Like it or not, you can use all the latest tools to hire the right person for the job and then lose the employee because you didn’t orient and train them well.
I was visiting with a group of people a couple of years ago, and we started talking about the employment situation in our part of the country. I was told there just weren’t enough people to work at the businesses who pay minimum wage or just slightly higher. I was told these businesses have to be happy to employ people who can just pass the mirror test (they’re breathing) because there are so few people willing to work at these jobs.
Another woman, Cheryl, spoke up and shared her experience of applying at one of the local fast food outlets. She took her resume in, was interviewed and hired on the spot. Her first two days were spent in front of a computer, (being oriented and trained?) learning about the company history, how to display the merchandise, etc.
Towards the end of her second day, another employee walked in and said, “I hope you know you’re not getting paid for this?”
Cheryl was very unhappy – she had to go home and pay her babysitter for two days and she wasn’t being paid for her time! She was in the red right off the bat.
Once the two days of “orientation and training” were complete, she was shown around the kitchen and front end and shown how to prepare and serve the food. Then as rush hour began, she was told to go start taking orders from customers at the counter. The line-up was already out the door! Another employee was working with her, but customers were getting angry at having to wait while someone, who hadn’t been trained in this position, wasted their time fumbling through the order taking process.
This poor woman finally had enough and walked out, quitting before she had really even begun. The company had supplied her with a uniform, for which she was told she would have to pay $50 out of her first pay cheque. She was also told she would not receive her final pay cheque until the uniform was returned. She would not get her $50 back – that amount was not a deposit, it was more like rent.
Cheryl never received a pay cheque, so did not pay for the uniform. She was so angry at the whole affair, she threw the uniform in the garbage.
What turnover costs did this company lose? They lost the value of the interview time, they lost the productivity of the employee who was with Cheryl at the order counter during her “orientation and training”, they lost the respect of their customers, some of whom may not return, and they lost the cost of the uniform, which Cheryl estimates was worth about $200. Those are the direct costs in this turnover incident.
The indirect costs? I think Cheryl would have been a reliable employee. She was available during the day when student employees are at school. She probably would have stuck with the job. She’s good with people. Over time, she could have proven to be a valuable employee in an industry that finds it difficult to hire and keep good people.
So what would have made this situation turn out more positively?
- Tell the employee up front that she would not be paid for the two days on the computer. Give her the choice of working through the computerized orientation and training program on her own computer at home.
- Find out how your new employee learns best and provide that type of training as far as possible and within reason.
- Provide simulated training on the till before the employee actually does it with customers. These systems are tough to learn under pressure. Yes, it may cost you an hour or two, but customer satisfaction alone would make up for that.
- Be up front with all information pertaining to the new employee. Orient your employee by outlining your expectations and requirements. Cheryl learned all the bad news second hand from other employees. Maybe the information wasn’t even correct!
- Be fair with employees. You really should pay them for anything they do pertaining to your business and that includes orientation and training time. If you require a deposit for the uniform, give the deposit back when they leave your employ. This is a cost of doing business and you can write it off on tax. Minimum wage employees can’t afford to reimburse you for clothing you require them to wear.
- Ask your current employees for their input on what would make your training program more effective. Ask them what they would have liked to have known when they first started with you. They’ve been through it and may have some very valuable ideas.
- Ask your employees what would make your company a better place to work. Ask them if they would recommend your company to other people as a good place to work. If not, why not? You could reduce your costs of advertising significantly if your employees recommended other people they know who would like a job.
- What could you offer your employees that would help to make the low wages more acceptable to them? Get creative! Ask your employees for their input. You may be pleasantly surprised to find out how simple it is to keep your employees happy.
Cheryl walked away from this job because she felt she was being treated very unfairly. Do you suppose our little group were the only people she’s told about her bad experience? Do you think any of us will encourage our children or friends to apply for a job at this restaurant?
The cost of not hiring the right person for the job is high.
So is the cost of not taking the time to orient and train the right people once you’ve hired them.
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