On-Boarding A New Employee
On-Boarding A New Employee
The Abs Company was started in 2007 with only two employees and has grown to a staff of 15 in a little over ten years. We are very fortunate that most all of our employees that have been hired have never left! Employee #1 is still with us and is approaching 20 years! Longevity with your employees speaks volumes and it’s important to learn from each hire as you grow. With this being said, I believe how you on-board a new employee will be a reflection of their loyalty and commitment to your company.
At the Abs Company, we have a set of core values that we believe in and never stray from when talking to potential candidates and in our overall business. Our Core Values are…
- We Lead with Gratitude
- We Believe that Fitness Changes Lives
- We Believe that hard works pays off and produces results that matter.
- We Keep it real
- We believe that to be a great company we must have great relationships.
- We believe in constant improvement, both business and personal.
- We demand honesty and integrity from ourselves and others
- We never give up because we believe that nothing is impossible
- We believe in taking risks to innovate because we are not afraid to fail
- We believe that our team is family
- We value all humanity and believe we should always give back.
- We believe in our products and the benefits they provide for our customers.
We know starting anything new can be a little nerve wracking. So we do our best to welcome our new team member with a small welcome gift, a cleaned up workspace along with a folder that contains important information about their new position. We also like to ask a few basic questions to learn about our new employee, i.e favorite color, favorite activity, etc. With these questions, we can make them feel at home by providing them with accessories in that favorite color, or a picture frame that they can fill of a loved one. Providing these obvious details speak volumes to the employee and shows that you are prepared for their arrival and more importantly, that you care.
In addition to the warm welcome, we create a 5 day intensive training program that circles through each department. We find this training to be extremely valuable in the long run because it allows the new team member to get to know their colleagues as well as the job they do. We believe that not one position or department is more important than another as everyone plays a hand in completing a sale.
We know that a lot of information is being given during the first 5 days and it may be difficult to retain it all which is why we introduced a 30/60/90 Day Training Plan. This plan pertains to their role and general 101 about The Abs Company. This plan can guide them through their first 90 days so they know they don’t have to learn it all at once. At each threshold, we conduct reviews to make sure they’re on par with their training and to learn more about their experience. Again, showing compassion for your new hires creates loyalty.
As we grow at The Abs Company, we learn more with each hire and I know creating this on-boarding process will be ever evolving. I feel it has created a positive experience for them and the team. I highly encourage all businesses to take the time to welcome their new employees as it sets the tone and expectation for everyone involved.