How to Provide Training to New Employees Shortly Following Their First Day of Employment
Most people don't remember much of what they learn the first day on the job. Nerves and unfamiliarity combine to make the first day stressful. Employees might not fully remember meaningful training on the first day. Essential training and skills building needs to be repeated over time. New-employee orientation should last weeks or even months, rather than hours.
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Instructions
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Determine the essential items the employee must be told about or complete on the first day -- such as the location of the restrooms, where to go in a fire drill, critical safety principles and completion of employee benefits enrollment -- and which training and orientation items can be taught over the next few days.
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Identify the critical topics for training in the first few weeks. These topics will include essential functions of the job -- such as information on company acronyms and other essentials the employee needs to know to perform day-to-day tasks -- as well as any required training. Some states have legally mandated classes; for example, California requires all supervisors to be trained in sexual harassment prevention. Health and safety topics should also be covered in the first few days on the job, before the employee performs any hazardous tasks.
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Develop a new-employee binder and website portal to house all initial training documents in one place. This allows the employee to explore and revisit the topics covered in training at his own pace and also ensures consistency of training.
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Set self-directed training activities. Using the binder or website, employees can complete a written training program during any downtime their first few weeks on the job. Set specific deadlines for each section and consider using multiple choice questions or an online test to assess retention.
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Mix on-the-job training with theoretical, book-based training and mandatory training -- such as safety or sexual harassment training -- to keep the employee interested and avoid overwhelming him.
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Tips & Warnings
Assign the new employee a mentor or buddy who will serve as a resource if the employee has questions.
Don't forget to train high-level executives. While these individuals may not need on-the-job training classes, information about company basics -- acronyms, for example -- is useful for all new staff.
