|
Who's in Charge of Your Reputation?
by Darin Drabing, senior vice president, operations, for Forest Lawn Memorial Parks and Mortuaries in Southern California, www.forestlawn.com, where he oversees more than 500 employees.
The First Day on The Job
What's the first day on the job at your company like for new employees? If you believe that old adage that first impressions matter, I think it's really important how an introduction is made to an organization. Ask yourself this: Who frames your organization for that new person? Who starts them off right? Is it the person you want describing your company?
Here is a quick rundown of what an orientation plan might have in it:
Welcome. I know this person works for you; you're paying them; but what's the first day like? If they're a good employee and you tell them to show up at 8 o'clock like the rest of your employees do, what time do you think that good employee is going to show up on the first day? Eight o'clock? No, before—could be 7:30, 7:40; they don't want to be late on their first day. Do you have anybody scheduled to meet them? Do they know where to park?
Administrative issues. Somebody's going to have to fill out insurance forms, 401K stuff, policy and procedures manuals. How well organized and easy is it for the new employee? Do you have anybody there answering the questions? What resources do you have available?
Tour and introduction. Is it quick? Do you just hand them a map, give them an organizational chart, point to it and say, "That's the boss' name"? If you have multiple locations, do you make sure they know where they are? Do you care enough to show them around and introduce them to other employees?
The industry. Do you ever hire people who have never worked in a mortuary or cemetery before? Do you take any time with that brand new employee on their first day or two and talk about what our industry's about? What a cremation is? What happens when someone passes away? If you don't do it, where are they getting the information from? Where are they going to dispel the myths and get the truth?
Values. In your orientation, is there any room for talking about values, morality, ethics? And I don't care if you're hiring somebody to ride the lawnmower—this is important.
Mentoring. Do you ever think about assigning somebody in your organization to that new employee, somebody who takes an interest in them? Hopefully somebody who has been there a while and doesn't necessarily work next to them, just a safe place they can go and ask questions without feeling silly.
Follow-up. This should be part of any orientation plan. Go back to that new employee in 30 days and ask, "How are you doing?" But more importantly, ask, "How are we doing? Is the organization that we described for you on that first day the organization that you found? What could we do differently for the next employee that comes through?"
Training For Work at a Cemetery or Funeral Home
The company. Everybody has to learn the specific tasks of their job. Those tasks vary, depending on what the job is, but do you train on the overall operation, even if that person is a gardener? Do they understand how everything works in your organization?
Vocabulary. Words mean things, right? Do you ever talk about a dead body in your company? Not in ours. We talk about people's parents, people's children, brothers and sisters. Do your employees know the difference between a coffin and casket? If it's their first day on the job, they do not.
Social responsibility. If you really want to talk about managing your reputation, think about educating employees on their social responsibility. Think back to when you started, or think back to the last time you introduced yourself to someone who wasn't in the industry and they found out what you did. What's that conversation go like? "Wow, you work in a cemetery? That must be weird." Or, "You work in a mortuary, but you don't touch those dead bodies, do you?"
Your new employee is going to get those questions at the cocktail party, at the backyard barbecue. Do you tell them how to handle jokes? "Last one to let you down," "People are dying to get in," on and on and on.
Talk about how people use humor as a defense mechanism and how to handle that in a crowd, because that person who's making that joke may be callous and inconsiderate, but your employee can't afford to be, because whose reputation are they going to damage? They're going to damage their own, and they're going to damage yours, and quite frankly, they're going to damage mine, too, and that of anybody in this industry. People lose sight of the fact that there might be somebody in earshot who just lost their mom.
So take some time and talk to your employees about their social responsibility. And yes, you're going to hear, "You can't tell me what to do in my off hours." But it never hurts to plant the seed.
Listening. We all went to school. We had English composition; some of us took public speaking. So we know how to write and we know how to read. How much time do we spend talking about listening, and training employees about how to be empathetic and how to talk to people when they're emotionally upset, about how to use active listening skills? It's an important tool to talk about.
1. Have a Hiring Plan
Where do you find employees who will enhance your company's reputation?
2. Tools to Help You
How to avoid hiring a horse thief, or anyone else who is wrong for the job.
4. Do Personnel Issues Make You Sick?
Stop spending so much time with "viruses" and start investing in your good employees.
5. Evaluating & Motivating Employees
Find out who can do it, who "gets it," and how to get the best out of the people who "get it" and can do it.
Darin Drabing can be reached at ddrabing@forestlawn.com; (323) 340-4701.
back to the introduction
back to top
Copyright ICFA 2002
|
