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WasteAdvantage Starting School for Waste and Recycling: New Employee Orientation
The Advantage in the Waste Industry
John Wayhart
As an owner or manager, it is integral that you Act As A teAcher And remind both the new hire And your employees of the rules And provisions of the company, including those for safety.
Zero Accident culture (ZAc) is A belief system that there is no such thing as an accident in the work place, as all accidents are preventable in some way, shape or form. ZAC is a responsibility process that begins and ends with senior executives who instill the proper parameters and motivators for workplace excellence. It starts with the management team understanding each job, its exposures and how safe performance will lead to superior results for the company. From there, proper and effective hiring practices, as well as an extensive new employee orientation, will set forth the companys safety and zero incident standards. Last month (Waste Advantage Magazine, April 2012), I wrote about instrumental hiring practices and some insightful ways to create a Zero Accident Culture mindset before someone reports to work. Now, its time for the next crucial phasenew employee orientationor what I like to call Waste and Recycling School.
that the mentor may be spending too much time on the overall company operations, because they expect that the new employee knows what to do in terms of safe and effective practices. In turn, the mentor should have weekly meetings with the new hire to discuss processes, proper techniquessuch as liftingand any problems or advice.
Report Cards
Feedback. Feedback. Feedback. Provide guidance and feedback on their work. Keep an ongoing chart or report throughout the week in order to provide specific feedback and to recall booth positive or negative instances. It is very important to highlight work ethic and positive practices in order to renew confidence and encourage forward momentum. After all, the first few weeks of any new job or school can be very overwhelming. Use any negative experiences as a learning tool. Do not degrade the new hire in any way; rather, spin an instance into a learning activity. They will begin to see how sincere and determined you are in creating the very best work environment for them and for the company.
Parent-Teacher Conferences
During the training process, the senior executive team should set meetings twice a month with the designated teacher or mentor to review the progress of the new hire and areas for continued education in the waste industry. Oftentimes, through these meetings, you may discover
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Graduation Day
Empowerment is a privilege not a right. Demonstrate to new employees the eventual reward that can come after orientation is over and they are fully integrated in their job requirements. If the employee is accountable, is the right fit and has been given the proper guidance and tools to succeed, let him or her earn greater authority and privilege. Once orientation is over, outline a one-year timeline that coincides with their goals. The timeline can serve as a checklist to keep them on track towards graduation daythe time he or she becomes a fully-integrated and empowered employee within the organization. While it may seem time intensive and costly to implement strategic hiring practices and new employee orientations, the damaging results of a major workers compensation claim or a few minor incidents from not doing the proper due diligence in hiring, is far greater. | WA John Wayhart is a Senior Vice President at Assurance Agency (Schaumburg, IL). With more than 29 years in the insurance and risk management industry, his expertise lies in providing solutions for a wide range of businesses including the waste and recycling industry. In 1989, John trademarked the Zero Accident Culture and continues to teach, coach and mentor this process to help drive down the cost of risk to improve operational effectiveness and financial results. He can be reached at (847) 463-7161 or jwayhart@assuranceagency.com.
2012 Waste Advantage Magazine, All Rights Reserved. Reprinted from Waste Advantage Magazine. Contents cannot be reprinted without permission from the publisher.
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