There is an employee life cycle that all employees travel through while employed at a job. This cycle can last decades, years or even days. It is the path each individual takes while employed. Within this cycle, each person is in a different place at a different time. It is important to keep in mind that not all people are the same and will not be in the same place at the same time. The interesting part is that the employee life cycle is not limited to hourly employees. If you are a manager or leader, you are also working within this cycle. Although it’s not on a piece of paper in an employee training manual and it’s not in the mind of a leader looking at his people, it’s important to understand where they are. Employee success and happiness revolves around how well managers and leaders help employees within the cycle. When an individual doesn’t “make it” or “leaves” an organization, the reasoning can be seen in one of the four parts of the employee life cycle. The cycle consists of Hire, Train, Lead and Support:
Think back to when you started recruiting in your career:
- Were the hires right? Most people can think of situations where we didn’t hire the right candidate for the job. This is a difficult question and we will deal with it later.
- Were they trained correctly? Having the best manuals is just a start to training someone well.
- Were they well directed? For an employee to stay engaged and challenged, they need a leader to provide the direction they need along the way.
- Did they receive the right level of support? As managers and leaders during daily operations, we are challenged not only to meet schedules, projects, and tasks, but also to support those above us, alongside us, and for whom we are responsible.
Over the next few months we will dig a little deeper into the cycle.
The first phase of an employee’s life cycle is Hiring. Although it seems quite simple, it is not. Hiring the right candidate is one of the most important pieces of the employee life cycle. Hire the wrong person and the cycle will be short. Once we have hired a new employee, it is time to train. Training is the next step in the employee life cycle. This is the step for an employee to really get a feel for the organization. (We’ll discuss hiring later.)
It is said that the first 48 hours in a job will dictate the individual’s success, attitude, and even employment longevity in that job. In my restaurant work, more employees would leave their job in the first 5 days of training than anywhere else. This was largely the case with line cooks. Being a line cook in a corporate restaurant is hard, dirty, and exhausting work. It was not uncommon to walk into the office and hear managers complain about the dismay of the employee not exercising. The manager’s statement would inevitably start with “they interviewed so well” I don’t know what happened. With the managers there was this idea that they were at the door and somehow the managers had completed the job. In truth, the first 48 hours of training are crucial. If the employee feels disconnected, he probably won’t stick around. Think back to when he started his work, as a beginner there were many thoughts that went through his mind. Some of the thoughts were of excitement about what’s to come and maybe even some were of “What did I do?” nature. Early in my career as a restaurant manager, I accepted a job at a corporate bakery/cafeteria. When I accepted the job, it was a step up in promotion. After extensive background checks and paperwork, I turned in my notice of resignation from my current position later that week. I received a phone call on Friday afternoon. The gentleman on the other end of the line was the director of the new organization, he explained that there had been a miscommunication and he was wondering if I could start pastry training overnight the following Monday. Not wanting to start off on the wrong foot, I agreed and thought it would be three long weeks until my previous job was finished, but it was for good reason. The following Monday arrived and after working all day in a restaurant, I went home to change my clothes not knowing what to wear to go to the café. I went to work. When I got to the cafe, I found the front doors locked and music blaring inside. After several minutes of banging on the windows and knocking on the cafe, a young man came to the door and let me in, after a short introduction he informed me that he had no idea why I was there and told me that he left for work 4 hours before. and it was almost finished. He continued to make jokes about the company and laughed and wished me luck. Needless to say, my career in coffee was very short. This initial impression made me question my career change and I quickly left the organization. When you think about training an organization, there are four important pieces to your training program.
Orientation:
Orientation is a great opportunity for the new employee to understand the organization and for the organization to understand the new employee. (Example: The new line cook at our restaurant would attend a four-hour orientation on policies, procedures, and everything else. In most cases, you can see the enthusiasm of the employee walking out of the orientation.) Orientation is a key piece in any training program. You can orient the new hire and answer any questions he may have before starting. In most cases, this first impression can make or break the rest of the training.
Training programs:
The training program is very important for consistency and also standards. No two people are trained the same way and no two employees learn the same way. Having a detailed training program will allow the people who are training to ensure that each part is accomplished on an individual basis. The training program should be fluid and tailored to the needs of the individual being trained. The dedicated training program ensures that all employees have the correct knowledge and material to be successful in their job. This also ensures consistency in the work being done. This is the beginning of the image that the new employee will have in the organization for which he now works. If the cafe had that system, the result might have been different.
Dedicated Trainers:
Having people committed to the development of a new employee is crucial to the success of everyone involved. If the new hire works with anyone on any training day, there is frustration not only on the part of the new hire but also on the trainer. Training is a high commitment that requires a great deal of time, money, and perseverance from people within the organization. By having dedicated coaches, the group knows where the new hire is and what they need to focus on that day. There will be a connection between the employee and the new trainer. (One of the biggest challenges at the restaurant was starting a busy Saturday night and seeing a new employee on their second day of training look at a manager and ask where they should be. After running around for a bit, the manager will introduce them to another employee. and tell them to train. I can hear the response from the line cooks: “What do you know how to do? As you can imagine, it rarely worked out the way you expected. There would be stress and frustration on both sides. and it would be quite understandable.)
mentors:
Once the new employee gets through the grueling process of interviewing, orientation, and training, it often helps to have a mentor to help them along the way. A mentor is someone they can relate to, ask questions, and get feedback if needed. (In the restaurant’s case, once a new line cook was trained, it became a lesson in self-sufficiency. You’d hear comments like, “He got five days of training, so why doesn’t he get it?” ?” When a mentor was introduced to the line cook (usually someone they helped train), the result was dramatically different. It allows the employee a level of comfort).
My daughter recently decided that she wanted to play ice hockey. After initial thoughts of fear and excitement, I researched local hockey programs and signed her up. The program she enrolled in is a first step program for kids who want to play hockey. Before the first day, I received a cover letter with a checklist in the mail. The checklist was for parents before the initial day on the ice. The list included the equipment they would need right down to the instructions for the first practice. As the first day approached, I received a phone call from a very polite lady looking for my daughter, Hannah. As I watched my daughter talk on the phone, she smiled and laughed and thanked the lady on the phone and handed the phone back to me. As she spoke to the person on the other end of the line, she explained that she was calling Hannah and me to welcome us to the program and the club. She wanted to connect with us and answer any questions we might have. Once we got to the arena there were people from the club welcoming us and helping us along the way, as the week progressed we received emails and follow ups from the coaches and program directors. In the second week of the show, older players with more experience were introduced to the group. Players are on the ice to help all new hockey players with skills they might need extra help with.
The previous program has followed the training model, and my daughter is in love with hockey. She has fun, she seems comfortable playing and she knows what to expect each day she goes. In all practical steps, the organization has ensured her participation for years to come.
