Onboarding is not only the first step when a new hire starts, but it can be one of the most impactful to that person’s long-term success at your practice. Therefore, taking your time to properly onboard can pay off significantly. Below are three tips on how to make this process productive:
Make the hire feel welcome
Taking the time to make sure your new hire feels welcomed will go a long way in their excitement and motivation to succeed. Some examples that I have utilized in my office to help a new person feel accepted include:
• Giving them a small gift bag on their first day filled with pens, a notebook to write what they’ll learn in training, and some candy.
• Taking the team out to lunch during the first week of employment, so everyone can get to know each other better.
• Assigning an “office buddy” — a colleague that the employee can reach out to and lean on if they have questions or concerns.
While all these items have been well-received (and I usually do all three), I strongly recommend the office buddy, as there will be things a new hire feels more comfortable asking a coworker than the office manager or doctor, and the established employee can encourage feelings of acceptance within the team.
What should my onboarding timeline be?
Onboarding should have a structured timeline, most often 90 days during which planned training is completed. This timeline will give you a gauge for knowing if the employee will be a good fit for the position or not. If not, you can decide if their demonstrated strengths might be better utilized in another position in the office or if termination is the next step.
Strive to pay close attention to the employee's skills and challenges so that you can make an informed decision. Keeping an employee that is not a good fit will be more detrimental to the long-term health of the clinic than starting the hiring process again.
Complete paperwork and trainings
Completing a new hire paperwork packet and compliance trainings (such as OSHA, Fraud, and HIPAA) upon starting employment sets expectations for the employee, such as their working hours, office protocols and rules, job responsibilities, and day-to-day routines. Reviewing these important items helps the employee feel prepared for their role and covers you and your practice in the event that you need to part ways because the employee has not met your established expectations.
Include any state-specific tax forms (for example, in Alabama, it would be an A-4), and provide your office manual to the new hire for their thorough review. It is also a good idea to meet one-on-one with the employee and review the high points of the manual, such as dress code, PTO policies and holidays, and actions that will result in immediate termination (i.e. theft, breaking confidentiality, etc). Ensure there are no grey areas, and give the new hire time to ask questions.
Slowly roll out job training
To start, consider having your new hire shadow each person in the clinic so they understand the patient experience throughout a visit. This helps them comprehend the value of their role within the practice.
DO NOT try to train them on everything all at once, as that can be overwhelming. Instead, focus on introducing the most important job functions first. For example, the most important tasks for a receptionist might include scheduling appointments, triaging phone calls, and checking in patients. These would be three great tasks to start their training, allowing time for them to master those skills before adding more. Then, add the next most important tasks, and so on.
Make sure to explain the new hire’s training schedule to your other staff, so that they do not get frustrated that they are still performing some duties that will eventually be delegated to your new employee.
Patience is rewarded
Patience is key during the onboarding process, but your investment in your new hire will pay dividends in the future! As managers, we have to remember that new staff will not pick up everything immediately. Things that are second nature to tenured employees may seem like a foreign language to a new hire. As long as you are seeing progress, push through those delays and with time and encouragement, you can often grow the employee and capitalize on their strengths. OM
