Did you know that more than one-quarter of the workforce—35 million employees—are hourly employees who earn less than $12.00 per hour? If you manage hourly employees, you’ve probably noticed that much of the advice out there is aimed at higher paid, salaried employees—and doesn’t apply to your staff. Your employees are different: many have only a high school education, work more than one job, and have personal struggles that affect their performance on the job.

If this is your workforce, this three-part blog series is for you. Three blog posts will focus on practical, easy-to-implement strategies managers can use to increase performance and retention for hourly employees.

This first installment will focus on proven screening and hiring practices that can increase the likelihood that job candidates become great employees who stay on the job for the long haul. Indeed, what you do before you hire—getting the right job match—is as important as what you do in the first 90 days. 

Here are some tactics for managers to embrace before they hire.

Show candidates a realistic job preview

Potential employees, especially if they have limited work experience, need to understand what they are signing up for with a new job. If you don’t have a video readily available, why not enlist the help of your staff to create your own?  Try one of the short videos on the Career One Stop website at http://www.careeronestop.org/videos/careerandclustervideos/career-and-cluster-videos.aspx

Encourage job shadowing

Make sure candidates have a chance to see what performing on the job really looks like, if possible “shadowing” a potential teammate. Oftentimes, hourly job candidates don’t realize when a job involves standing for long periods or soothing angry customers. Allowing candidates to observe a potential co-worker before they accept the job will enable those who are not a fit to take themselves out of the running.  For example, UPMC Hamot Hospital in Erie, Pennsylvania, created a realistic job preview video along with a job shadowing program that reduced turnover for hourly health care employees.

Assess for skills and interests, not education

Surprisingly, studies indicate that an educational degree is not always linked to job skills, or even to employee engagement for the hourly workforce. A college degree in an unrelated field may lead to an under-employed—and therefore disengaged employee. To improve your hiring success, ask specific interview questions about situations the job candidate will face on the job (such as "how would you resolve a conflict with a customer?") and skills (such as "what do you do when your cash register is not working?").

Connect with local workforce organizations to help you solve your hiring challenges

In communities around the country, employers are partnering with not-for-profits and community colleges for their hiring and training needs. For example, New Century Careers in Pittsburgh provides state-of-the-art training and access to a qualified labor pool for over 100 manufacturing employers. Reach out to programs in your area to see how they can help you improve your workforce. 

Here are some best practices for managers to instill in the first 90 days of a new hire.

Provide an orientation for your department—don’t just leave it to HR

Even if your HR department offers a companywide orientation, don’t forget this step. A tailored, structured onboarding process will bring your new hourly employees up to speed quickly.

Set clear expectations and provide feedback

Hourly employees who are new to the workforce often need more guidance on appropriate workplace behaviors. Set up a regular time to talk—even if it is just for 15 minutes. That way you can correct problems along the way, but don’t forget to point out what your new employees are doing right!

Assign a peer mentor to show new employees the ropes

Peer mentoring is a powerful strategy for engagement and retention, especially in the first few months. Be sure the peer mentor is provided the training, time, and recognition for mentoring new employees.

Be available to provide help and support

Hourly workers often struggle to manage work and home life, especially in the first few months of work. Institute an open door policy; make it easy for your employees to approach you. Some managers don’t feel like this is part of their role, but a new study of hourly employees reveals that the quality of the supervisor is a better predictor of performance and retention than worker skills!

Stay tuned for upcoming posts (“Hourly Employees: Engage for Performance” and “Retention and Hourly Employees: Help Them Grow”) for more tips to successfully manage your hourly workforce.