Integrators: Do You Have An On-Boarding Process For New Technicians?

No response?

I think it's important to know the size of the company. We are a small company

My last tech I threw him in the field. My current tech I did a day of training in-house, and 2 days in the field.

Don, sorry for missing this. Jay, thanks for posting a response.

I've added this to the list of upcoming survey questions.

We have a full onboarding process set up in Connectwise for new employees.  Includes our system training, back round checks, clothing, ordering tools/laptop, product training.   We are also starting a new process where new hires are going to be assigned a mentor from our current team to help guide them and answer questions during the onboarding process. 

The 4 integrators I worked at each handled on-boarding somewhere in between Jay and Michael. Some of it had to do with the size of the companies, but was also affected by the requirements of each core customer focus.

Having an onboarding process defined in some sort of ticket management system is a big step, but also requires someone responsible to follow those steps and document them to have any real value.

2 of the companies I worked at primary sold to education, which in New York State requires fingerprinting, background checks, etc. They had a more involved onboarding process with mentoring or shadowing a senior technician for a varying amount of time depending on the experience of the tech.

I think it depends on the level of tech and business you're onboarding for. Smaller self-contained 4-8 camera NVR installation will potentially require less technical onboarding than someone who will be supporting 4000 cameras at a highly regulated casino as part of a 24/7 3-4 technician team. If you're primarily hiring limited experience low voltage technicans vs technicians with 5-10 years of experience, there is going to be different expectations for onboarding (where can I find the left handed screwdrivers vs how do I report expenses and request PTO?)

Good topic!

For us, we conduct an 8 hour course for all newly hired field installers (regardless of whether they are FNG's, or seasoned). We cover over everything from:

- Access Control Basics (Since many people have installed their own car stereo systems before, we parallel access control and alarm panels installations to car stereo installs. Helps them easily understand that everything is either an Input or an Output, and all powered by 12VDC. )

- Relevant Cable Jacket Types (CMR/CMP/CL2P/OSP)

- Relay Logic (Wet/Dry) & (Form A/B/C)

- Ohm's Law & Kirchoffs Law

- Basic Cabling Techniques

- Proper Device Terminations

- Schematic to Physical "Hands on" Wiring Challenges. (Blowing something up in our lab is 1,000X better than blowing something up in the field!)

- Jobsite Safety

We have an onboarding process that includes: Completion of paperwork, review of company policies, explanation of benefits and timelines for information to be completed, and explanation of company incentive programs and employee review timetables.

We issue safety gear/uniforms/tools, and introduce the new employee to everyone (if they haven't already met the team) so they know there are multiple PM's managers available to help, answer questions and give them the tools they need to be successful.

Usually on the first day, depending on the projects we have going on we will pair up the Field supervisor and Lead with the employee who is managing a project most relevant to their skills (whether that is Fiber installation/cabling/video surveillance/Wi-fi or access control).

We check in with them during the day, or definitely by end of day to make sure all is going well and they have what they need.  Then we go over the jobs they will be assigned to during the week/s so that they have some idea of what the next days will be like.

At some point during the first week, we get them going on a particular training program related to our product line and their skill set (whether that be a webinar, web based training or field training.

It hasn't always been perfect, but we have made significant improvements.  A turnover culture is not one we embrace, and attention to employees well being; and integration make a big difference on overall operations and morale.  Smiles, introductions, good communication, reinforcement of the employees value to the company..and of course snacks and ice cream (fridge) are part of the intro.  

Professionalism and a trusting atmosphere goes a long way in employee well being and loyalty.

The on-boarding is the most important part of the new employee's hiring process.  If done well, it fosters reciprocation of respect and loyalty with the team. If done sloppily, the employee does not feel valued from the start and will be searching for other employment from the first week.