From a simple orientation to intensive training, all new employees need some type of training for the job are hard to do, no matter what the job. As we’ve seen in my article why people quit their jobs, lack of training is one of the main reasons given. Set something up in your company procedures to cover the things that each new hire needs to be gone over with, and use this to orient new hires. There should be some variation between job descriptions.
So even if that 15 year veteran painter shows qualities and skills of a seasoned pro, there still are things that need to be gone over. Maybe a seasoned pro has a bad habit or two or else needs to be shown the way that it’s done in your company. If nothing else, this exposure of the new hire to the company and of the company to the new hire gives the new hire a better than average feel for how they fit in to the company. Also, this seasoned pro may never have had to deal with customers directly. Since this is so important, it is a good thing to cover early. The more that you communicate at this point with the new hire the less problems you will face in the future.
One thing I learned early on in my own training working for another company was that the manager of the company had every new hire work for a time or witnesses every position in the company. If nothing else, this exposure gives you a respect for others’ positions and what they have to go through, when working for your company. Seeing people handling normal routines and watching them handle problems, also gives the new hire a real good idea of how your company works. Think about how unfair it is to have an office worker handle customer questions before they have the background to do the job properly.
Finally, this time taken away from their actual job might seem like a waste, but it’s a rare case where this time will help new hire or the company. The other thing it does, especially between field personnel and office personnel is to establish a rapport that might take years to develop without training, helps establish camaraderie and bonding, that is so necessary for a smooth operating business. This also helps to eliminate the reason for people to quit. That is lack of on-the-job training.