The link between on-boarding and engagement

I teach humanistic management and have a background in both the for profit and non-profit sectors. I am also on the USA chapter board for the International Humanistic Management Association.

I recently had an epiphany about on-boarding while discussing the on-boarding practices for Greyston Bakery – who practice open hiring – meaning – anyone who wants a job – gets hired. Their on-boarding procedures – reminded me of my volunteer management on-boarding procedures. And my volunteer management program was well regarded and I was loaned out to other organizations to help them set up and manage their volunteer processes.

Eleanor Roosevelt once said (and I am paraphrasing) treat your employees like volunteers. There is a lot to be said for this.   In volunteer management circles – we have a document titled – the 7 sins of volunteer management. These “sins” relate to what needs to happen to successfully on-board a volunteer. 

To put this “sin” list into positive terms a good on-boarding will.

 1.    Explain the work that needs to be done (clarify job descriptions – roles, responsibilities etc)

2.    Explain WHY the work needs to be done.  (mission orientation)

3.    Provide the tools for the work that needs to be done (what they are, where to get them, how to use them – how to navigate the organization if they have a problems)

4.    Ensure the staff is trained on how to use the tools properly

5.    Verify staff know how to do the job correctly in real life – not just – here is the training go

6.    Follow up  - check in for a month to make sure work is being done and that staff understand priorities and that anything unclear in the training is clarified for future trainings or changed if it turns out that in real life – staff do it differently.

7.    Thank them as part of the follow up – again- to help ensure they understand the importance of the priorities.

Recently asked questions about on-boarding and their answers:

1.    What are your best and tested methods to on-board new joinees? Is it orientation, training, first day experience or any other(s)?

a.    The orientation MUST include information on why the work being requested is important.  An orientation to the history of the organization and the mission and purpose of the organization. Most of the motivation issues can be addressed if the onboarding includes the moral imperative of getting the work done. What happens if your company didn’t exist and the customers didn’t have you all to help them? Why does what you do matter?

Examples:  I was in Japan a couple of years ago and toured the Inax museum. They make toilets and other porcelain products and have for a couple of centuries. While we were there -  there was a new employee orientation training going on. They new recruits learned about tile around the world. The history of toilets in Japan. How porcelain is made, all about soils from around the world and the properties of soil and how it impacts the final product, how the company helped rebuild Tokyo after the Ginza fire and more. This wasn’t simply – a – we need you to make sales calls for us orientation. This was a several day immersion into the history of the company and all aspects of production.  Only THEN could the employees go on to do whatever it was they were hired to do.

Greyston Bakery has a similar on-boarding. They bring people in as a group – and orient them to the bakery. What is the bakery’s history? How was it founded. What are the principles that guided the founders? Who all are the customers. How do all the parts of the organization work together to get the brownies out the door and to whom and what happens if they don’t get those brownies baked.  It’s not simply a – we need you to do accounting for us. Everyone – EVERYONE is given an immersive week long orientation. And if they don’t complete it – they don’t move on to the production floor. This is why they can open hire. The people who stay through on boarding – WANT to be there and re committed to the project. This is similar to volunteer on boarding. You make it exclusive – something that has to be worked for – and the people who rise to the challenge – are great.

2. Do you have any different onboarding methods depending on the position or department a candidate joins? 

No. You should not have different on-boarding methods. Everyone should go through the same orientation.

3. What on-boarding methods, even thought to be great, aren't as effective in driving engagement and why?

If you don’t include information on why the company exists, who the customers are and why it is important that your organization exist to solve whatever problem you are solving and how the company is organized and how the parts of the organization work together to solve those problems - your employees won’t necessarily understand all that and they are more likely to just view their own work in isolation – which is not very motivating and it doesn’t encourage collaboration or motivation. Understanding how a person’s work impacts other employees – is VERY motivating. Most orientations – cover the job- legal requirements and little else.

If you are interested in learning more - let me know - I may just create a - how to on-board effectively program. 

Pride, Optimism and Recognition in the Workplace

How do you instill pride and optimism in your employees? What actionable steps do you need to take?

The first question you need to ask is – what people really want? The answer: to be treated as a respected and valued human being.  No one is a robot. No one wants to be ignored or worse, put down.   All humans have a need to belong and that includes belonging in the workplace.

It is very easy for managers to not pay attention to the real humans who are their employees. Managers have their own bosses with deadlines and stresses and more. They need the staff they manage to get the work that needs to be done done.

The managers who have happy staff, are the ones who take the time to recognize and respect the people who work for them as truly unique individuals who are valued members of the team.  This isn’t something that can be dictated, it has to be modelled and taught.

The problem is most managers don’t get training on what the role of a manager is and how to do it properly. So, they act how they think they should act and sometimes, their insecurities get in the way of them making human connections.

Now, I admit, I am NOT the greatest at making human connections because I’m a bit of an introvert. But a big part of my practice as a Humanist is to actually make eye contact when I meet someone. I try to get and remember their name. I try to be human with them. Meaning, I try to be my real self and not act as if I am someone I’m not. I’m a flawed geeky human. I share that with others.  The managers I have had that I respected the most, were not only the most real, they were also the most genuinely respectful people I’ve ever worked for. That is what we all should be aiming for.

Soft Management Skills.

The “soft skills required to do this right, like actively listening take time. That’s why people don’t do them. To treat your employees as fully human, you have to give them your time as a manager. Listen to them. Talk to them. Learn about what their struggles are and what their dreams are and who they want to be and who they admire and what tv shows and movies and music they like.  This takes time.  And it’s not optional. It’s necessary to learn what motivates your employees so you can provide them with what they need and want.

Trust

Often what people want is to be trusted. This can be demonstrated by asking for their opinion on decision making and respecting the input they are providing.  Don’t just give lip service to team work. Actually treat the members of your team as equally valued.

Respect

The next thing people want is to be treated with respect. This is why bullying, harassment and discrimination should never be tolerated. Unless you are a sadist, most people don’t enjoy working in an environment with a bully. So don’t just write off interpersonal problems as normal. They aren’t and they negatively effect the work being done and the decisions being made. Address them professionally and get rid of any employee who is not respectful of their co-workers.

Clear directions: 

Part of communication is being clear about what needs to be done. I offer a course on the 7 sins of staff management. They are all communication sins.  One of the sins is to not tell someone WHY a particular job needs to be done.  This is so important because if an employee doesn’t know why something has to be done, then if something happens that makes doing that job hard or impossible, they won’t necessarily know how to prioritize the fixing of it and they won’t necessarily understand how important it is to find a work around to get it done. In other words, the why jobs need to get done, helps employees be creative when a problem arises in the course of doing the job.

Individualize Recognition

Finally, when it comes to recognition, different people need different things. And unless you get to know who they are, really, you won’t know what they really need. Some people need and want public acknowledgement of their contributions to the team. Others would cringe if you made a public spectacle of them.  What I learned from my time as a volunteer manager is that most people are looking for friendship and while managers can’t really be friends with their staff, they can still instill a sense of camaraderie and respect in the team.

To learn more consider taking these courses or offer them to your new managers are part of their orientation program.

Humanistic Management Training – As a First Step

There is no doubt we need to change how we run our businesses. The greed ethic is counter-productive and harmful to society. But what can we do to change it?

There are a variety of reasons why people create businesses. Some want money and don’t care what the business is. Others care deeply about solving problems using their business. Most businesses are a mixture of good will and desire for money and a living for your family. So are just – you have to do something.