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HOW TO EFFECTIVELY JUMP START NEW FINANCIAL AID EMPLOYEES Thomas Ratliff MASFAA President AVP, Indiana Wesleyan University Investing In Your New Hire Investing in Your New Hire First Day Job Orientation How many of us have experienced something similar? Investing In Your New Hire What are your goals for your employees? • Strong Work Ethic • Performs role well • Works well with other staff members • Assimilates into office cultures • Passion for their work • Brings a fresh perspective Investing In Your New Hire What you do in the first few weeks directly impacts whether your new hire meets your goals. You Set: • the culture of your office • the expectations and standards • the tone of the office • the response that others have to your new hire • the work-life balance behavior Welcome To Our Office! Make it clear that new hire is wanted and welcome • Set office/cubicle up before new hire starts with all office equipment • Tidy up the office/wipe off surfaces • Be transparent about concerns/issues within the office • Consider a “Welcome to the Office” gift The Human Element “What does it mean to build an organization that’s as human as the human beings who work there? Many organizations have never left the factory mentality behind even as society’s challenges have changed.” (Polly LaBarre; Former Sr. Editor, Fast Company Magazine; Business Book of the Year Best Seller: “Mavericks at Work: Why the Most Original Minds in Business Win” ). The Human Element Anticipate your New Hire’s office culture questions before they ask. • What do we do for birthdays? • Is anyone allergic to anything? • Can I decorate my office? • When do I go to lunch? • How do I ask for vacation? • How flexible is my work schedule? The Human Element Allow for several ways that your new hire can relate to current staff: • When introducing new hire to others, mention what they have in common with each other • “Tell us your story in 30 seconds” • Include new hire on staff emails immediately • Invite new hire to have lunch with you and your boss Provide Ongoing Support • If possible, hire two employees at the same time to provide solidarity. • Adapt your techniques and goals to fit employee’s strengths and preferences. • Point out a colleague who can answer questions whenever you are not available. • Be approachable to both the new hire and to current staff. New hire is watching how you treat everyone else, too. Provide Ongoing Support • Spend time with the New Hire daily • Introduce New Hire to everyone in the office the first week and everyone in key additional offices in the first month • Keep an open door policy • Provide frequent and concrete feedback • Be blunt—ask them what is working and what isn’t once you develop a rapport with them Provide Ongoing Support • Provide honest and open feedback often. Don’t wait for a formal review or for new hire to ask you for feedback. • Don’t force New Hire to share, but encourage them to interact with other staff whenever possible. • Quickly address any concerns that current staff may have about New Hire. • At the end of formal training (60-90 days), debrief and ask for feedback on what worked well for them and what could have gone better during their training. Training – Where to Begin • Environmental Training • Identifying resources • Support services • Intangibles • Setting expectations • Building encouragement Training – Emphasize Basics • Computers • Ensure access is crystal clear • Write out a basic template • Give paths to key screens or terms • Build an understanding of one primary area right away Training – Emphasize Basics • Timing • Give an overview of normal expectations for their job • Have them shadow a peer during a time when they can learn something • Quality Control Training – Emphasize Basics • Pick one thing they can master quickly • Select an aspect of the new employee’s job that they can likely learn quickly • Teach them that early in the training process • Let them take some ownership of that step as soon as possible • This will help them know they are contributing while also growing Training: Variety = Who? • Direct supervisor should be well engaged • But, you shouldn’t do all the training • Get help from around the office or division • Increases the variety of the experience • Reinforces personal support for the newbie • Relieves pressure from you • Builds relationships Training: Variety = How? • Use a variety of tools • FSA Coach • Basic, Intermediate, Advanced Training options • Requires a username and password plus some instructions on how to use it and what to complete, but good federal overview information is here for the taking • https://ifap.ed.gov/ifap/fsacoach.jsp Training: Variety = How? • NASFAA Authorized Training Events • Excellent topical resource for fundamentals • Can easily pick and choose the subject matter that is applicable for a given day of training • PowerPoints and written materials readily available • Credentials (Go WV!!) Training: Variety = How? • Personal touch • Pool a combination of resources together to give variety to the day’s work for your new staff • Let the different segments compliment each other • The staff member is likely to connect with one of the ways the info is delivered Training – Big Picture • Resist the temptation to just train them on their specific jobs only • Help them see their involvement in the bigger department and school goals • Staff may commit more to the quality of their work if they see where it fits in a greater movement Make it FUN • Life is better when you enjoy it • The more creative and fun the training is, the less likely your new staff member will second guess their employment change • Give them reasons to go home happy each night • (Do the same for your other staff! ) Repeat and Test • Using a variety of tools can help reemphasize the information from different angles • Formal tests are scary – don’t go there • Pop quizzes work • Use them frequently without warning during conversations Whatdoyathink? What other successful new employee approaches have you seen or experienced? HOW TO EFFECTIVELY JUMP START NEW FINANCIAL AID EMPLOYEES Thomas Ratliff MASFAA President AVP, Indiana Wesleyan University [email protected]