I was in my favorite discount department store yesterday buying the grandkids some clothes and flip flops to keep at Umma & Umpa’s (yes, that’s what they call me and the hubby) house for those wonderful, unplanned sleepovers.

Anyway, there was a couple ahead of me as I entered the line. After a minute or so, the woman rudely said, “never mind” and they walked away leaving a counter full of merchandise. The clerk apologized sincerely, took the kitchen ladle in his hand and the rest of the merchandise from the counter and set them aside. It was obvious to me that he was very embarrassed and out of curiosity I asked, “What was that all about?” He shook his head and said, “We were waiting for a price check, I called several times, but nobody responded.” After talking a little more I learned that it was his first day on the job. And I could tell he was not having much fun even though he was working to be very professional and pleasant to me.

I’m pretty sure this store has some good processes in place to prevent losing customers in this manner, but yesterday that system was broken. And it caused a not-so-good first day for one of their team members. What processes do you have in place to ensure new employees have a good first day?

Following are some ideas for setting new employees up for success:

• Be sure they have a thorough orientation about the company, their department, and their specific job.
• Have them shadow another employee who has the same job they will be doing before expecting them to take on that job.
• Be sure that the person they are shadowing uses the proper processes and does not rely on shortcuts that may be used by experienced service providers. Also be sure they explain why things are done the way they are done.
• Once you allow new employees to work on their own, ensure they have a “safety net” for the first week or so. There should be someone nearby that they can turn to if they run into problems, challenges or if they have questions.
• Make sure that the person acting as the mentor or “safety net” has a positive attitude, is patient, and is very knowledgeable about the job they will be coaching for.
• Personally check in with the employee to provide encouragement.

We want to facilitate your interests via the LearningXchange Discussion Board. So post your question or offer a solution today. Just click on this link and choose a category— Learning Xchange.