If you’re in a management role, you’ve experienced common mistakes new hires make. Many new hires make some of the same or similar mistakes. Maybe you’ve been wise enough to share these common pitfalls during new hire orientation. I wasn’t. And when I introduce the common mistakes checklist to leadership training classes, most people have never seen anything like it.
I’ve heard crew leaders, department managers, and HR specialists tell me how a new hire mistake checklist can be impactful — not only to performance and production but also an organization’s culture. It shows that leadership cares, it permits new hires to share their mistakes and frustrations, which leads to lowered turnover, and it fosters teamwork and camaraderie as employees help new members of the team.
The checklist below may not be exactly what your business needs. Some of the points may fit what you do, others may not, and still others may need to be tweaked. Whether you use this new hire common mistake checklist or create your own, the point is to make it part of your new hire orientation, share it with team leaders, and get your management staff on board. When you do, you’ll create an environment based on helping new employees, and that’s hard to beat.
7 Mistakes New Hires Make Checklist
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Not asking questions
If you don’t know or don’t remember, it’s better to ask than to guess.
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Not asking for help
Especially if you make a mistake, we can’t help you if we don’t know about it.
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Trying to be as fast as experienced teammates
Experienced coworkers may be faster than you at first. Following procedures correctly and limiting mistakes are more important than speed when you’re learning. You’ll eventually catch up.
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Waiting for someone to tell you what to do
Your team leader won’t be standing over you every minute of the day, and you wouldn’t want him or her to. When you complete a task, and you’re not sure what to do next — ask.
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Not following procedures
There’s a reason we do things the way we do them. If you’re not sure why we do it a certain — ask, but don’t try to do it “your way”.
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Not being on time
Too many potentially good employees have been lost to “pointing out” don’t be that teammate.
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Not following the dress code
Our dress code is based on safety in the workplace as well as presenting a professional appearance to customers and other visitors. If you’re not certain about the dress code, we can give you a copy.
Are You Ready?
There you have it. A new hire common mistakes checklist that will take less than 30 minutes to review with your new team members. It may be one of the most productive actions you can take with your newest employees. However, it’s critical to have your entire management staff on board, and one of the best ways to accomplish that is to ask for their advice. If you ask them what they would add or change it becomes their plan.
If you adopt this idea, I’d love to hear from you. Let me know what you changed, how you implemented the checklist, and the results you’ve seen. Thank you.
How Can I Help You?
I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me.
Does your business have a management training plan? Many organizations, large and small, use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. Check it out.
Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash
