Though training new employees is always a delicate task, bringing new managers and great leader or provider onto your team demands extra care and attention. Dropping the ball during the critical first weeks and months could extend your onboarding process unnecessarily; even worse, it could even scare your new hire off before they get settled in. To guarantee a successful training process with your next hire, here are the three most common onboarding mistakes (and how to fix them).
Top 3 Onboarding Mistakes
1. Inadequate Training Resources
Even if you’re hiring a highly experienced candidate, the initial learning curve is guaranteed to be steep and difficult. Therefore, there’s no such thing as wasted money when it comes to training resources. The time and money you spend at this point in the hiring process are one of the most secure investments that you can make, so don’t start counting pennies now.
Your most effective use of resources during the onboarding stage is one on one time with the new candidate. By giving personal attention to their needs, either yourself or with another experienced team member, you maximize your new hire’s ability to adapt to their new job. In addition, printed and electronic materials should be readily available. Though every new hire should be provided with your facility’s policy guidebook, you should also develop manuals that are specific to each position. Leveraging the experience of current and previous employees, such position-specific guides can become a crucial part of your onboarding model.
2. Failure to Integrate New Hires With the Team
In a busy workplace, it may not seem there is time to spare to meet and greet new employees. Regardless, your new hires won’t feel comfortable – or be productive – until they feel at home. As such, even small events (such as a lunch, happy hour, or even a quick coffee break) can make a dramatic difference in a new employee’s progress. Be sure this step isn’t left to a single mentor, either. When new workers get a chance to connect with members at every level of the organization, they more rapidly gain a sense of their role and importance.
3. Providing Vague Expectations
An employee can know how to do their job, have an intricate understanding of their industry, and still feel completely lost once they take on a new job. In general, this loose connection is due to unclear expectations. Solving this problem begins with clarifying your own goals. What do you expect from this employee in the first week? The first month? The first quarter? Only once you are confident your expectations are clear and reasonable will you be able to guide your new team member. And don’t forget to follow up; frequent check-ins from you and other higher-ups will ensure they are on track, understand their goals, and are beginning to feel comfortable with their new responsibilities.
From recruiting to hiring, onboarding and beyond, UHC Solutions has the expertise needed to make your next hiring round a success. With two decades of experience helping community health centers build stronger leadership teams, we are confident we can guide your facility toward its next great leader or provider. To learn more about our staffing services, contact us today.
