Best Practices 5, 6 & 7

Posted: 1/22/2007

 

#5 – Develop a consistent interviewing, evaluating and hiring process

The easiest way to do a consistent, thorough and fair job in personnel interviewing and selection is to establish an organized, systematic written process that is followed every time! While such a process might be time-consuming and cumbersome to set up originally, it will save time in the long run. As interviewers and managers become more familiar with required procedures, speed will increase. And, importantly, the company will do a better job of employee selection, while also minimizing your potential legal exposure.

#6 – Have an organized plan to invest in your employees’ growth through training

Personal development and growth must be an active part of the management of every employee. Training and development plans should be included in every performance review and an active schedule should be maintained. This does not include just classroom or seminar training sessions, but also cross-training for backup coverage. Likewise, it’s good business to expose employees to the aspects of a position that might be in their future career path. This can be done without making promises to the employee and, if nothing else, serves to give them a broadened view of the operation of the company.

Exposure to organized training or cross-training programs can be a great way of determining if a particular career path is appropriate for an employee. It can often make it obvious to both parties that a particular direction is correct or that it isn’t.

#7 – Always measure the success of employee training

Never train for training sake or because “it’s in the budget”. If you demand a return on your training investment, both the employee and the company will reap the maximum benefit. Measurement can be as simple as a quiz or as complex as an annual evaluation or the necessity to perform new or expanded job functions after training. The important thing is to make sure that the employee recognizes that you are investing in their growth and you expect that growth to show some measurable and positive business results.