Employee Induction and Training
Help Them Realise their Full Potential
If you've prepared your Systems right, employee induction and training should be easy. The moment your first employees walk in the door, you'll be able to give them:
a) a list of all the jobs you want them to do,
b) a schedule of when to do each job, and
c) a full description of how to do each job.
Getting the jobs done is not the hard part with an employee - it's getting the jobs done well. And the best way to ensure that your staff perform above and beyond your expectations, is to treat them with respect, and to allow them to add their own creative input into their work. When doing initial employee induction, take the time to teach them all jobs carefully, then check up on them regularly during the first few days / weeks, and be sure to answer any questions they have at all. But after that, don't try to control them by breathing down their neck all the time - just trust them, and they'll do a much better job, and be much more satisfied with their work.
If they have a suggestion, listen. Ask them regularly how they're enjoying the job. If there's anything they need, give it to them. If you treat your employees well, they will appreciate it, and work harder for you.
Also, when training employees, give them the lists / routine schedule you've created, but apart from that, let them run free with their ideas. Tell them that those documents are only a guide to the way that you've done the jobs - if they have any better ideas about how to do their work, let them pursue things their way! Of course, you have to keep a close watch to ensure they don't stray from the main goal. But as long as they understand the main goal, and they respect you, and are treated well, you'll find they'll bring more to the company than you could ever have expected.
Key to Training Employees: Don't Control them; Trust and Respect them
The most important thing to do when training employees is to not treat them like they're expendible. Sure, considering the fact that they'll only be doing menial jobs at the start, it would be relatively easy to replace them. But having to start from scratch and train up new staff etc. takes precious time and resources. If you can keep your employees for the long term, they could potentially become your CEO one day. Treat them that way, and you'll not only gain a valuable staff member, but also potentially a life-long loyal friend, who will help you reach any of your future goals.
