6 ways to get your new employee productive, faster

Attracting, selecting and recruiting new employees can be an expensive and time-consuming process. In the current business climate, the requirement to get them up to full productivity as quickly as possible has never been more important.

Here are a few tips to help you get your new hire up to full productivity as fast as possible:

1) Before they start

Give your new starter the opportunity to meet with key stakeholders or team members before they start, over a lunch or coffee. Starting a new job can be daunting, so seeing a few familiar faces on day one can go a long way to making those first few days easier for all concerned.

2) Set high expectations

The reason you hired this person over all the others you interviewed is because you expect them to be more productive. If you tell them this, they are more likely to live up to your expectations.

3) Be professional

From day one, set them clear objectives and tasks. Make it clear they are here to contribute. The relationship building will occur over time.

4) Give them a real orientation

Many corporate orientation programs consist of a stack of reading material on company policies and procedures and a raft of forms to be completed. They often miss out on key information like: “Where's the bathroom?”; “Who's in charge here?”; and “How do I get the resources I need to achieve my objectives?”

So, where possible, get new employees to read and complete forms before they start. Also, provide them with a map of their new office (including who's who, what they do, their extension numbers and some personal information about them) to help them learn names faster, understand who to ask what questions, and how to prioritise to achieve their objectives. Each new employee can enhance the document, which you can then pass on to subsequent starters.

5) Provide immediate and honest feedback

Starting a new job can be daunting. New starters are often hesitant, tentative and prone to making mistakes. But if your organisation has a particular way of completing a task, there is usually a reason for doing it that way. Make it clear from the start, and don't let your new employee get into bad habits that will be harder to change later.

6) Keep them busy

If your new employee has nothing to do, it sends them the wrong signal and gives the impression they are low on your list of priorities.

Ensure all those involved in the new starter’s first few days are on hand to help, available and have set agendas for their time with them. If something comes up that is urgent and of a higher priority get the new employee involved — that is what they are there for, after all.

In summary, some of these tips may seem harsh. However, if you don’t take the opportunity at the start to ensure optimal employee productivity it may be harder to rectify attitudes or behaviour at a later date. In the long run you will both be glad you have set out in the right way.