By Armando Llorente, Principal Consultant @HRe-sources, LLC
After weeks (and possibly months) of searching all channels for the “Ideal Candidate (i.e. the “needle in the haystack”), you pat yourself on the back for a job well-done because he/she has accepted your employer’s offer.
The individual is now at your office for Day-One Orientation. You have the “New Hire Packet” in hand and are ready to recite important facts to reinforce the candidate’s great choice. After your pitch, the company’s newest employee signs a multitude of forms, you show him/her where the bathroom is (along with the emergency evacuation route) and send him/her to their hiring manager. Being a proactive professional, you put a “tickler” to your calendar to follow-up in 30 days to see how his/her assimilation is progressing. And then you focus on the next item on the “To Do List.” Sound familiar?
Companies too often miss a critical opportunity to enhance the employee experience. The optimism of new hires wanes because they are suddenly out of the spotlight and feel like another set of hands to perform a task. According to Bob Kelleher, author of Louder Than Words and award-winning thought leader, employee engagement is the “secret sauce” which helps an organization thrive.
What could your company accomplish if you fostered a “great/sustainable culture and had an environment where individuals are given the opportunity to excel?” (Kelleher)
As an enlightened leader, you can be a great organizational chef.
- Familiarize employees with the company’s strategy so each can articulate the same in less than 30 words. (Peter Mulford, Global Partner – BTS, Human Resources Leadership Forum, March 29, 2011)
- Push for open and transparent communications.
- Reinforce/reward creativity.
- Continuously calibrate the employee value proposition (i.e. why work here?) (Kelleher)
So…how will you cook/mix ingredients to unlock employees’ potential?