It’s right in the middle of your busy season. The business is there for the taking, but you're not taking it.
You have two great technicians who are out sick, and you just can’t keep up. You started recruiting last week and you're getting lots of applications, but the candidates are not up to par. You decide to take a chance on the best 3, hoping with an abbreviated training session you can have them on the road in two weeks…
We all know how this story ends, but how many of us have made the exact same mistake?
Here's 5 tips to get ahead of this challenge, before it becomes a challenge:
1. Establish rigorous hiring practices that reflect your brand.
Understand your rules for minimum qualifications and how you will measure them. Then never, ever break those rules.
2. Include a practical component in your interview process.
You don’t want to be surprised by the administrator who can’t type, or the technician who doesn’t really know how to use a multimeter. It takes very little time to deliver a test and it will save you from making a significant hiring mistake.
3. Create detailed staffing and planning models.
You will never be exactly right, but if you have a detailed plan and track performance against it as you go, you will see a problem coming and address it before it becomes critical.
4. Great employees are not just found, they’re also made.
It takes a well-constructed on-boarding and training program to move from great hire to great employee. Build an on-boarding program that delivers and stick to it every time.
5. Measure and recognize performance.
It takes a powerful measurement system to understand daily performance and an integrated performance management system to ensure that the right behaviours are rewarded.
The benefits of a high performing team accrue to the business many times over. Customers are treated well, and your business grows. Make sure that you share that benefit with the people that are making a difference.
Of course, the corollary is also true. Move quickly to coach a poor performer to improve performance. When given the opportunity to improve and clear expectations, many will choose to improve. Those that do not must be exited from the business quickly. The “addition by subtraction” will be immediately noticeable and the rest of your team will respect your decision, because they likely saw the problem long before you did.
Do you have a fool proof on-boarding strategy to avoid hiring mistakes?
Share your experiences online and learn more about field service transformation with Chapman Management Solutions at www.chapmansolutions.ca.
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