The traditional approach of onboarding includes sitting your new employees down with a stack of reading materials such as recipes or training manual doesn’t do much to explain how your food truck operation truly functions. The prospect of the first day on the job is nerve wracking. New staffers are eager to impress their new boss, so make it easier for them.

Use these three steps to help your new food truck hire understand how you expect work gets done and what they can do to add immediate value.

3 Step Onboarding Process For New Food Truck Hires

  • Start early. Think onboarding begins on an employee’s first day? Wrong. A successful onboarding program actually begins during the hiring process. During interviews, expose all candidates to your food truck’s culture. Don’t oversell it; be honest about who you are and how you work.
  • Introduce them to the right people. Identify key stakeholders such as your suppliers and frequent customers that they need to know. Make these early introductions so that he can begin building relationships right away.
  • Get them working. This shouldn’t be a sink or swim approach. Put new staff members on projects where they are supported by others and can start contributing right away.

RELATED: Avoid These 4 Food Truck Human Resources Mistakes

Onboarding beyond the first month

The first three to six months are when new hires are particularly susceptible to turnover.. On average, companies lose 17% of their new hires during the first three months, one study found. A key part of the employee onboarding process is early follow-up.

  • You or your managers should meet with employees at predetermined points: two weeks after the first day on the job, a month after, two months after.
  • At the meeting, ask new staff members how things are going for them. How well do they understand the business and their roles? Do they have any questions that have not been answered?
  • Inquire especially as to the value of training programs. Are they helpful? Do they address the right areas? Are they worth the time being spent on them? What future developmental experiences would employees like to see?

Using these follow-up meetings are also good times to hear their assessment of your employee onboarding process.

The Bottom Line

Proper onboarding isn’t just about first impressions. Taking the time to plan out how new hires will be introduced into your food truck will affect their future performance. Doing it the right way will also help their ability to achieve goals and their satisfaction with their job.

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