When does a story start? Not with “once upon a time” or “it was a dark, dark night” because these are merely the opening words. Stories start way before that, in the mind of the author, in the publicity and the design of the cover, in the recommendation from a friend, in the buying of the book and in finding time to settle down to read. In fact so much work, thought, planning and anticipation go into the production of the story that by the time we allow our eyes to feast on the opening line it is actually the end of the tale, the “happily ever after” moment without which no fairy story would be complete. But whilst written words have an ending the story lives on and in its passing leaves us changed forever.
When you look around you at your colleagues, your team, ask yourself where their stories started and at what point did their journey interact with that of the organisation? And the answer lies not with their first day in the job but far, far back in time. For whilst their story and that of the organisation may have seemingly run far apart, it their history, influences, thought processes, abilities and personality which they are bringing to the organisation and in turn it is the organisation’s culture which will interact with them in the future.
This idea, the recognition that interactions between employees and employers run far deeper than ‘you’re hired, you’re fired’ is at last starting to creep into organisational consciousness. Engaging for cultural fit runs two ways and not only are organisations starting to seek candidates who can bring more than just qualifications, so too are candidates searching out organisations which offer a strong culture and good employee engagement.
Setting aside for one moment the element of the back story which runs on the internet, the embarrassing facebook photos, the customer complaints or business history; this ideal of engaging for something more than mere salary/competencies turns the hiring process into a key part of the engagement story. Scoping the job description, advertising, interviews, choosing the candidate, the induction process all speak volumes about the company culture and all contribute towards bringing an already engaged candidate on board.
This means that HR and training departments have to be able to work seamlessly together to ensure that they are representing a positive culture to prospective and new employees. Courtesy, politeness, returning calls and e-mails promptly, making the interview process a pleasant one, offering the opportunity to meet with prospective fellow team members, all in themselves may be little actions but they are ways in which the HR department can contribute to a positive attitude on the part of the new employee.
Following on, it doesn’t really matter whether HR or training oversees the first vital few days but the important thing is that the induction process is designed, considered and thorough. Even if the recruitment process proved a positive experience, those first few days are vital for engaging the employee in the culture of the organisation. Tales of inductions along the lines of ‘here’s your desk, there are the loos, get on with it’ are still all too familiar but for organisations with a strong caring culture, they must be a thing of the past.
Where does your story start? It already has and it will go on developing and transforming with every new action and interaction. But unlike the words on the page, your story is one which you can change. If you don’t like the plot lines then take action now. Company culture can change, employee engagement can strengthen and in the process you can write a new chapter in your organisation’s history and affect the lives of everyone who comes into contact with you. Happy ever after? Now that is one ambition on which we can all agree.
