Training new team members can be a real hassle in our fast-changing organizations. But it’s never been more crucial.
Technology is advancing faster than ever. Industries are always shifting. Bringing new talent to your team is a great way to upgrade everyone’ knowledge. But training that new hire is easier said that done.
Three Reasons Training New Hires Is Hard
1. Keeping up with the latest technologies and industry trends
To train a new hire, you need to know the latest and best information. It’s great that so much new and improved knowledge is available, but keeping up with it is hard.
2. Lack of proper documentation and knowledge sharing
One of the hardest parts about being busy and successful is that you don’t have ay time to document knowledge. This makes knowledge sharing difficult and inconsistent.
3. Lack of clarity around job responsibilities and expectations
In high-growth teams, responsibilities and expectations can change in a few minutes during a Slack conversation. While this is great for flexibility, it’s tough for new team members who need to learn how your team works.
The good news? There’s a formula for solving this problem.
Three Ways To Make Training New Hires Easy
1. Establish a continuous learning and development culture:
- Encourage all team members to stay up to date with the latest industry trends and technologies – A practice as simple as asking one team member per week to share something new they learned creates new momentum.
- Provide access to training materials – Plenty of free online resources exist from some of the world’s best institutions.
- Organize training sessions and mentorship programs – Even 30 minutes per week of cross-training creates outsized gains. Everyone on your team is great at something.
2. Establish a knowledge-sharing culture:
- Encourage all team members to document their work processes, lessons learned, and best practices. This way, documentation is 80% ready when that new hire joins.
- Set up a knowledge management system. Paraphrasing Peter Drucker, “what gets documented, gets shared.” When that documentation lives in one place, it becomes a resource for everyone, any time.
- Organize regular knowledge-sharing sessions. Just like with training sessions, 30 minutes per week of focused sessions will yield major benefits.
3. Establish clear job descriptions and expectations:
- Clearly define job roles, responsibilities, and expectations – The famous “letter to my manager” is a perfect one-page tool for this conversation.
- Set up regular check-ins and performance reviews – While this is important for the most experienced team member, it is crucial for new hires. Frequent, written feedback is a superpower.
- Provide feedback and guidance. It’s hard to join a team that is working well. Give your new hire plenty of direction on what they’re doing well, what they could do better, and ask them to share the same for you.
By implementing these solutions, teams can ensure that new hires are knowledgeable and productive from Day 1, despite the fast-changing environment. These solutions require effort and commitment from all team members, but the benefits of a well-trained and knowledgeable team are well worth the investment.
Follow these practices and faster than you thought possible, your new hire will be your team’s newest expert.
Want More Help? Try Extelli
Extelli was built to help unstick teams.
From team training, to feature and process updates, to asynchronous knowledge sharing and maintenance, Extelli provides a nimble solution for documenting, sharing, and updating your team’s wisdom so that you can grow faster.
Get started for free today to see how Extelli can unstick your team’s growth.