James Cryer argues that the first few weeks can be “make or break” time for a new employee. Sadly, many employers miss the opportunity to use this period to build a lasting relationship with their staff.
As a long-standing member of the label industry, I am the first to admit that we have a proud history of continuous innovation and process improvement to look back upon.
However – there’s always a “however” – this relentless pursuit of technical virtuosity may have come at a price: our collective lack of attention to one small, niggling detail, namely, the well-being, morale and on-going motivation of the troops that actually inhabit the factory-floor and drive the presses.
If only we applied the same standards of reform to improving employee welfare and encouraging staff participation that we apply to technical innovativeness, our staff retention rate would improve – along with productivity and morale.
I know it’s easy for me to say that, I hear you say. You’re the ones up to your ears in alligators, trying to cope with late running jobs and slow-paying customers. But by the same token, I’d like you to spend a day with me as I interview candidates who complain of bosses who don’t always fulfil promises, who fail to keep their staff informed and who don’t instil any sense of “belonging” in their employees. A simple example is that of the printer who mentioned he’d worked there 6 years and still hadn’t met the boss.
From my perspective as a recruiter, there are some things we, as an industry, do exceedingly well, other things not so well – and cultivating a sense of involvement or purpose in the minds of our staff is something we’re not always good at. I’m convinced that the “cheapest” way to improve productivity may NOT be to rush out and buy a new press. The answer may be staring us in the face, literally – standing right there on the factory-floor, just waiting to be asked.
Consider for a moment the time when you may have joined a club or association. Recall how easy it was to be left like a shag on a rock, not introduced or made to feel welcome. You may be sitting next to someone and you don’t know if you should introduce yourself, or wait for them to make the first move.
Companies are nothing more, or less, than tribal organizations – with all the attendant admission gates, or barriers, to entry. Take the case of the military, which has honed the process of induction to perfection. They strip away any remnants of your former, civilian identity then re-fill the void with propaganda which reflects only those values they wish to instil - thereby inculcating a sense of identification with and attachment to the organization that many companies would die for!
The military is an extreme case, but the principle still applies – if you want your employees to share and strive for the same values that you hold important, you must create in them a sense of belonging.
How do you do this? Many managers fail to realise how just how critical are those first few days and weeks after a person joins. This is “make or break” time for the new employee. Will he be given the feeling that the company cares about him, or will he be given his machine, or desk and be expected to start working “in a vacuum”?
You would not believe the number of candidates I’ve met (who are looking for a new job!) who say they’ve never met the boss; they were never shown around the plant; they were never introduced to staff in other departments, and, they were never encouraged to offer any suggestions or input into productivity improvements.
Imagine these first few formative weeks as though they were your first day at school. This new “kid on the block” needs all the care and attention you can manage to muster. Ideally, they should be appointed a mentor, not necessarily their boss or supervisor, but a peer who can show them the ropes, answer questions, introduce them to other colleagues and generally make them feel welcome.
I recently placed a candidate with a large supplier of flexo pre-press technology, in the role of technical sales rep. Prior to that he was a skilled flexo printer with strong technical knowledge but was a somewhat “high risk” choice for them.
Their induction process was a textbook example of how to do it well. They took him round to all the departments in the company and introduced him. They flew him to their HO where he spent further time, including meeting their general manager. The candidate later told me he couldn’t believe that anyone from senior management would want to meet him – it’d never happened before! They even sent him to the recent Pacprint exhibition, where his ego was further boosted, by letting him help man their stand for a day.
I interviewed him last week and was delighted to hear his comments: “they want me to succeed”. They custom-fitted the role to suit his particular style and technical background, and management has followed up several times by asking if HE’S happy with progress! He told me he’s now totally committed to succeed and feels an integral part of something.
This is the so-called “imprinting theory” in practice, where Konrad Lorentz proved, early last century the influence of “bonding” during those early, formative stages. He was depicted in old photos being followed by a line of ducks or chickens. I’ll leave you to ponder on the symbolism of someone leading a whole bunch of geese around, but that’s another story … The point is, with good tradesmen so hard to find and with apprenticeship intake dwindling, we can’t afford NOT to nurture, guide, support and generally cultivate those staff we’ve got. Candidates are in the enviable position now, of being able to cherry-pick “good” employers.
It’s often from those staff at the “coal face”, that organizations can obtain the most useful insights into better ways of doing things – thus providing the framework for effective and sustainable growth strategies. They will only contribute, however, if they’re made to feel welcome.
W. James Cryer
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