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Hiring a new employee? Get ready for the usual round of toil and trouble. Conducting interviews. Calling references. Doing background checks. They all require a considerable investment in time and effort while helping you pick the right candidate.
Too often, though, the challenge doesn't end once someone is hired. It's easy to forget an important detail. Maybe Joe didn't know there was a waiting a period until he was covered by your medical insurance. And Dennis? No one told him those two weeks of vacation time don't kick in until you've been employed for a year. Misunderstandings like those can disillusion new workers. But here's a great way to avoid such problems: Use a "new hire checklist" that covers all the bases and gets your new employees productive with minimal delay.
Before the Hire
What goes on your checklist? Everything that must be done before and after the hiring decision.
"Start by creating a list of steps that must be completed prior to any job offer," says Rebecca Mazin, president of Larchmont, N.Y.-based Recruit Right and author of The HR Answer Book.
Here are some typical items:
Interviews. Has the candidate been interviewed by every person affected by the hire? In a smaller business there may be only one or two; in other organizations, the list may include additional people who will work with the recruit, as well as a human resources officer.
Interview goals. Has each interviewer been assigned specific goals to assess? These might include assessing technical expertise, communication skills or fit with your company culture.
Testing. Has the individual taken the tests required to assure knowledge of required tasks? He said he knew how to sand—did you put him on a practice panel and watch him do it?
Background checks. Have required credit and criminal checks been completed? (Check with your attorney to make sure you do not run unnecessary and possibly illegal tests.)
Credit references. Have they been contacted and their responses recorded?
Formal application. "Even the employee with a terrific résumé should sign a document acknowledging that the employer will check references and conduct a background and criminal check if required," Mazin says. "The application should also include a statement that everything the applicant states is true." Check with your attorney to make sure this document complies with federal and state laws.
Procedures
Once the employee is aboard, Mazin adds, it's important that the checklist include steps related to business procedures, policies and orientation. Here are some typical entries. Let's start with some documentation:
Employee handbook. Has the employee received, and signed for, a copy? You do have an employee handbook, right?
Forms. Has the employee signed an I-9? Payroll forms? Does he understand his "at will" status?
Tax-related issues. Has the employee signed applicable federal and state tax withholding forms?
Direct deposit. If this is desired, has the employee signed the requisite form with a voided check attached?
Insurance. For anyone driving on the job, has proof of auto insurance been put on file?
Now let's move on to some other important areas:
Official welcome. How about a luncheon with some friendly coworkers on the first day?
Equipment instruction. Copiers. The telephone system. Computers. Cell phones. PDAs. Nextels. All have operational quirks. Reduce frustration by walking your new hire through these often-bewildering devices.
Safety instructions. This might be basic safety at your office (like where first aid kits and fire extinguishers are), or, for workers out in the field, extensive safety training (everything from how to use machines to using respirators and hearing protection).
Time and attendance. When are paychecks distributed and how? What are the working hours and holiday schedule?
Evaluations. How is performance assessed and how often? Are performance and salary reviews done at the same time?
Lunch. When and where do people break for lunch? How about the rules for coffee breaks, both in the office and at the job site?
Personal equipment. Has the employee signed papers for any company-owned cell phone, laptop, camera or other portable gadget? Every year thousands of dollars can be wasted when careless users lose valuable items.
E-mail and phone instructions and rules. While electronic communication has made the business world more efficient, it also brings new challenges. Has the employee been trained on how to use the email system? Has the employee been informed of your rules on the use of company equipment for personal use, and on the right of employers to access workers' e-mail?
Benefits. How long does the employee have to be employed to qualify for health benefits? For vacation time? Is there a 401(k) plan? Life insurance? Disability insurance? Who is the contact for these questions?
On-Boarding
Now let's move on to acclimatization. This part of the checklist ensures the new employee feels at home and works efficiently. Here, include information that might be native to the organization but not part of its formal documentation. "Communicate implicit knowledge in your assimilation checklist," suggests Alan Weiss, president of Summit Consulting Group in East Greenwich, R.I. "Maybe the person hired in a staff position needs to spend three days in the field with the sales force. Or the new sales person must spend two days in the production area."
Here are some typical entries:
Co-workers. Has the new employee been introduced to all the office workers and everybody on the crew?
Mentor. Have you assigned someone who can guide the new person and answer the many questions that always pop up? Make sure this person is knowledgeable, caring and a good communicator.
Dress policy. What is acceptable in terms of a professional appearance, both in the office and at the job site?
Social events. Softball league? Regular after-work happy hours? Make sure the new employee is invited.
Follow-up talks. Have you entered times for followup discussions at predetermined intervals? Conversations after one week and three weeks will help the new person adjust to the position and resolve any outstanding issues.
Training. You may see that the new person needs some additional training. Take steps to assign this training early.
While the details of your own hiring checklist will vary, the items above are found on many such documents. When new employees receive critical knowledge early, they become more productive more quickly. And your workplace will be much better off. "The first days of work are always the worst," Mazin says. "You feel lost to start with and you don't know who to talk to or where to go for help. The new hire checklist can help assure the new person receives all of the information needed."
Convinced that the "new hire checklist" can help your business? Once you've printed a stack, don't let them sit in your filing cabinet, Mazin says: "If you don't use them, it's not worth having them."