case, you can see how comments on an employee’s private Facebook account have become labelled as serious ‘misconduct’ – while putting the professional and ethical reputation of the organization in question. To avoid these kinds of situations from occurring, it’s vital for all companies to have a strong social media policy in place, outlining guidelines and expected behavior from their employees.

Here are three ways your organization will benefit from a good social media policy.

The primary function of your social media policy is to protect the reputation of your company.

These days, with much of our life being documented online, there is a thinner line between what’s private and public. Many people include details of their occupation and employer on their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts, meaning anything that is posted on social media could be seen to reflect that company’s organizational values. While this might not be true, or even fair, if the content contains sensitive or confidential information about your workplace, it presents a serious risk for both employees and their employers.

A social media policy helps to define what’s appropriate for staff to post about their company on social media channels. Having clearly defined guidelines means employees know the difference between what’s appropriate and not appropriate to discuss on social media.

“Generally, the policy will state that employees shouldn't write anything they wouldn’t want splashed across the public media,” says Mark Henricks, in an article for Entrepreneur. Keeping this framework in mind can help protect both staff and the organization, as in the case of the Secret Service above.

Social media presents significant potential for risk when it comes to posting sensitive or confidential company information, which can lead to serious legal consequences for both staff and employers. In today’s workforce, social media policies are no longer a simple ‘nice to have’ detail – they have become a very necessary legal policy document.

By having a social media policy in place, you can remove any confusion about legal issues. A good social media policy will:

Clearly spell out which social media use in the workplace is acceptable and which is not

Include information on what’s considered confidential or private company information

Explain the consequences of going against the rules of this policy

As an employer, you’re doing the right thing by educating staff in this area. And most employees will appreciate having clear guidelines about what the organization considers public information.

Rich Nadworny, Director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, explains: “social policies won’t stop all poor behavior. But they will cause some people to pause and think before they act socially.” Stopping to think before making a careless Facebook post or Tweet could be the difference between keeping your job or from getting fired and drawn into a serious legal dispute.

Promote your organization through social media

Now that we’ve talked about the more serious aspects of social media, it’s important to also realise its potential for bringing positive attention to your company. Using social media in the right way can raise more awareness of your organization and what it does. And your social media policy will help you do this!

A good social media policy will contain clear guidelines to help employees understand ways they can use social media to help achieve company goals. Encourage staff to share good news stories and company wins across social media channels. You should feel comfortable that employees know what’s considered confidential or sensitive information, as it’s outlined in your policy document.

Your social media policy should also contain details of your company’s social spokesperson, so all staff know who to direct enquiries or concerns from these channels. You don’t want employees to be fielding these questions themselves – firstly, it’s not part of their job description, and secondly, they probably aren’t best equipped to handle these enquiries in the public eye.

For more help creating a social media policy for your organization, take a look at this short one-hour course on Developing a Social Media Policy. This eLearning course is useful for anyone wanting to know more about protecting their business and employees while using social media. You’ll also receive a free social media policy example for you to download at the end.

What do you do when it's time to fill key management and leadership positions within your organization? Do you seek out leaders and poach them from other companies? Many do. However, there is a very persuasive argument to promote from within that you may want to consider.

Here are a few reasons why your company may see better results from up-skilling:

You see higher degrees of employee retention.

It's only natural that your employees will look to greener pastures if they feel like there is a lack of mobility within your organization. The other side of that coin is that you will see your people investing themselves more in the company if they feel like there is an opportunity to grow.

When they feel like they are being given the opportunity to take on senior management positions then your team members will feel like you are investing in them. This promotes a healthier corporate culture overall.

Hiring outside talent is much more expensive than promoting from within. In fact, one study suggests that the cost of recruiting and training for middle management position can cost up to nine months of that particular candidate salary. So imagine how much you will be paying when you are looking to bring on a new vice president or CEO! Startups and mid-sized firms in particular will find that the cash they save by promoting within is a huge bonus.

You improve productivity by improving morale.

When your employees have something to strive for then they will work harder – it's just that simple. By showing your employees that you are willing to promote based on measurable achievements than they will be more motivated and incentivized to hit their marks. This goes for sales staff, management, customer service agents and everyone else within the company.

If you only fill those positions from outside resources than you will be showing your employees that no matter how hard they work there’s a ceiling to what they can achieve within your company. Instead, you want your team members to feel like there is no limit to where they can go if they work hard enough—and the only way for them to feel that way is if you show them that it's true.

The new economy requires companies in all industries to be faster and more efficient than ever. When you hire from outside the company then you are bringing on someone who is not familiar with your culture or systems. There is almost certainly going to be a significant lag period where productivity slows down in that department until the new recruit can be on-boarded.

Now think about what happens when you promote from within. There is almost a seamless transition because the employee is already familiar with many of the tasks even if they've been observing them from a different seat. They will understand your culture and how you do things and this means that they will be much quicker when it comes to carrying out their most important tasks.

Your teams will embrace the new leadership faster.

This is similar to the previous point. When you promote from within than your team members will already be familiar with the new leader. They will understand their personality and how they view the tasks at hand. There will be a sense of cohesion and camaraderie that you simply can't get without time together.

You are looking for results and when there is friction between your team members then those results will be slower to come by. Promoting from within means that your company will have a stronger and more unified sense of identity.

There are obviously times when you will need to hire from outside. For example, when there are specific skill sets that you need that are not readily available within your organization then you will have to look outside to find them. This might be proficiency with new enterprise-level software, for example.

Also, when your organization thrives on new perspectives and change then it may provide a boost to your employee morale to bring on somebody with new ways of approaching the challenges ahead. Also, when there are huge strategy shifts or tumultuous business challenges and you may simply not have the resources to train up someone within the appropriate time then you may need to find outside for your talent.

Upskilling your team members requires a systematic approach with effective planning strategies to help you make the transition. Without an effective plan in place then there is far too much chaos involved in the process that can cause friction. However, if you take the time to develop a strategy for promoting your employees into key management and leadership positions, then you will see serious and lasting benefits that will directly impact your bottom line.

If you're interested in resources that will help you identify, train, and retain the talent within your organization then we encourage you to have a look at the Go1 Marketplace.

Here you'll find thousands of eLearning resources that can help your HR department become trailblazers in today’s economy.

Upskill your team and promote from within

In the past several years there have been some major disruptions occurring throughout the corporate world and this is particularly true in the area of human resources and in development. A recent study by Deloitte has been released, called the GHTC or Global Human Capital Trends Report and it discusses the new organization design that we are seeing today.

The researchers who worked on the study state there are several global sources that are reshaping the workforce, the workplace, and work itself. This report offers many relevant findings that are important to consider for any business. The data from the report was compiled from over 7,000 responses to surveys, including those from corporate leaders from more than 130 countries throughout the world.

The information from this study has proven to be quite valuable for corporate recruiters, recruiting agencies, legal search firms, and executive search firms. First, the study provides critical ideas on how recruiting agencies can run a more effective business. Second, the report offers many “nuggets” of useful information about how potential consumers are running their businesses and organizations as well.

In order to run a successful business, you must truly understand all of the challenges that your consumers are facing regularly.

The research starts by identifying changes that are currently affecting corporate structures. These are:

Demographic shifts: over half of the workforce is now millennials

Pressure to increase speed of the time to get to market 

The report also lists the top ten human capital trends, which are:

Today we are going to focus on the human capital trend of organizational design.

One of the main points identified by the study is that there have been significant changes made in the organizational structure and design of businesses. The authors agree that companies are currently striving to become more customer focused and agile. This means that many organizations are changing their current functional and traditional organizational models to a newer model that’s interconnected and includes teams that are flexible.

One way to look at this change is to think of companies as though they were a team of hollywood movie producers and less like what a traditional corporate structure would be. Essentially, like a movie set, people within a corporation are coming together in order to complete a project and then disbanding to move on to their new assignments once they complete said project.

Here are some tips that are provided by the Global Human Capital Trends study: 

Look at the design of your organization: consider reorganizing your business structure so that it consists of goal-driven teams that are focused on products, markets, or customers. It may make sense to create a team of managers to work on a specific talent pool or job type.

Analyze goals and rewards: instead of focusing primarily on individual performances, focus your performance management on the team leadership and the team performance. People should be rewarded for project results, collaboration during the effort, and for helping others. Consider using targeted incentives that motivate each team individually.

Implement new tools for teams: implement measurement systems and tools that will encourage your people to move between teams and to share information and collaborate with each other. Structure your business in a way that will help encourage your team members to work together in order to achieve the goals for the company. Finally, encourage communication and networking to ensure the entire company is successful.

Allow goal setting to be done by teams: it’s important to hold the teams accountable for their results. However, it is also a good idea to let the team decide how they will achieve their specific goals. Allow the teams to come up with the ways they will account for their performances, because this helps instill a sense of motivation in the team members and it also shows a level of trust.

Organizational design is clearly trending in the direction of a work environment that’s more focused on using teams rather than relying on individuals to perform a single task. There are many other human capital trends to consider when it comes to the global economy and we recommend having a look at the entire report on the subject from Deloitte. This report is available for free and contains a ton of information that can be extremely useful for embracing change in the new business environment we are engaging in.

Human capital trends: the state of organizational design

Many managers and business owners think that financial rewards are the most important thing on their employee’s list when it comes to job satisfaction. However, money may be less important than you would think. It seems that being happy at a job depends more on intangibles such as being valued, feeling like you’re part of a team, and feeling appreciated often outrank money when polls are conducted about job satisfaction.

If your company is struggling with turnover there are several things that you can do in order to retain your team. Here are 10 steps that you can take to improve your business.

It’s important that you create a vision for your employees that is crystal clear. This should be seen as a roadmap for each of your employees, and it should be clear so that each person who works at the company understands all of the twists and turns of the business.

It’s important not to assume that each of your employees has the training, tools, and support that they need in order to succeed. Make sure that you are checking in with each of them personally in order to find out what their needs may truly be.

Communication is perhaps the most important part of this list. Memos, newsletters, training sessions, and regular meetings should all be used to help present your vision to all of your employees. It’s also important to ask questions to make sure the information provided is understood. If you sense confusion, redesign the way that you are providing information to them.

Next, focus on creating a culture of communication where employees and managers have common goals so they are working together to improve the company overall. If you want to see the data that supports this idea, check out this article in the Journal of Change Management in 2004.

Find a way to make sure every employee is engaged in some way. If your employees are all involved in the planning and decision making of a project they will care more about it and be more willing to fight for it.

Perhaps one of the greatest motivators is feedback. Do not simply offer periodic reviews, instead you should offer feedback to your employees regularly and make sure you give positive feedback right away as this will encourage more of the same positive behavior and outcomes. You should also give negative feedback as soon as possible so that you provide your workers with a chance to correct the offending behavior.

If possible, schedule weekly meetings with each individual employee in order to provide a chance to discuss any issues with ongoing projects. These meetings can be short, but can do a lot to build tighter-knit relationships.

Remember, simply saying, “thank you” can be a powerful motivator and you should do this often and in person when possible.

Use good judgment in order to create a fair and trustful environment. When a problem comes up make sure that you examine the circumstances and understand the context of the issue before passing judgment. If you show your team trust and respect you will get the same in return. If you make a mistake, admit that you were wrong and apologize. Your employees will relate to you better and will appreciate you being honest.

A good manager will pay attention to the details and will care not only about the product, but also about the employees. One way to show this is to be involved in the process of creation. Pay attention to what happens during the work day and try to make the work environment fun as people will get more done when they are enjoying what they do.

A company that offers personalized professional development plans will have an easier time motivating their employees to learn. Look for applications and skills that are relevant for an employee’s success for both their current role and future roles they may have.

Younger employees place a high priority on professional development, even more so than obtaining a higher salary. Take advantage of their thirst for knowledge by providing them with personal development plans that are relevant to the career path they are on.

For both large and small companies, job retention can be a big problem. The cost of training new employees all the time can really add up.

When employees hold their work in high value, turnover rates are less of an issue. Special incentives, praise and recognition can help raise the value of work for employees. Employees who feel better about their jobs are less likely to leave. More importantly, if an employee feels good about their job they will try to be better at what they do. Turnover rates drop significantly when a company supports their employees.

Following the above steps will help your company helps improve employee retention. Remember: it’s important to be proactive in your employee training if you truly want to keep your top employees at your business.

At the end of the day, taking the time to invest in your staff will result in serious long and short-term benefits for your company. Your financial gains will grow over time as you will not be spending excessive resources on training new employees to do the work that you need. Invest in your current employees and you’ll reap the rewards.

Why providing training can help to retain your team

Business is a very dynamic undertaking. One of the main reasons why a company may pull ahead or fall behind the competition boils down to the performance of its staff. It’s easy to see when you look at the numbers, too. According to Harvard Business Review, a high performer can be 400% more productive that an average performer.

It’s easy to see why underperforming employees can hold back growth in a big way. Here are some solutions that HR managers can use to try and bring under-performing personnel up to speed as quickly as possible.

Simply listening to your staff can be essential in getting to the bottom of why things are not going as well as they could be. It may be they are not properly equipped or that overly complicated processes are hindering productivity. Perhaps your employees are missing the required training to understand their roles effectively or perhaps there are external factors that are proving to be a problem.

Holding meetings is a great way to get to the bottom of why things are not going to plan and once you know the problem, you can then begin working on a solution. Once a solution is in place, performance will begin to rise quickly.

Morale is something that is key in getting people to perform well and if your workforce is low on morale, it can truly be a productivity nightmare. Letting your workforce know that you appreciate them is a great way of helping to keep morale high. Another is to make sure that they have access to comfortable facilities and that the working conditions they are exposed to are as positive and encouraging as possible. Also, make it clear that there are clear paths for development and career advancement so that they know that their efforts will be rewarded further down the line. It’s also essential to be sure that your workplace is fair for all, with equal opportunities regardless of race, gender or any other demographic.

It could simply be that your workforce is unaware that they are under-performing and they may think that they are meeting or even exceeding expectations. For this reason it’s important to give staff regular evaluations to let them know where they are doing well, and where there is room for improvement. Most people would want to feel as though they are meeting expectations and would respond positively if being told, in a professional manner, that they are not. ­

Establish benchmarks so that your workforce has something to gauge their performance by, because only then can they tell if they are underperforming and need to “step it up.” Let your people know that they are not meeting expectations and you could see them transform overnight.

If employees are working hard but begin to feel that their efforts are going unnoticed or are not appreciated, it’s understandable that they may begin to lose their enthusiasm. Recognizing the strong performers in the workforce encourages them to continue to work hard, while also acting as an inspiration to others that their efforts will be recognized if they step it up and contribute the best that they can.

The rewards don’t necessarily need to be huge. Often all it takes is to let the person know that their hard work has not gone unnoticed. As for more significant rewards: promoting from within is a great way to reward your hardest working employees.

Make sure the workforce has adequate training

Poor performance is often a result of individuals not having the required training to know what needs to be done. While more complex tasks may require extensive training, other tasks may simply require a few minutes of instruction to bring them up to speed. Spend some time with individuals in the workforce to find out what they do and don’t know so you can devise a plan to help make sure that everybody is on the same page regarding proper procedures.

Of course, training up a whole workforce quickly is a tall order, so you will likely need to recruit some people to help you. Hold meetings with departmental and team managers to let them know what you need and they can take care of the heavy lifting for you. With a workforce that is now adequately trained, you will find that your workforce’s performance will improve considerably.

Sometimes, no matter hard you try, some people will prove to be simply incapable of performing to a reasonable degree, or they may just be deliberately uncooperative. If your best efforts at bringing an individual up to speed have failed, then you might want to consider moving them into a more suitable role, or even moving them out of the company altogether.

Just one ‘bad apple’ in the workforce can be enough to affect everybody else, and removing troublesome employees can make an instant positive impact on moral. Even if your team does go a man down temporarily, you can still find that their performance is improved overall.

The ideal way to help ensure that your workforce is performing well is to make the right appointments in the first place. Once you have taken measures to improve performance in the short-term, then you can begin looking at ways to improve things further and into the foreseeable future. 

Keys for HR managers to improve employee performance

The quality of a company's employees has always been a major factor determining how successful this company will be. In order to have the best employees possible, you have to first hire them and then retain them while your competitors trying to get them to defect.

While attracting top talent has never been the easiest thing in the world, retaining has definitely become the major HR concern for most companies as of lately, especially those in highly competitive fields. The main reason for this is that the employees have been getting less and less loyal which has mostly been caused by the employers themselves, if we are being honest.

Considering that, according to HBR, almost one-third of new employees start looking for other opportunities within the first six months and that it usually takes companies eight months to receive full productivity from their new hires, it becomes painfully obvious that a great onboarding process is a must in the modern world of business.

With an easy and efficient onboarding process, companies can both improve their retention rates and get more productivity from their new hires, especially early on.

In order to achieve this, however, a company needs to know how to do this.

One of the worst things you can do for your company's onboarding process is to try and wing it, hoping that you will stumble upon the winning formula.

At best, it will take you years. At worst, you will never stumble upon it.

Your onboarding process needs to involve a clearly defined approach that can be easily implemented. A big part of this will be developing an onboarding strategy that is more comprehensive than just a day or a week.

The onboarding process should start as soon as the hire is made, continued throughout their first day and few weeks all the way to the first few months. No, onboarding does not end once they have been with you for a month.

A good onboarding strategy will also take into consideration the resources the company has at its disposal, as well as the professionals who will be able to provide insights and help to the new hire. Of course, as part of this strategy, you will also ensure that the management is being involved in the onboarding process as this can truly make a difference.

One of the best things about New Onboarding is that companies nowadays have a ton of great software that can help them onboard their new hires more easily and efficiently than ever before.

For example, whereas in the past the new hire had to wade through and sign a mountain of paperwork before they even set foot in their new workplace, today this can all be handled with some kind of digital signature software. Other software solution can dramatically cut the time needed to take care of legal and benefits stuff which used to take hours and even days.

Another great technological breakthrough has been learning management systems (LMS) which have made it possible for smaller companies to provide early training and education on par with what only the biggest corporations could afford in the past.

With a comprehensive LMS solution such as Go1, you can come up with the best possible early training system for your new hires, a system that will help them get their bearings in no time. Moreover, you can even start before their first day, sending them short introductory material on your company and their future role.

Thanks to new communication and collaboration software solutions, it is also much easier for managers and higher-ups to stay in the loop when it comes to how their new hire is performing. Furthermore, this allows new hires to ask questions and voice concerns more directly and efficiently.

If you really want to onboard your new hire easily, efficiently and successfully, the most important thing will be to make them a true part of the team as quickly as possible.

You can start off welcoming them to the team by sending them a welcome kit once they are hired. This is a great way for them to learn that you care about your new hires strong enough that you will think of them before they even set foot on the company property.

When they come in for their first day, ensure that everyone is pleasant and that they are introduced to their team and their immediate superior. If you as an owner can find the time to take them out to lunch on their first day, this might not be a bad idea.

However, you must never overdo it. Sometimes companies go out of their way to be all chummy and friendly and it comes off as strange, even passive-aggressive. Your new hire knows they are there to work and going all Michael Scott on them can produce the opposite effect in them. For instance, they should be able to do some work on their first day, which would mean hooking them up with all the equipment they need.

There is nothing worse than sitting around for 8 hours, twiddling your thumbs while your new team members are breaking their backs working. Being a member of a team means contributing. If your company uses a staff shift maker, for example, make sure their name appears there on their very first day.

This will let them know they are a true member of a team and it will go further than any pleasantries.

The crucial ingredient of every efficient onboarding process will be abundant feedback that goes both ways. Your new hire needs to hear from their immediate superior, their teammates and you as the owner. This does not mean only praises. People want to know if they are doing something wrong. This is the right time to point out their mistakes and to let them know how they can get better. They will not resent you for it. They will welcome the input.

Similarly, they also have to feel free to provide feedback of their own. They need to know that they can come to you or their immediate superiors if they are having troubles with their tasks and responsibilities. If they run into interpersonal problems, they have to feel confident about telling you about this. Encourage them to give you suggestions both about their onboarding process and the company in general.

A lot of onboarding comes down to common sense. Put yourself in the shoes of your new hire. What would you like to happen to you when you join a company such as yours? You will find that much (or even everything) of what is mentioned above will be something that you would like to experience when you get a new job.

Establish an inclusive, communicative and tech-enabled onboarding process and before you know it, your retention rates will skyrocket and you will be getting amazing results from people who have worked for you for only a few weeks.

AUTHOR: James D. Burbank has spent almost 20 years in the trade show industry and he has seen companies all over the world treat their new employees in all kinds of ways. With a couple of friends, he runs a business-oriented blog called BizzMarkBlog. 

How to onboard your new hires easily and efficiently

Taking time off from work over the holiday season seems standard, right? Traditionally, many employees will enjoy annual leave time during the Christmas and New Year period, to recharge their batteries and spend time with family and friends. 

However, many employees are deciding against taking time off for a vacation, choosing to work through the holiday season instead. What are some of the reasons your staff members aren’t taking their annual leave?

It could be one of several reasons. Some people might feel guilty about adding to the workload of others, or think they’re too busy to take time off. In this case, winding down might not even seem worth it, due to the amount of work they know they’ll come back to. Others may be worried they might not have a job to come back to if they take a break.

Whatever the reason, it’s critical that your employees understand the importance of taking proper time off, for positive work-life balance and to avoid burning out. As an employer, by promoting the benefits of proper vacations, you’ll also be building a better work culture, with happier staff and lower staff turnover rates.

Read on for more insight into the reasons some staff members might be reluctant to take time off over the holiday season and how you can address this.

Thinking that No One Else Can Do Their Job

One of the biggest reasons people don’t take annual leave is that they think no one else can do their job for them while they’re away. They worry that without their physical presence, the organisation will grind to a halt – which unfortunately, may be true.

 If this is the case, it could be a sign that there are employees in your organisation with far too much on their plate. If a staff member feels that they can’t take a vacation because their immediate workload doesn’t allow it, you need to address this issue. Individuals with perfectionistic tendencies, in particular, can often be fearful of taking annual leave, being uncomfortable with the idea of other people taking over their work and not having the same standards, or creating more issues.

For these workers, there may also be a concern about switching off from technology during leave time. With advancements in digital technology, grey areas have sprung up around appropriate levels of communication for staff who are on leave. While in the past, employees were instantly disconnected from the work environment as soon as they left the office or job site, these days employers can easily get in touch with staff by phone, email, text message or video call.

Expecting employees to communicate during the holiday period disrupts their personal time and stops them from properly switching off and recharging. As an employer, don’t encourage or guilt staff into answering calls or replying to emails over their break. Managers need to understand the importance of switching off after hours and be educated on the risks of technology burnout for their staff.