OR Manager - November 2019 - 15

Human resources
clinical director for perioperative services
and sterile processing, says that
managers send a text or email, or call a
week or two before the employee's first
day to remind the person of the start
date and provide a welcome message.
Communications can be fun.
McLeod reports that some organizations
send a signed group photo of the
team wearing clown noses with a note
saying that they look forward to working
with the new employee. " You want to
convey that this is a great team you are
joining, " she says. Even a card signed
by the team members and mailed before
the first day can be memorable for
a new staff member.
Send information about the organization.
Don't wait until the first day to
describe the organization and its place
in the community. In addition, Tulgan
suggests sending mugs, apparel, and
other materials with the organization's
brand. " This helps new employees show
off their new job to friends and acquaintances, "
he says. This also is a good opportunity
to remind nurses if they will be
working at a Magnet-designated hospital.
Send assignments. Having employees
complete forms ahead of time allows
them to jump-start the orientation
process, Tulgan says. It might also be
helpful to allow them to participate in
team meetings, if they choose to do so,
or to send them memos from meetings.
At Houston Methodist, employees take
online modules related to regulatory
requirements and cultural expectations.
" They're excited about it, and it gets
them engaged with the organization, "
Miller says.
These strategies will help new employees
feel they are being integrated
into the team. " Avoid radio silence during
the intervening time between the
offer, acceptance, and day one, " Tulgan
says.
Onboarding isn't the same as orientation,
McLeod says. Orientation addresses
the skills needed to do the
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work, whereas onboarding is about
building relationships and socializing
the employee to the organization. Orientation
is objective; onboarding is subjective.
Bruce
Tulgan
" Onboarding is complete
when the person fits
into the culture of your
department and your organization, "
McLeod
says, adding that onboarding
typically takes
longer than orientation-as
long as a year. " Some say that
onboarding is more crucial than your
choice of who you hire, " she says. Although
onboarding is widely recognized
as vital to an employee's success, only
12% of US employees strongly agree
that their company does a good job of
onboarding, according to a Gallup poll.
Onboarding requires thoughtful planning.
" New employees almost always
walk in the door with a spark of excitement, "
Tulgan says. " The question is:
Do you pour water on that spark, or do
you pour gasoline? If you want to ignite
the spark, focus on them from the moment
they walk in the door. "
The authors of It's the Manager say
onboarding should answer the following
questions new employees have:
* What do we believe in around here?
* What are my strengths?
* What is my role?
* Who are my partners?
* What does my future here look like?
Onboarding needs to help employees
understand how their job connects to
the organization's mission. " Mission is
job one, " McLeod says. Responsibility
for conveying the mission starts at the
top. " Whether it's a video or a live presentation,
the CEO [chief executive officer]
needs to present the mission and
values of the organization, " McLeod
says. This information should be delivered
before staff start in the OR.
The goal is to let employees know
what they can expect from leadership
Hiring criteria
The authors of It's the Manager
distill Gallup research and their
experiences with what works in organizations
into four key criteria to
consider when hiring.
Prior experience and achievements.
Consider how experiences
align with job requirements and
knowledge.
Innate tendencies. The authors
recommend screening for five key
traits-motivation (drive for achievement),
work style (organizing work
for efficient completion), initiation
(taking action and inspiring others
to succeed), collaboration (building
quality partnerships), and thought
process (solving problems through
assimilation of new information).
Gallup offers low-cost only tools for
assessing these traits.
Multiple interviews. These help
avoid potential biases than can result
from a single interview. Multiple
interviews also allow the manager
and team members to assess fit
from various perspectives, including
role, team, and organization.
On-the-job observation. During
internships (and job shadowing),
peers and managers can provide
insights into job candidates.
and how the organization expects employees
to act. In essence, the organization
is socializing employees by
helping them learn its mission, vision,
values, and strategy. Wilson notes that
communicating this type of information
is easier when it's succinct. For
example, IU Health recently distilled its
14 values into four (excellence, team,
purpose, and compassion), making it
easier for staff to learn and practice.
Rather than conveying a large amount
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OR Manager | November 2019
15
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