Creating a successful business is about much more than bringing a specific product or service to life– from creating a stellar retail space to implementing a top-notch marketing plan, there are plenty of moving parts to consider. It can be overwhelming enough to keep all your ducks in a row with all that’s going on. And, now, your business is growing! Finding the right people to join your team is a task in and of itself, but one of the most important plans you need to have in place is how you are going to TRAIN your new hires!
As a small business owner, I’ll be the first to say that training is not the most exciting part of running a business. While hiring means that your business is growing – which is amazing! – training new employees can take up a lot of time. If only new hires automatically knew all the in’s and out’s of your individual business! To make your life as a business owner a little easier, I’ve outlined four ways to effectively train new employees below.
- Have a Plan in Place
This may seem like common sense, but you’d be surprised how many small business owners have little to no plan when it comes to training new hires. Depending on the person’s role, you need to figure out who will be training him or her, how long the training will last, and other key factors. At what point will this employee be expected to work on their own, free of supervision? Without a clear training plan in place, your new hire will be lost and you’ll ultimately waste time for everyone. This plan should be outlined well in advance to actually bringing any new hire into the business.
- Communicate Often and Clearly
During the training process, be sure to give the new hire plenty of feedback and set clear expectations of his or her role along the way. If the new hire is running into problems, it’s essential to discuss these issues and work out any kinks before he or she is dealing with your customers directly. Remember, not all people grasp new concepts in the same way– some are visual learners, while others may need more hands-on training. While you should have a plan in place (step one), you should be open to revising and updating that plan as necessary, depending on the specific needs of your new employees.
- Provide Useful Materials
Part of your initial employee training plan should be to create useful training manuals for your new hires. You don’t want to give every new hire the same, generic training packet with out-of-date information. Each new employee you bring into your business should feel special– and an easy way to do this is to provide individual, personalized training materials based on their specific role. New hires should never feel like just another cog in the machine. It’s your job to set each person up for ultimate success so that, in turn, your business can flourish.
- Give New Hires Responsibilities
One of the most effective ways to train a new employee is to give them responsibilities from the start. Of course, these can be simple tasks depending on the role– but the goal here is to get this person involved early on so that they have some accountability, even during the training period. Refrain from simply talking AT the new hire and give them tasks to ensure that they’re actually retaining information. If mistakes are made during the training period, that’s okay! This is exactly what the training period is for.
The key to train new employees in an effective manner is to understand that no matter how much experience a new hire may have in your industry, he or she will still need to learn about everything that makes your business unique. Remember, each new hire is another person who is going to represent YOUR business, making it crucial to train every employee in a way that makes sense and conveys your company’s unique values.
If you’re looking for help in creating training systems and manuals for new employees, I’d love to help! Please reach out to me here and we can work on getting all of your employees on the same page. I look forward to learning more about your business!
