It’s too - finklercpa.comfinklercpa.com/~finklerc/images/ManagementStrategiesFall2011.pdfemployees...
4
O nboarding . The word is reminiscent of the golden days of train travel. But it’s also the current shorthand for new- employee orientation. The Society for Human Resource Management defines onboarding as “the process by which new hires get adjusted to the social and performance aspects of their jobs quickly and smoothly, and learn the attitudes, knowledge, skills and behav- iors required to function effectively within an organization.” Onboarding practices range from highly struc- tured and thorough to haphazard and perfunctory. Research shows that a comprehensive, structured approach is more effective. The faster new employees feel comfortable with their new roles and relationships, the sooner they begin contrib- uting and the more productive they become. Studies also show that employees’ engagement, loyalty and commitment are influenced by how they are treated during their first 30 days, which is to say, during their onboarding process. It makes no sense to do a careful job of recruit- ment and selection, and then drop the ball on the next step, onboarding those new hires. Objectives of an effective program To be successful, an onboarding program has to accomplish many things, from the intangible and philosophical to the mundane. Here are some of those objectives. Teach employees the mission, vision and values of the company. To contribute appropriately, employees must know the company’s mission, vision and values, and how their job aligns with those. Socialize new employees to the workplace. Help them feel comfortable as quickly as possible. Make them feel good about their job and the people they work with. You want them to go home each night feeling like they made a good choice of where to work. Teach employees the company culture. Each workplace has its own norms for etiquette, those often- unspoken rules about acceptable and unac- ceptable behaviors. Is it okay to eat during meetings, to order a glass of wine at business dinners, to tell jokes at the water cooler? Your tactful clarification will mean employees don’t have to learn the hard way. Inform employees about performance standards and the expectations of their role. People need to know exactly what is expected of them, what they need to do to succeed, and how performance will be measured and managed. See Onboarding on back Inside Inside Fall 2011 ➜ Is a toxic manager impacting your business? ➜ Managing virtual workers takes a new set of skills It’s too important to win g it Onboarding A management information bulletin to our clients and business associates from: Finkler & COMPANY Certified Public Accountants & Business Consultants “Helping our Clients Accumulate and Retain Wealth” 16600 Sprague Rd., #285 n Middleburg Heights, OH 44130 n (440) 826-1550 n Fax: (440) 826-1552
Transcript of It’s too - finklercpa.comfinklercpa.com/~finklerc/images/ManagementStrategiesFall2011.pdfemployees...
Teach employees about work processes. Show themhowtheworkisdone.Wheredotheygotogetnecessarymaterials? Who do they go to with various questions orproblems? Who needs to give their approval before theycan proceed with a project? (Weak onboarding programsoftenstartwiththisstep,omittingeverythingbeforeit.)
Thisisthemundane-but-necessarypartoftheonboardingprocess. It includes fillingout tax forms, selectinghealthcarecoverage,makingotherbenefitchoices,signingcon-tractualdocumentssuchasnoncompeteagreements,andaffirmingthattheyhavereadandacceptthetermsintheemployeehandbook.
Best practices to improve onboarding Following are some points that distinguish the most
effectiveonboardingprogramsfromtherest: Createformal,writtenonboardingplansthataretailored
toeachposition,notone-size-fits-all. Getinputfromkeystakeholdersastowhatneedsto
becoveredinonboardingforagivenposition. Takecareofnew-hiremechanicsbeforethefirstday
–thatis,havetheemployee’sworkstationsetupand
running,thecomputerconfigured,securitybadgeonhand,andsoforth.
The most important day on the job is the first day.Makeitspecial.
Makeonboardinganactiveprocessforemployees,notaninformationdump.Givethematourofthefacility.Involvethemindiscussionsandworkprocesseswhenappropriate.Introducethemtokeypeople.
Whenyouneedtogiveemployeesreadingmaterial,doitinsmallchunks,brokenupwithotheractivities.
Scheduleone-on-onemeetingsfortheemployeewithkeypeople,bothtoshareinformationandtobegintoforgeimportantrelationships.
Continue your onboarding program over severalmonths.Peoplecanabsorbonlysomuchinformationat one time. The program will, of course, be moreintensiveatfirstandintermittentlater.
Considerassigningamentor. Followupwithnewemployeesatregularintervalsto
assesstheirprogressandprovideanyhelptheyneed.Ifallofthissoundslikeitrequiresalotoftimeandwork,
consider the time and effort that goes into managing orreplacinganunsuccessfulormarginallysuccessfulemployee.❚
Onboarding. The word is reminiscent ofthe golden days of train travel. But it’salso the current shorthand for new-
employeeorientation.TheSocietyforHumanResourceManagement
definesonboardingas“theprocessbywhichnewhiresgetadjustedtothesocialandperformanceaspectsof their jobsquicklyandsmoothly,andlearntheattitudes,knowledge,skillsandbehav-iors required to function effectively within anorganization.”
Onboardingpracticesrangefromhighlystruc-turedandthoroughtohaphazardandperfunctory.Research shows that a comprehensive, structuredapproach is more effective. The faster newemployees feel comfortable with their new rolesandrelationships,thesoonertheybegincontrib-utingandthemoreproductivetheybecome.
Studiesalsoshowthatemployees’engagement,loyalty and commitment are influenced by howtheyaretreatedduringtheirfirst30days,whichistosay,duringtheironboardingprocess.
Itmakesnosensetodoacarefuljobofrecruit-mentandselection,andthendroptheballonthenextstep,onboardingthosenewhires.
Objectives of an effective programTobesuccessful,anonboardingprogramhas
to accomplish many things, from the intangibleandphilosophicaltothemundane.Herearesomeofthoseobjectives.
Teach employees the mission, vision and values of the company.Tocontributeappropriately,
employees must know the company’s mission,visionandvalues,andhowtheirjobalignswiththose.
Socialize new employees to the workplace.Helpthemfeelcomfortableasquicklyaspossible.Make them feel good about their job and thepeople they work with. You want them to gohome each night feeling like they made a goodchoiceofwheretowork.
Teach employees the company culture.Each workplace hasits own norms foretiquette,thoseoften-unspokenrulesaboutacceptableandunac-ceptable behaviors.Is it okay to eatduring meetings, toorderaglassofwineat business dinners,to tell jokes at thewater cooler? Yourtactful clarificationwillmeanemployeesdon’t have to learnthehardway.
Inform employees about performance standards and the expectations of their role.Peopleneedtoknowexactlywhatisexpectedofthem,whattheyneedtodotosucceed,andhowperformancewillbemeasuredandmanaged.
See Onboarding on back
I n s i d e
I n s i d e
Fall 2011➜Is a toxic manager
impacting your business?
➜Managing virtual workers takes a new set of skills
Onboarding continued from front
It’s too important to wing it
Onbo ar d in g
A management information bulletin to our clients and business associates from:
The technical information in this newsletter is necessarily brief. No final conclusion on these topics should be drawn without further review and consultation. Please be advised that, based on current IRS rules and standards, the information contained herein is not intended to be used, nor can it be used, for the avoidance of any tax penalty assessed by the IRS. © 2011 CPAmerica International
Management Strategies
Finkler & COMPANYCertified Public Accountants & Business Consultants
“Helping our Clients Accumulate and Retain Wealth”
16600 Sprague Rd., #285 n Middleburg Heights, OH 44130 n (440) 826-1550 n Fax: (440) 826-1552
Finkler & COMPANYCertified Public Accountants & Business Consultants
“Helping our Clients Accumulate and Retain Wealth”
16600 Sprague Rd., #285Middleburg Heights, OH 44130
Toxicmanagerscanruinabusinessfromtheinsideout.Toxicmanagersdon’thaveacluehowtheirbehavioraffects
theiremployees,ordon’tcare.Theyareself-interested,havebigegosanddon’trespondwelltofeedbackabouttheirbehavior.
Here’sanexample.Lindsayhadjuststartedcollegeandlandedajobasawaitressatanicerestaurant.PaycheckscameonFridayswhen Lindsay wasn’t scheduled to work. She was told duringtrainingtopickupherchecksafter8p.m.becausemanagersweretoobusytobeinterruptedduringthedinnerrush.
For her first paycheck, Lindsay drove the 10 miles andwaited in the parking lot until 8 p.m. She then went to themanager’sofficeandaskedforhercheck.
Elizabeth, the evening manager, told her the rule hadchangedandthatshewouldhavetocomebackafter9p.m.–eventhoughLindsaywasstandinginfrontofher,anditwouldhavebeeneasytohandherthecheck.
Lindsay went shopping for an hour and came back at 9.Whenshewalkedintothemanager’sofficethistime,Elizabethsaid brusquely, “When I said come after 9, I didn’t mean at9:01.”ButshegaveLindsayhercheck.
WhenLindsaytoldherco-workerwhathappened,hesaid,“NobodycanstandtoworkforElizabeth.That’swhypeoplequitassoonastheyfindanotherjob.”
Itissometimessaidabusinessisonlyasgoodasitsmanagers.Thatmightbeamendedto“onlyasgoodasitsworstmanager.”
AninsensitivemanagerlikeElizabethcandoenormousharmtoabusinessbyunderminingemployeemoraleandmotivation,andultimatelycausingthemostcapableemployeestogoelse-where.Ifthebestemployeesleave–becausetheyaretheoneswhohaveotheroptions–thebusinessisleftwiththosewhofeeltrappedbecausetheyhavenowhereelsetogo.
How do you recognize a toxic manager?Toxic managers are not hard to spot. But when they go
unnoticedbyseniormanagement,it’susuallybecausetheygettheir jobs done efficiently enough, and the morale problemstheycausedon’treachtheattentionofanyonehigherup.
Therefore,thefirststepforseniorleadersistoobservehowtheir managers interact with employees, and how employeesrespond to them. Following are a few characteristics of toxicmanagerstolookoutfor:
Theysayanddothingsthataredemeaningtoothers.
Theyarenotinterestedinlisteningtoothers’input.
Theyalwayshavetoberight.
Theyarenotwillingtohearordiscussanopiniondifferentfromtheirown.
Whenmistakeshappen,theyaremorefocusedonblamingthanonproblem-solving.
How should you handle a toxic manager?Howtodealwithtoxicmanagersdependsonhowuncom-
promisingtheyareandhowgenerousyouare.Ifyouthinkyoucangetthroughtothesemanagers,youcan
trycoaching.Startbygivingfrankfeedbackaboutwhatyou’veobserved and what others are saying about the managers’behavior.Don’tsoft-pedalit.
Askthesemanagersiftheyarewillingtomakemajorchanges.Iftheyagree,tellthemwhatyouexpect.Bespecific.
Scheduleregularmeetingstodiscusstheirprogress.Inthemeantime, keep your eyes and ears open. Ask people whosejudgmentyoutrusthowthesemanagersaredoing.
On an annual basis, allow all employees to anonymouslyprovidefeedbackaboutthecompany,managerandworkgroup.The rating scale can start to alert senior management aboutproblems. A portion of the manager’s yearly review processshouldbeassociatedwiththefeedback.Thefeedbackcanthenbe collected and training plans developed to address areas ofconcernandtoenhanceareasofstrength.
Thebottomlineisthatyouneedtobereadytopartwayswithtoxicmanagersiftheygetdefensiveaboutyourfeedbackordon’tfollowthroughwiththenecessarychanges.❚
We wish to thank Jeff Van Pelt, Ed.D., SPHR, for his editorial contribution to this publication.
It is sometimes said a business is only as good as its managers. That might be amended to “only as good as its worst manager.”
virtualworkerstakes a new
Managing
set of skills
Virtual teams, remote workers, telecommuters – whatever name you call them – the practice is becoming more commonplace. For good reason.
Allowingemployees toworkremotely saves thecompanyrent,utilitiesandcleaningservices.Itgivesyouamuchlargerpool of talent to choose from, and you can have employeeslocatedwhereveryouhavecustomers.
Notsurprisingly,workingremotelyispopularwithemployees,sotheyhavehigherjobsatisfactionandlowerturnover.
Butmanagingavirtualteamrequiresmanagerstolearnanewsetof skills.Theyhave tomanage theperformanceandassurethecohesivenessandengagementofpeopletheycannotsee. Above all, this requires open lines of communication,usingtechnologyinplaceofface-to-facecontact.
Contact with your remote team Scheduleteammeetingsbytelephoneconferencecallor
videoconferenceat leastoncemonthly.Teammeetingsareforgroupproblemsolvingandconsensusbuilding.Write out an agenda. Distribute any documents to bediscussedwellinadvance.
Meetwitheachteammemberone-to-oneat leastoncemonthly.Individualmeetingsareforcheckinginaboutwhatemployeesareworkingonandhowtheyaredoing,andforidentifyinganyproblemsorhelptheyneed.
Stayinfrequente-mailcontactbetweentelephonecalls. Try to get your team together in person at least once
eachyear.Buildinsomefun,team-buildingactivitiesifpossible.Atleasthavedinnerstogether.
How to manage performance Teammeetingsbyconferencecallorvideoconferencearean
opportunitytoassesshowpeoplearedoing.Listencarefullyto each member on the call. Do they sound engaged andexcited? Are they actively participating and contributing totheagenda?Oraretheysilent?Dotheyseemtobeboredorlackinginenergy?
Whenyounoticeanyofthelatter,followuprightawaywithaprivatephonecalltofindoutwhatitmeans.Dotheydisagreewiththedirectionoftheteam?Havetheybecomeunmotivated?Dotheyhaveapersonalcrisisdistractingthem?Yourresponsewilldependontheanswers.
Of course, the best gauge of performance is whether theemployees are getting the expected results. Is their work asgoodasbeforetheystartedtelecommuting?Istheirproductivityonalevelwithothersimilarlysituatedemployees?
Workingremotelyisnotforsomepeopleandthisneedstoberecognized. Someemployeesneedface-to-facecontacttofeelfulfilledintheworkplaceandtobeproductive.
Following are some additional signs that might indicateperformanceproblems:
Do the employees often havelong delays in returning emailsandphonecalls?
Dotheyneverpickupthephonewhenyoucall,alwayslettingitgointovoicemail?
Is therenoise in thebackgroundduringphonecalls?Aretheyfre-quentlyinterruptedduringcalls?
Dotheymissdeadlines? Istheirworkrushedorofpoorquality?Employeeswhoshowanyofthesesignsmaylacktheself-
disciplinetoworkremotelyormayallowtheirpersonallifetointerferewiththeirwork.
Youwillneedtohaveafrankdiscussionaboutyourconcerns.Sticktobehaviorsthatyouhaveobserved.Don’tmakeaccusationsor assumptions about the causes of those behaviors. But holdemployeesaccountableformeetingtheexpectationsoftheirjobiftheywanttokeepthatjob.
Establish a set of companywide guidelines for the work-from-home structure. Include whether the company will orwill not pay for the following: Internet connection, fixedphoneline,mobilephoneline,printer,desk,etc.❚
It takes different management skills to assure the cohesiveness and engagement of people you cannot see.
Fall 2011 Management Strategies2 Fall 2011 Management Strategies 3
Toxicmanagerscanruinabusinessfromtheinsideout.Toxicmanagersdon’thaveacluehowtheirbehavioraffects
theiremployees,ordon’tcare.Theyareself-interested,havebigegosanddon’trespondwelltofeedbackabouttheirbehavior.
Here’sanexample.Lindsayhadjuststartedcollegeandlandedajobasawaitressatanicerestaurant.PaycheckscameonFridayswhen Lindsay wasn’t scheduled to work. She was told duringtrainingtopickupherchecksafter8p.m.becausemanagersweretoobusytobeinterruptedduringthedinnerrush.
For her first paycheck, Lindsay drove the 10 miles andwaited in the parking lot until 8 p.m. She then went to themanager’sofficeandaskedforhercheck.
Elizabeth, the evening manager, told her the rule hadchangedandthatshewouldhavetocomebackafter9p.m.–eventhoughLindsaywasstandinginfrontofher,anditwouldhavebeeneasytohandherthecheck.
Lindsay went shopping for an hour and came back at 9.Whenshewalkedintothemanager’sofficethistime,Elizabethsaid brusquely, “When I said come after 9, I didn’t mean at9:01.”ButshegaveLindsayhercheck.
WhenLindsaytoldherco-workerwhathappened,hesaid,“NobodycanstandtoworkforElizabeth.That’swhypeoplequitassoonastheyfindanotherjob.”
Itissometimessaidabusinessisonlyasgoodasitsmanagers.Thatmightbeamendedto“onlyasgoodasitsworstmanager.”
AninsensitivemanagerlikeElizabethcandoenormousharmtoabusinessbyunderminingemployeemoraleandmotivation,andultimatelycausingthemostcapableemployeestogoelse-where.Ifthebestemployeesleave–becausetheyaretheoneswhohaveotheroptions–thebusinessisleftwiththosewhofeeltrappedbecausetheyhavenowhereelsetogo.
How do you recognize a toxic manager?Toxic managers are not hard to spot. But when they go
unnoticedbyseniormanagement,it’susuallybecausetheygettheir jobs done efficiently enough, and the morale problemstheycausedon’treachtheattentionofanyonehigherup.
Therefore,thefirststepforseniorleadersistoobservehowtheir managers interact with employees, and how employeesrespond to them. Following are a few characteristics of toxicmanagerstolookoutfor:
Theysayanddothingsthataredemeaningtoothers.
Theyarenotinterestedinlisteningtoothers’input.
Theyalwayshavetoberight.
Theyarenotwillingtohearordiscussanopiniondifferentfromtheirown.
Whenmistakeshappen,theyaremorefocusedonblamingthanonproblem-solving.
How should you handle a toxic manager?Howtodealwithtoxicmanagersdependsonhowuncom-
promisingtheyareandhowgenerousyouare.Ifyouthinkyoucangetthroughtothesemanagers,youcan
trycoaching.Startbygivingfrankfeedbackaboutwhatyou’veobserved and what others are saying about the managers’behavior.Don’tsoft-pedalit.
Askthesemanagersiftheyarewillingtomakemajorchanges.Iftheyagree,tellthemwhatyouexpect.Bespecific.
Scheduleregularmeetingstodiscusstheirprogress.Inthemeantime, keep your eyes and ears open. Ask people whosejudgmentyoutrusthowthesemanagersaredoing.
On an annual basis, allow all employees to anonymouslyprovidefeedbackaboutthecompany,managerandworkgroup.The rating scale can start to alert senior management aboutproblems. A portion of the manager’s yearly review processshouldbeassociatedwiththefeedback.Thefeedbackcanthenbe collected and training plans developed to address areas ofconcernandtoenhanceareasofstrength.
Thebottomlineisthatyouneedtobereadytopartwayswithtoxicmanagersiftheygetdefensiveaboutyourfeedbackordon’tfollowthroughwiththenecessarychanges.❚
We wish to thank Jeff Van Pelt, Ed.D., SPHR, for his editorial contribution to this publication.
It is sometimes said a business is only as good as its managers. That might be amended to “only as good as its worst manager.”
virtualworkerstakes a new
Managing
set of skills
Virtual teams, remote workers, telecommuters – whatever name you call them – the practice is becoming more commonplace. For good reason.
Allowingemployees toworkremotely saves thecompanyrent,utilitiesandcleaningservices.Itgivesyouamuchlargerpool of talent to choose from, and you can have employeeslocatedwhereveryouhavecustomers.
Notsurprisingly,workingremotelyispopularwithemployees,sotheyhavehigherjobsatisfactionandlowerturnover.
Butmanagingavirtualteamrequiresmanagerstolearnanewsetof skills.Theyhave tomanage theperformanceandassurethecohesivenessandengagementofpeopletheycannotsee. Above all, this requires open lines of communication,usingtechnologyinplaceofface-to-facecontact.
Contact with your remote team Scheduleteammeetingsbytelephoneconferencecallor
videoconferenceat leastoncemonthly.Teammeetingsareforgroupproblemsolvingandconsensusbuilding.Write out an agenda. Distribute any documents to bediscussedwellinadvance.
Meetwitheachteammemberone-to-oneat leastoncemonthly.Individualmeetingsareforcheckinginaboutwhatemployeesareworkingonandhowtheyaredoing,andforidentifyinganyproblemsorhelptheyneed.
Stayinfrequente-mailcontactbetweentelephonecalls. Try to get your team together in person at least once
eachyear.Buildinsomefun,team-buildingactivitiesifpossible.Atleasthavedinnerstogether.
How to manage performance Teammeetingsbyconferencecallorvideoconferencearean
opportunitytoassesshowpeoplearedoing.Listencarefullyto each member on the call. Do they sound engaged andexcited? Are they actively participating and contributing totheagenda?Oraretheysilent?Dotheyseemtobeboredorlackinginenergy?
Whenyounoticeanyofthelatter,followuprightawaywithaprivatephonecalltofindoutwhatitmeans.Dotheydisagreewiththedirectionoftheteam?Havetheybecomeunmotivated?Dotheyhaveapersonalcrisisdistractingthem?Yourresponsewilldependontheanswers.
Of course, the best gauge of performance is whether theemployees are getting the expected results. Is their work asgoodasbeforetheystartedtelecommuting?Istheirproductivityonalevelwithothersimilarlysituatedemployees?
Workingremotelyisnotforsomepeopleandthisneedstoberecognized. Someemployeesneedface-to-facecontacttofeelfulfilledintheworkplaceandtobeproductive.
Following are some additional signs that might indicateperformanceproblems:
Do the employees often havelong delays in returning emailsandphonecalls?
Dotheyneverpickupthephonewhenyoucall,alwayslettingitgointovoicemail?
Is therenoise in thebackgroundduringphonecalls?Aretheyfre-quentlyinterruptedduringcalls?
Dotheymissdeadlines? Istheirworkrushedorofpoorquality?Employeeswhoshowanyofthesesignsmaylacktheself-
disciplinetoworkremotelyormayallowtheirpersonallifetointerferewiththeirwork.
Youwillneedtohaveafrankdiscussionaboutyourconcerns.Sticktobehaviorsthatyouhaveobserved.Don’tmakeaccusationsor assumptions about the causes of those behaviors. But holdemployeesaccountableformeetingtheexpectationsoftheirjobiftheywanttokeepthatjob.
Establish a set of companywide guidelines for the work-from-home structure. Include whether the company will orwill not pay for the following: Internet connection, fixedphoneline,mobilephoneline,printer,desk,etc.❚
It takes different management skills to assure the cohesiveness and engagement of people you cannot see.
Fall 2011 Management Strategies2 Fall 2011 Management Strategies 3
Teach employees about work processes. Show themhowtheworkisdone.Wheredotheygotogetnecessarymaterials? Who do they go to with various questions orproblems? Who needs to give their approval before theycan proceed with a project? (Weak onboarding programsoftenstartwiththisstep,omittingeverythingbeforeit.)
Thisisthemundane-but-necessarypartoftheonboardingprocess. It includes fillingout tax forms, selectinghealthcarecoverage,makingotherbenefitchoices,signingcon-tractualdocumentssuchasnoncompeteagreements,andaffirmingthattheyhavereadandacceptthetermsintheemployeehandbook.
Best practices to improve onboarding Following are some points that distinguish the most
effectiveonboardingprogramsfromtherest: Createformal,writtenonboardingplansthataretailored
toeachposition,notone-size-fits-all. Getinputfromkeystakeholdersastowhatneedsto
becoveredinonboardingforagivenposition. Takecareofnew-hiremechanicsbeforethefirstday
–thatis,havetheemployee’sworkstationsetupand
running,thecomputerconfigured,securitybadgeonhand,andsoforth.
The most important day on the job is the first day.Makeitspecial.
Makeonboardinganactiveprocessforemployees,notaninformationdump.Givethematourofthefacility.Involvethemindiscussionsandworkprocesseswhenappropriate.Introducethemtokeypeople.
Whenyouneedtogiveemployeesreadingmaterial,doitinsmallchunks,brokenupwithotheractivities.
Scheduleone-on-onemeetingsfortheemployeewithkeypeople,bothtoshareinformationandtobegintoforgeimportantrelationships.
Continue your onboarding program over severalmonths.Peoplecanabsorbonlysomuchinformationat one time. The program will, of course, be moreintensiveatfirstandintermittentlater.
Considerassigningamentor. Followupwithnewemployeesatregularintervalsto
assesstheirprogressandprovideanyhelptheyneed.Ifallofthissoundslikeitrequiresalotoftimeandwork,
consider the time and effort that goes into managing orreplacinganunsuccessfulormarginallysuccessfulemployee.❚
Onboarding. The word is reminiscent ofthe golden days of train travel. But it’salso the current shorthand for new-
employeeorientation.TheSocietyforHumanResourceManagement
definesonboardingas“theprocessbywhichnewhiresgetadjustedtothesocialandperformanceaspectsof their jobsquicklyandsmoothly,andlearntheattitudes,knowledge,skillsandbehav-iors required to function effectively within anorganization.”
Onboardingpracticesrangefromhighlystruc-turedandthoroughtohaphazardandperfunctory.Research shows that a comprehensive, structuredapproach is more effective. The faster newemployees feel comfortable with their new rolesandrelationships,thesoonertheybegincontrib-utingandthemoreproductivetheybecome.
Studiesalsoshowthatemployees’engagement,loyalty and commitment are influenced by howtheyaretreatedduringtheirfirst30days,whichistosay,duringtheironboardingprocess.
Itmakesnosensetodoacarefuljobofrecruit-mentandselection,andthendroptheballonthenextstep,onboardingthosenewhires.
Objectives of an effective programTobesuccessful,anonboardingprogramhas
to accomplish many things, from the intangibleandphilosophicaltothemundane.Herearesomeofthoseobjectives.
Teach employees the mission, vision and values of the company.Tocontributeappropriately,
employees must know the company’s mission,visionandvalues,andhowtheirjobalignswiththose.
Socialize new employees to the workplace.Helpthemfeelcomfortableasquicklyaspossible.Make them feel good about their job and thepeople they work with. You want them to gohome each night feeling like they made a goodchoiceofwheretowork.
Teach employees the company culture.Each workplace hasits own norms foretiquette,thoseoften-unspokenrulesaboutacceptableandunac-ceptable behaviors.Is it okay to eatduring meetings, toorderaglassofwineat business dinners,to tell jokes at thewater cooler? Yourtactful clarificationwillmeanemployeesdon’t have to learnthehardway.
Inform employees about performance standards and the expectations of their role.Peopleneedtoknowexactlywhatisexpectedofthem,whattheyneedtodotosucceed,andhowperformancewillbemeasuredandmanaged.
See Onboarding on back
I n s i d e
I n s i d e
Fall 2011➜Is a toxic manager
impacting your business?
➜Managing virtual workers takes a new set of skills
Onboarding continued from front
It’s too important to wing it
Onbo ar d ing
A management information bulletin to our clients and business associates from:
The technical information in this newsletter is necessarily brief. No final conclusion on these topics should be drawn without further review and consultation. Please be advised that, based on current IRS rules and standards, the information contained herein is not intended to be used, nor can it be used, for the avoidance of any tax penalty assessed by the IRS. © 2011 CPAmerica International
Management Strategies
Finkler & COMPANYCertified Public Accountants & Business Consultants
“Helping our Clients Accumulate and Retain Wealth”
16600 Sprague Rd., #285 n Middleburg Heights, OH 44130 n (440) 826-1550 n Fax: (440) 826-1552
Finkler & COMPANYCertified Public Accountants & Business Consultants
“Helping our Clients Accumulate and Retain Wealth”
16600 Sprague Rd., #285Middleburg Heights, OH 44130
