Proceed with Procedures
If you’re hiring, it makes sense to review the policies and procedures up front right? Yea, but that is if you have a clear set of them. Using outdated or vague policies does not help the training process, it could hinder it by making the rules hard to follow.
Having a clear manual will help your employees know what to do in sticky situations. Nothing is worse for an employee to be put in a stressful situation that they weren’t trained on how to handle. Nothing is worse for an employer when they have to clean up the mess an untrained employee can make. If that is not convincing enough, check out Universal Class’s article with several reasons why you should have a procedure manual.
Why you need procedures according to an employee:
I have been in some sticky situations before. I can say that most of them could have been avoided if I had been properly trained. That probably goes for more people than just me. A procedure manual has to have enough. It does not have to be complicated, long, grueling, technical. It should have what you need your employees to know, simple as that. If it’s in writing, then they always have a source to refer back to.
You don’t want your employees to run around like chickens with their heads cut off right? That would be a mess and also not a good time for anyone. If you are hiring, listen to the questions that they ask. If they have a question about every bullet point, you should probably reevaluate your manual to make it easier to understand.
When to make some manuals
You can always relaunch procedure manuals. This can help you revitalize the current employees. If you’re a boss, you are also a teacher, and a procedure manual would help teach your students right or wrong.
A procedure manual also gives both the employee and employer written documentation, so it holds the employee responsible, which is important when you are in charge of employees. You cannot babysit all of them at once, so they need to be able to handle themselves and their jobs independently.
If nothing else convinces you to create an effective manual, then you must accept the shortcomings of your employees, because it is unfair to blame someone for doing something wrong when they were not taught right.