A 90-DAY PLAN TO JUMP-START
NEW EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE
After multiple interviews and lots of searching, you’ve
finally found the perfect person to join your team.
They’ve accepted your offer, and you’re ready for them to
get quickly up to speed and succeed.
But if you don’t have a great onboarding program in
place for new hires, you’re setting up that person to fail
before they’ve even started. And in the long run, you’ll
lose the candidate you just hired. In fact, according to an
Allied Workforce Mobility Survey, companies lose almost
one-quarter of all new employees within a year, and many
other new hires never reach the target productivity levels.
“You have a honeymoon with a new team member when
they are very enthused, excited and energized,” Dave
says. “Don’t let all the air out of their balloon by not
having a fast track in place for them to enter your team.”
So what do you need to put a great onboarding program
in place? The following checklist will help get you started.
These are some of the steps we use at Ramsey Solutions
for every new person who joins our team.
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BEFORE THE HIRE
CREATE A KRA
! Create a detailed, written job description before
you ever hire a candidate for a position. At Dave’s
company, it’s called a Key Results Area (KRA). A KRA
clearly defines in detail what the team member needs
to do to be successful at their job. By writing the
requirements down, you clarify the position for both
yourself and the potential team member. It’s also used
in one of the interviews to make sure you hire people
who possess the skills needed to win in the role.
ORDER SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT
! What can kill excitement for a new job faster than
Usain Bolt on race day? It’s when a new hire shows
up on day one ready to slay it, but you don’t have the
tools or resources for them to start work. So instead of
being hyped and ready to win, they’re sitting at their
desk, twiddling their thumbs and probably thinking,
What kind of idiot am I working for?
At Dave’s company, every item the new team member
needs is ordered soon after the job is budgeted
for—computer, phone, etc. It’s not unusual to see an
empty desk with a laptop ready to go before the first
interview has ever taken place.
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ONE WEEK PRIOR TO DAY 1
SEND HR PAPERWORK IN ADVANCE
! Winning second place as an enthusiasm killer is filling
out paperwork. Nothing makes a day drag like trying
to figure out a W-4 or I-9. It’s a long, boring and
unfortunately necessary task for every new employee.
So why don’t you send it in advance for them to
complete? When they arrive on the first day, they’ll
hand in their paperwork and ID to complete their I-9,
then it’s off to the races!
SEND A WELCOME LETTER
! Along with the paperwork, our HR department
sends each new person a welcome email. Besides
officially greeting them, it tells them what to expect
on their first day, plus it includes a schedule and other
important information, like where to park and how to
get into the building.
PURCHASE A WELCOME CARD
! To make a new hire feel welcome the minute they walk
in the door, buy a card and have every member of their
team sign it. Put it on the new employee’s desk before
they arrive.
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DAY 1 WELCOME
GREET THEM
! The first day is both scary and exciting for new team
members. No new hire should ever walk through
the door on the first day without someone there to
greet them, show them where to go, and make
them feel welcome.
GIVE A TOUR
! Remember, a brand-new hire doesn’t even know where
the bathroom is. Give them a campus tour on day one,
and introduce them to the team. If your company is too
big for individual introductions, make sure to introduce
them at your next staff meeting.
GO OVER POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
! Take time to review your company’s policies and
procedures, benefits, and core values with your new
team member on their first day, so they know how to
be successful on your team.
! Our HR department prepares an information packet
that includes a checklist of tasks they have to
complete in their first 90 days. Their individual leader
then explains the new hire’s KRA with them to ensure
they understand their duties.
TAKE THEM TO LUNCH
! Nothing makes someone bond with others or feel
welcome more than a shared meal. Treat new team
members to lunch with a few key members of your
team, so everyone can get to know each other.
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FIRST 90 DAYS
DO A CULTURE DUNK
! This may seem like the oddest piece of advice you’ll
receive, especially if you’re desperate for additional
help. But we guarantee it works. No one at Ramsey
Solutions begins work on day one. Each person is
dunked into the culture, which means they are given
time to learn about the company and our core values,
including a required reading list and job training. On
some teams, it takes a month to get a new person up
and running prior to them starting individual work.
SCHEDULE REGULAR CHECK-INS
! During the first 90 days, schedule time to periodically
check in with new team members to see how they
are faring. Are there any issues they need help with or
don’t understand? Are they fitting in with the team?
Your goal is to show them that they have support and
to tackle issues before they become problems.
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90 DAYS
90-DAY CHECK-IN/CELEBRATION
! For the first 90 days at Dave’s company, each team
member is on probation. During that time, the
company has little obligation to them. The same holds
true for the team member, with the company on trial.
Once the three months are over, though, it’s time to
celebrate as the new employee becomes an official
member of the family.
! Each of our team members meets with Dave for dinner,
where he shares stories about the company, answers
any of their questions, and gets to know them. For
many of us, the dinner with Dave is one of our favorite
moments here.
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REQUIRED READING
Dave feels so strongly about the power of books, he
requires all new team members to read seven essential
ones in their first 90 days on the job. The list includes:
EntreLeadership
EntreLeadership features the principles Dave used
to grow his business from a card table in his living
room into a national brand.
The Go-Getter
This classic book teaches a critical success
principle. Success in any area of your life requires
deciding you will not be denied from reaching
your goal.
The Go-Giver
The Go-Giver tells the story of an ambitious young
man named Joe who learns that changing his
focus from getting to giving ultimately leads to
unexpected returns.
The Legend of the Monk and the Merchant
The Legend of the Monk and the Merchant will
change the way you think about your career, wealth
and true success.
QBQ!
Dave says, "John Miller is one of the few people I've
allowed to be a guest on The Dave Ramsey Show.
QBQ is the best book on personal responsibility
available today."
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REQUIRED READING
Rhinoceros Success
Rhinoceros Success is about unleashing the
persistence and tenacity necessary for success.
Who Moved My Cheese?
One of the world's most recognized experts on
management presents a simple parable filled with
insights designed to help readers manage change
quickly and prevail in changing times.
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4 ONBOARDING MISTAKES TO AVOID
As a longtime HR professional, Armando Lopez, Dave’s
Executive Director of HR, has learned through the
years what works and what doesn’t when it comes to
onboarding new team members. He recently sat down
with us to discuss the most common mistakes small-
business owners make and how to avoid them.
1. WAIT UNTIL DAY ONE TO
START ONBOARDING
Onboarding a new hire should start when they accept
the job—not the candidate’s first day of work. “You want
people to be as engaged and excited as the moment they
said yes,” Armando says. “We have a call program, and we
stay in touch with them through that two-week period.”
2. NOT READY FOR THE NEW HIRE
The biggest mistake employers make is not being
prepared for a new hire to join the team. Everything the
new person needs to begin work—down to the smallest
details, like pens and notepads—should be ready for
them before they walk through the door. You also need
to deputize your other team members to show them the
ropes, answer any questions, and generally make them
feel at home.
“If you’re not ready, you’re making a very poor impression,”
Armando says.
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4 ONBOARDING MISTAKES TO AVOID
3. PASSING THE WELCOME BUCK
If someone is joining your team, you or their leader need
to be there to welcome them, no matter how tight your
schedule. Once that’s accomplished, you can hand them
over to others to take them through the first day. “It’s
about putting your best foot forward and making a good
first impression,” Armando says.
4. NOT MEETING THEIR EXPECTATIONS
Another common mistake, says Armando, usually doesn’t
show up for a week or two after a new employee comes
onboard. That’s when the job is different than what
was discussed during the interview process. “Don’t sell
something and then do the bait and switch,” Armando
says. “No one wins when you do that.”
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