5 Onboarding Tips For Employees Handling Forklifts In Toronto

Even in the 21^st century, employee onboarding in various industries in Toronto meet multiple types of challenges. In jobs requiring the use of forklifts, the difficulty could be doubled. This could be attributed to the possible hazards and problems associated with the job. In such cases, the Human Resource (HR) department could use new strategies to make the onboarding process easier. 

Suppose you’re an HR employee tasked to look for ways to ease up the onboarding experience for employees handling forklifts in Toronto. In that case, this article could help you. If you want to know some tips and tricks about the process, you may consider using the following onboarding checklist.

1. Automate The Onboarding Process

Technology has provided so many ways to speed up the process, including job onboarding programs. With the different advancements and software, you could create a database system even if you’re working from home.  This is to keep the records of employees from their applications toward their job placement. In many cases, these databases document important information about the employee, including the following: 

• Personal details, 

• Educational background, 

• Skills and certifications, 

• Relevant experiences, 

• Training and workshops attended related to the job. 

Apart from the details, the database may record the start of the employment, periodical job performance reviews, attendance, and employment terms among others. Since these are recorded in a file, they’re easier to retrieve. For better documenting, you may incorporate the file into a cloud-based platform so you can still use it during remote employment.

If you enjoyed this post, sign up for a Free Trial of our software!

2. Orient The New Employees Completely About Equipment Use And Company Culture

After hiring applicants, you may need to equip them with the skills in operating forklifts. In many cases, HR departments place the newly hired workers in probationary status. At first, they’re tasked to know the nature of the job. For example, they may be required to go to Modern Forklift and other entities offering forklift rentals, leasing, and other services.  

At this point, the new employees should know the basic operations of how forklifts are utilized. For employees with relevant skills and experience in forklift operation, they could already skip this stage. Although, it’d be advisable if they’re required to pass a test such as the basic forklift controls. These tests may include the drive, park, reverse, and platform control. If they pass the performance test, they could go directly to what the old employees do. 

However, it’s still the prerogative of the HR and other higher-ups in the company if that’d be the option.  Many companies still consider placing the new employees in floating status to know more about the work culture. This way, they’d be familiar not just with the forklift controls and use but also with the proper coordination and workflow.

3. Spearhead Functional Training

Training doesn’t end in the first few months of the job placement. As the hire manager, you may need to plan out a series of training. This could be grouped into the basic, intermediate, and expert levels. In the different types of training, you may also include the other HR concerns that employees may need to abide by. The pieces of training could be done at the beginning, every quarter, twice a year, or as the need arises.

Drive Engagement with great
Onboarding Experiences for New Hires

Start Free Trial

4. Specify Role Classification

New employees, especially entry-level positions, are expected to be at the bottom. Thus, you may still need to consider what they could provide for the company. For example, a forklift operator who has troubleshooting skills could be promoted into a maintenance crew to be most efficient.

5. Coordinate With The Teams And Work Groups

As an HR employee, you may need to talk to the other departments, such as accounting and training team members, to understand how employees progress and behave. You may also take feedback from each department as a part of employee evaluation. 

When the new employees have succeeded in the preliminary stages, you could incorporate them into regularly scheduled tasks and operations. For this goal, you could apply the following: 

• Mentor-mentee partnership: In this option, you could pair a new employee with an old one. In a way, the newbie acts as an apprentice to the old employee who’d provide insights and tips on how they could work efficiently. 

• Group assimilation: This works similarly to the mentor-mentee type but functions in groups. Since forklift operations may require more people to support and guide with all the carting, loading, and off-loading.  Thus, the newbies could learn much from the different tasks. 

Wrapping Up 

Contrary to popular belief, onboarding employees doesn’t end after the applicants are hired and upskilled for their tasks. In many cases, effective onboarding may include a cluster of processes, such as re-skilling and cross-skilling.  This is to make them more suitable for the job, regardless of whether it’s remote work or an on-site job. And even if you have remote employee options, you can also onboard remotely with the help of modern tech tools. Just make sure the process is in line with employee recognition and engagement through incentivization and similar programs, which are crucial in employee retention. 

Suppose you’re tasked to simplify the onboarding process for forklift employees in Toronto, you could use the tips and insights you’ve gained from this article. Although you may only select the ones appropriate to your needs and situations. 

About Author: This article is written by our marketing team at HR Cloud. HR Cloud is a leading provider of HR solutions, including recruiting, onboarding, employee engagement, and intranet software. Our aim is to help your company improve employee engagement, employee productivity, and to save you valuable time!