Small business guide to hiring and managing apprentices and trainees

Transcription

1 Small business guide to hiring and managing apprentices and trainees A short guide for small businesses on how to get the most from your apprentice or trainee When it comes to recruiting and managing a new apprentice or trainee, getting it right can be hard. This is particularly true for the small to medium size businesses that don t have a HR department and have limited time and money. Research from the National Centre of Vocational Education Research (NCVER) found that businesses with more than 25 apprentices have higher completion rates than small businesses with 1 10 apprentices/trainees, yet small businesses employ more apprentices/trainees than larger ones. This guide is designed for small businesses to provide them with the resources and skills to recruit, induct, performance manage and progress their apprentice or trainee. It also includes tips, techniques, worksheets and stories from some of our most successful small business owners. If you are a small business and hire apprentices or trainees, then everything you need to get the most out of them is right here at your fingertips. In this booklet we ll cover: 1. Recruitment This includes how to hire, interview and select the best candidate for the job. 2. Induction Even in small businesses, inducting your apprentice properly can mean the difference between someone who lasts and someone who leaves. 3. Performance Management Never heard of this term before in your trade? You re not alone. Managing how your apprentice or trainee performs is essential if you want a respectful hard working individual. We ll teach you what to do and what not to do. 4. Career Progression in small businesses Generation Y craves career progression, but many small business owners are at a loss as to how they can progress their apprentices when there s no-one else in the business. We ll show you ways to develop your apprentices career without putting you out of a job. 1. Recruitment Historically in small business, we often recruit new employees (including apprentices) by word of mouth. We might recognise the need for a new hire and at the same time know someone who is looking for work and seems to fit what we want. While at times this approach can work well, other times, it can fail miserably costing the small business owner time and money. Making a new hire in a small business For any business making a new hire, it s important to get it right. It s even more important for small businesses because the cost of invested time and resources means energy spent on recruiting and hiring rather than making money. Follow our steps below to make sure you spend your time the right way. Tips for hiring an apprentice or trainee 1. Write a position description that is a brief overview of all the roles and responsibilities you want them to undertake day to day. 2. Invest in advertising the role put an advertisement in your local paper, or contact local schools with your advertisement. This will ensure you get a range of applicants so that you have choice. 3. Interview the candidates After they submit their CV make the time to interview them. Use our guidelines below. 4. Reference check Every candidate should have references down. Even if these are family friends give them a call and ask about the individual. Ask questions like what they are good at, what they don t like, how they interact in groups etc. 5. Give them a trial Before you go down the formal path of putting on an apprentice or trainee, give them the opportunity to come and work for a few days or even a week. This will allow them to get first hand experience of what it is like working together and what the job involves. If it doesn t work out after a week you haven t lost anything, but will have gained valuable insight into how suited this person is to the job. A division of NSW Business Chamber Limited. ABN

2 6. Meet the parents/support people Once you ve trialled the individual and you ve decided to give them a go, meet the parents or support person. It s essential these people are on board and support the role. Explain to them your expectations around the job, TAFE and work. 7. Letter of offer and employment contracts It s time now to give the individual the letter of offer and sit down and talk through the employment contract. Now is also a good time to go through the ways of working document that can be found on our website. 8. Induction begins Once they are officially signed up, plan a start date and get your induction process under way. Use our tips in induction. Interviewing potential candidates Interviews are so important when it comes to hiring a new apprentice or trainee, good communication is key to a committed employee. Below are some questions that you can ask at interview stage to help assess whether the candidate your interviewing will be worth your investment. Interview questions for potential hires: Why do you want the job? What skills do you think you can bring to the role? Have you ever worked before? Why did you apply for the exact position? What will you find most challenging about the role? You will initially have to start doing small jobs, how do you feel about that? Where do you live? What access to transport do you have? What do you like to do in your spare time? Who do you live with and what do they do for work? How supportive are the people in your household about you applying for this position? TAFE is a major component, how do you feel about that? There will be days you will need to work overtime, how do you feel about that? Selecting the best candidate for the job If possible, it s best to interview and even trial more than one potential hire so you have choice. When it comes to selecting who you will hire there are a few things you should consider: Things to consider when making a new hire: Can they articulate why they want the job? Are they interested in the area? Do they have transport to get them to and from work each day? Are their parents or support people on board and supportive? How did they work? Recruitment: One small hairdressing business interviewed the parents and found it to be a huge insight into their potential hire How did they answer the interview questions? Did you enjoy working with them? How do you think they will cope with the pressure of work? How will they get on with others on a job site? If you re having trouble choosing or still are unsure, rate each candidate out of 5 for all the above criteria and then see who has the highest score!

3 2. Induction Inducting an apprentice properly is a key factor in whether they will complete their apprenticeship and settle in well, or pack up and leave. Induction also doesn t need to cost a lot, as it s all about training your apprentice or trainee to learn how to work and setting your expectations early on. Many of the challenges young apprentices face when working in small businesses is that there are big differences between the way they learn to do things at TAFE and on the job Apprentice Mentor When it comes to induction in a small business it s important not to assume your apprentice or trainee will know how to do something just because they have been to TAFE. Follow our tips below to ensure your apprentice or trainee is inducted and can work with you not against you. Induction tips for small business owners Get to know your apprentice/trainee From the beginning it s important you invest time in getting to know the person behind the apprenticeship. Unlike 20 years ago when you turned up to work and only did your job, today relationships are one of the key must haves when it comes to retaining staff. Here are some things you should know and talk about with your apprentice: What do they like about work? What do they want to do after their apprenticeship? How did you start your trade? What was work like for you? How is it different now? What are some of the key things they want to learn? What do their parents do? How do they spend their weekends? What stresses them about work? What is important to them? Induction: One small trucking company, involved the parents so much they would call them every week for the first 6 weeks to touch base and see how they thought their child was coping with the transition into the workplace Write an induction plan week one Everyone needs direction. Before your apprentice arrives, use our induction plan included in this document to write out what they will be doing each day on their first week. This includes what address they need to show up to, what to bring and who to talk too. This will take 10 minutes to sit down and fill in, but it will save hours of time once they have started and will make sure you can spend time doing your job and not babysitting your apprentice. Before your apprentice starts, sit down with them and go through their induction plan for week one. Induction plan after week two and beyond One of the biggest complaints we have from small business employers is that it s hard to plan ahead because they don t always know what s happening from day to day. While this can be a reality for many small business, it doesn t need to be negative. Use this to educate your apprentice around highs and lows and working in a small business. It s also important to build this uncertainty into their induction plan, by spending the last 15 minutes of a Friday planning what the next week will look like. Even if you only know what half the week will look like, fill in the week two and beyond timetable as best you can so your apprentice knows as much as possible about their week, but also knows that they will need to be flexible and prepared for things to change. If you are in the position where you can plan most of their second week early on, make sure you sit with them and write it down. Talk them through what your expectations are for week two and how it will be different from week one. Ask them how they ve found their first week and use this tool and conversation and a way to engage them and learn about who they are as a person.

4 Seek feedback An induction process is about inducting the apprentice into the business. However, their success is not solely determined by their own individual traits, you play a key role. So it s important to ask for feedback along the way. Ask your apprentice/trainee questions like: How have you found your first week? How have you found the induction process? What could I do differently to help you more? How have you found working with me? What else do you need to know? The more you feel comfortable having these open conversations, the more your apprentice will learn that this behaviour is the norm and expected. 3. Performance management in a small business Often a phrase let for big corporates, performance management means managing the performance of your employees. While this is often something small businesses shy away from until it s too late, it s an essential skill when it comes to retaining your apprentice and trainees. There are 3 situations where you need to address your apprentice or trainees performance. These include: 1. When they have done something well For example, they completed a job ahead of time or exceeded your expectations 2. When something doesn t seem right For example, when you ve noticed a change in behaviour, attitude or work performance 3. When something has occurred and you need to address it For example, you need to address prolonged poor behaviour, a workplace conflict or failure to attend TAFE or work Below are some tips and techniques to have each of these conversations quickly and comfortably with no strings attached. Induction: One small building business had a family BBQ and invited the parents of their new apprentice over for a meal to get to know them When they have done something well It s easy to notice when things are going well, but research now suggests that we improve performance more quickly if we focus on the things individuals are doing well and encourage and praise more of these behaviours and attitudes. For many small businesses this is harder than addressing poor behaviour because often we have to stop and remind ourselves to do this. Things you can give positive praise about include: Feedback on their work you did a great job on x today Acknowledge their attitude thanks for taking on so many small jobs today and just getting them done Praise for their relationship skills a customer said what a great job you did explaining something to them, thank you Acknowledge their quick learning you ve picked that up so quickly, thanks Acknowledge their questions - you ve asked really intelligent questions, that s so impressive Acknowledge their role you ve made my job so much easier today, thank you When something doesn t seem right There will be times when working with your apprentice or trainee that they are off their game. This could be for a number of reasons, but what s important is you call it as soon as you see it and tackle it in a way where you give them the benefit of the doubt. Young employees need to learn what they are saying to their employers through their body language, presence, attention and even lack of communication.

5 If you notice your apprentice/trainee comes to work and isn t behaving the way you would expect try addressing it by using some of the phrases below: You don t seem yourself today, is anything up? I ve noticed you haven t said as much as you normally do, if there s anything I can help with please let me know How are you today? I ve noticed you re quieter than usual, I really want work to be a positive place can you give some feedback to help me improve things here, I can t change anything unless I know what s bothering people When something has occurred and you need to address it There will be times when you need to have a courageous conversation with your apprentice or trainee. This may relate to something that has occurred, something you ve noticed or even feedback you ve received. The most important thing to remember when you have these conversations is to approach it in a way that leaves both parties feeling OK. Conflict doesn t need to be toxic and doesn t need to be embarrassing. Below are 8 tips to address a conflict or issue that has occurred with your apprentice or trainee: 1. Do it immediately when you are aware of an issue don t sweep it to the side, address it immediately. 2. Ask permission Say to your apprentice or trainee that you ve like to speak with them for 5 minutes now, is that ok? 3. Know your aim Before you start talking to them, know what you want to get out of the conversation, for example do you want to clear the air about something while still providing a positive work environment or do you want to teach them a better way of behaving yet leaving them feeling motivated and committed to the job? Career progression: One small plumbing business found success with motivating and progressing their apprentice by talking them through how they got big plumbing contracts. They started to teach their 3rd year apprentice about how to apply for contracts and framed this as a business skill so they were learning something more than plumbing. 4. Express the facts Share the facts of the story without emotion first. When we become emotional we loose the purpose of our discussion. For example, a client has said that you were late to the job what happened? 5. Ask for their facts Even if you feel emotional, stick to the facts first and invite them to share their view before you share your emotions. 6. Share your emotions and the bigger picture It s important these conversations are learning points for your apprentice or trainee. So share how you feel about the situation and why, after the facts are on the table. For example, I m really disappointed you were late, it s so important to the business that we are on time, it s part of our image and we need to keep business up it s a competitive marketplace. 7. Moving forward with positive action Once you ve shared the situation invite a solution and get their buy in. Open yourself up to doing something differently and this will encourage them to be open to change. For example, how can we make sure this doesn t happen again? Is there anything I can do differently? 8. Agree on a solution and move forward Together this doesn t need to be a highly emotional and negative outcome. There will be times when you feel disappointed but by keeping to the facts, inviting participation and problem solving you can have a tough conversation well.

6 4. Career Progression in a small business We know that some of the things that influence completion rates of apprentices or trainees include opportunities for learning and development, opportunities to progress and a positive perception of that trade in the market place. Many small business owners find it challenging to help their apprentice progress if they are a small business. However there are plenty of things that can be done. Below are a few examples of how small businesses we ve worked with have created a career ladder for their apprentices and trainees. 1. Additional responsibility many generation Y s appear to want to climb the ladder quickly. This can be managed in a small business by setting out responsibility early on. For example, explaining what needs to be demonstrated before additional responsibility given. Examples might include: When an apprentice/trainee can work for 2 months with positive customer feedback, no accidents or injury and perform all tasks required they can do jobs on their own. When an apprentice/trainee can demonstrate 6 months of consistent and improved work, they can manage their own schedule When an apprentice/trainee can demonstrate basic skills as set out by you, they can do different jobs on the job site 2. Freedom Many of our small business owners have found freedom to be a huge incentive and progression goal. Many small business owners have set goals with their apprentice/trainee that once they reach a certain level they can organise their own day, start and finish when they like and simply check in with their progress throughout the day. This sort of freedom can be very difficult for small business owners to give, but can be seem as a major developmental milestone in an apprentice/trainees career. One small carpentry business was having trouble getting their apprentices to do their paper work. One solution they came up with was to allow them to take photos of work they were proud of on an ipad and enter their timesheet online at the same time. They then used this as a tool to get the apprentices talking once a week about the work they has completed. 3. Decision making Other small businesses have used involvement in finances and bigger business decisions as career progression. If the small business owners knows that eventually running their own business is a goal for the apprentice/trainee giving them new titles like their right hand man or 2 IC and include them in making choices about quotes, time management, jobs etc not only boosts the motivation but literally progresses the apprentice to a higher level. 4. Supervising A final way to progress the career of your apprentice or trainee is to give them the opportunity to supervise or mentor others. Many older apprentices in small businesses are starting to supervise or mentor first year apprentice or sub-contractors to great success. While this can be a challenge for many as they often have to manage up to older employees, it can be a development point and be used to develop their own supervisory skills and help progress their career even further.