-By Harold Lloyd

The economic recession has had one silver lining: we can certainly find good employees to hire. Unfortunately, with business the way it is, we don't need them. In our business, we'll always have some turnover — maybe a bit less now with this economy — but they still leave for a multitude of reasons, and with every departure, the bottom line takes a hit. Depending on which source you read, the hit is estimated at somewhere between $2,500 and $5,000 per terminated employee, more for full-timers and managers, less for part-timers and temporaries.

In any case, the economic impact of turnover on our profitability is significant — not to mention the customer relations hit we take when a trained staff member is replaced by a "rookie." When the economy makes a complete recovery, we will again be aggressively competing for "bodies," and the turnover cost of those precious employees will, once again, approach a ridiculous figure.

This column shows how you can improve your profitability by nurturing new recruits during their first 30 days. Why the first 30 days? Because that's when the new relationship is at its most vulnerable, and because over 30 percent of all terminations happen during that time period.

Here's an array of 24 best practices to bolster your employee orientation process. There are eight best practices for the employee’s first day, eight within the first week and eight to be done sometime before the end of the first month. How well your company/store executes your orientation now should dictate the number of ideas you adopt.

The Newbie's First Day

Set your phone or watch alarm five minutes before the new recruit’s (Newbie) scheduled arrival. Give a warm, enthusiastic greeting to dispel any first-day awkwardness. (No. 1).

Never have a Newbie start on the store manager's day off (No. 2). Theoretically, the store manager is the one who knows the store, its people and procedures best. Also, try not to start a Newbie after Wednesday. The added pressure of the weekend business might send a good Newbie over the edge.

Next, the store manager should conduct a 30-minute store tour after showing the Newbie how to "clock in," beginning in the parking lot and lasting for 30 minutes (No. 3).

After seeing the store and introducing the Newbie, take him/her into the office for a 30-minute talk about Top 10 Expectations and Top 10 Promises (No. 4). Introduce the Newbie to the business terms (No. 5) used each day. After introducing the Newbie to his/her department manager, have the Newbie's "Buddy" (an employee assigned to shadow the Newbie for the first 30 days) make the appropriate introductions (No. 6).

Give the Newbie a temporary name tag that, in addition to featuring the Newbie's name, explains in bold letters: "I'm New and I'm Trying My Best. Thanks" (No. 7).

At the end of the first day, invite the Newbie back to the store manager's office for a 10-minute "debriefing" (No. 8).  A show of sincere interest may be all it takes to cement the relationship for at least the first week.

The Newbie's First Week

A meaningful orientation program consists of a minimum commitment of 20 hours of activities (No. 9) designed to ease the Newbie into the store's operations. During the first week, store employees should become acquainted with the Newbie by the photo and bio sheet posted on the employee bulletin board (No. 10).

The store manager should mention the hiring of the Newbie during the store announcements broadcast daily over the intercom at 9 a.m. (No. 11). The store manager might also invite the Newbie into the weekly department manager meeting for five minutes to be introduced to the management team (No. 12).

The Newbie will become better acclimated to the store by playing an orientation game called Scavenger Hunt (No. 13), in which the Newbie receives a list of 25 hard-to-find items and is timed as he/she tries to find them. He/she also gets a "passport" with photos of 16 to 20 managers and veteran employees, with a pertinent question under each photo, such as "What is the difference between Prime and Choice beef?" or "How many loaves of bread do we make, on average, each week?" At the end of the week (or month), the Newbie turns in the completed passport for a free lunch coupon (No. 14).

At the end of the first week, the Newbie receives a "goodie bag" (No. 15) with signature and private label products. Shortly after, on payday, the store manager personally hands the Newbie his/her first paycheck with a warm "Thanks for joining our team. We're proud to have you on board" (No. 16).

During the First Month

Call the Newbie at home after the second or third week, on a day off, between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. (No. 17).  A two-minute conversation about his/her feelings about the job will go a long way toward forming a stronger bond with the Newbie.

Another bonding suggestion is to introduce the Newbie to the regional or district manager when he/she visits the store (No. 18). The Newbie receives respect and attention, and the exec can make a quick assessment of the quality of the store manager's new recruits.

During the last week of the 30-day orientation, the store manager could invite the Buddy in for a quick meeting with the Newbie to discuss their progress and any concerns (No. 19).

The New Employee Orientation Meeting is the final act of a complete orientation program (No. 20). At this meeting, the Newbie's temporary name tag is replaced with an official permanent one (No. 21). After the loss prevention and human resource folks do their presentations, and the store manager makes some final  remarks, the Newbie is given the date of his/her 90-day review (No. 22), assigned to a store committee (No. 23) and asked to complete a confidential, 30-day orientation questionnaire for the main office (No. 24).

I welcome your remarks at harold@hlloydpresents.com or 757-572-7276.