July, 2008

The Origin of Teamwork

Building a standout team starts the day you hire.

By Tom Fife

Even though I teach team building as an ongoing process, in my training seminars, I like to establish a starting point.

Team building really begins with employee orientation. Done correctly, the orientation will assure the employee that he/she has made the right decision. It will help orient him/her to the team philosophy and comfortably “ease” them into the environment. The more quickly we can train, educate, and bond with a new hire, the more quickly the team
will be operating as a unit.

It’s important to answer as many initial questions as you possibly can to bring about a natural entry into the team. This is no time for “tricks on the new person.” Never forget how your first day was! No pranks, please.

A proper orientation should address at least five key areas to help the new employee:

Who we are. Include the company history and philosophy. Go over your mission and vision statements and take the time to have the new hire “buy into” the statements.

I find relaying a few stories that illustrate the statements works well.

If the entire company was included in making up your mission and vision statements, let the new person know so they can see how involved the team can be in inner workings of the company.

What we do. Give an overview of the industry and the company. (Don’t assume that everyone knows what we do in this industry.) Talk about your clients, explain a few whats/whys that relate to them, as well as how they affect you. This is also a great opportunity to go over your company’s customer service philosophy.

How we do it. Present an overview of the operation itself. How do you accomplish your goals? This is a great time to show how each member of the team, as well as each whole team, affects the overall success of the company. Go through the nitty-gritty of all the facets of the operation.

Be careful to include all departments within the operation. Yes, that includes the office, accounting, sales, as well as any installed areas you may have at your company. An organizational chart may also be useful.

Benefits and regulations. Address this thoroughly and make sure the new member understands these before going into the workplace environment. Be creative with the types of information you think would be helpful. They will be concerned about everything regarding their compensation, so cover all payroll procedures and review the benefits package, as well. This is the time to go over the employee handbook, if available, along with all attendance policies, performance measurements, advancement opportunities, safety policy and any job specific regulations. (A map of the town with a few eating places is a nice touch.)

Give a hands-on tour. Introduce as many teammates as possible. This is extremely important! I recommend including the owner/manager if possible. The new hire will not remember all of the names, but they will recognize faces of co-workers. Explain any job-specific training needed as well.

Assign a Mentor. This is the best way to have continuing help available. A mentor will be helpful in a myriad of ways and can quickly teach the right way to do things.

You can never put too much into a good beginning in any relationship and that is especially true when we bring someone new into our working families. If you aren’t currently doing any orientations, I urge you to do so. If you are, revisit it to assure you are making it a team-building experience.

I can help. Just holler.

TOM FIFE is a 20-year veteran of the construction supply business and president of Unionville, Ind.-based Challenges Inc., a speaking, training and consulting firm. Seminar topics include employee motivation and retention, customer service, management skills and yard foreman skills. For additional information, call at 812.330.1640, e-mail tom@tomfife.com, or visit www.tomfife.com.