From: http://www.bizjournals.com/

When your company is growing rapidly through mergers and acquisitions, training your new employees can make or break your success.

If new employees are joining your staff from an acquired company, they will likely have their own protocols and may not be familiar with how your company operates.

Quickly getting these new employees acquainted with your company’s procedures and standards is vital for a seamless integration.

With that in mind, here are four tips for effectively training new employees.

1. Establish a mentorship program

New employees should be paired with a mentor within the first week of employment. Pair up employees based on their tenure and job function. During this time, the mentor from your original team can share best practices and determine any differences in the way the new employee performs the job.

Many times, a mentorship program provides a way for a new employee to share best practices that may be more efficient than what is currently in place. Companies must constantly tweak their programs to keep practices up-to-date and ensure that they are giving customers the best possible service.

The length of a mentorship program will vary depending on the new employee’s experience and job demands. As employees begin to learn the company’s best practices and use them consistently, the level of oversight should gradually decrease.

2. Assess skills

New employees should be evaluated to determine their skill level and what level of training and oversight they may need during the first 30 days of employment. This evaluation can be included as part of the mentorship program or administered on its own.

One way to complete this assessment is to have a manager monitor the new employee during the workday to review several aspects of the job. These may include customer service, protocol or technical competencies. Once the manager has assessed the new employee, a plan for additional training can be developed.

3. Tailor programs to employees’ experience

While an overall training program should be standardized, it also needs to be tailored to each individual’s level of experience. For example, an employee joining your team who has 15 years of experience will probably start the training program at a higher level than someone who has less than two years of experience.

Determining where employees should begin their training will depend greatly on your skills assessment, which should be given to all employees regardless of their experience. Based on this assessment, managers can determine whether the individual’s skills are at a beginner, intermediate or advanced level, and then outline the appropriate training program.

Mentorship programs should be brief for employees at an intermediate or advanced level. Instead, focus their training on building skills through attending educational sessions and improving upon current skill sets.

4. Make ongoing training a priority

Training during the first 90 days of employment is critical, but it should not end there. Ongoing training is important to the success of any company, whether the company is experiencing growth organically or through mergers and acquisitions. There is always something new to learn from your colleagues, even for the most seasoned employee.

Constant communication is a critical component of effective training. Company-wide meetings allow employees the chance to ask questions, suggest solutions or raise concerns that can help improve your organization. Open the floor to feedback; your employees have the most contact with your customers, and their concerns and suggestions may provide valuable insight.