Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1497518
12 PCB007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2023 important thing. It goes without saying that you must know how to correctly use the ERP system and the tools required for your job, but understanding all our processes is the most important thing. at's the secret. How does Ventec Germany operate? We use an efficient and effective job-card system, so it's essential to know where job cards origi- nate from and what purpose they have. What happens with a job card when you are work- ing on the shop floor, in the office, or once you've added your information to it? First, you must understand the whole process to work effectively within our system. is is the basis of everything. If you understand the process, then you are free to work within that process, because you get everyone's full trust and you are allowed to make mistakes. It may sound a little bit strange, but this can't be learned from a book. I always say that you must learn by doing. If you begin working on a job card, for example, and you make a mis- take, there is a mentor support- ing and backing you up to cor- rect that error. It won't impact the customer, but you get the training and experience about why the mis- take happened in the first place. We can correct it and avoid it in the future, which is the most valuable way to learn. is is how we work with our new employees. Andy Shaughnessy: We're all trained to not make mistakes, but sometimes it's the only way to learn to do it the right way. Yes. Make the mistake once and you'll never do it again. You have a mentor beside you so it won't impact the customer, and that's extremely important, of course. Matties: How are you training your mentors? Is it a formal program? It's really built from their experience. Our employees go through the same training pro- cess, and therefore can become mentors given their experience. It's really a nice thing for the mentor; it's a sign of trust when I say, "You can be a mentor, because you know everything about this process. Please train this new col- league." It's different learning from your peers as opposed to your supervisor or boss. I want our team to fully understand our processes, because it also gives everyone the opportunity to be creative within the system. e team pro- vides me with more input and feedback than I could ever give. e world is changing every day, so we use the brains of our employees in every part of the company. Shaughnessy: What sort of metrics do you have for measuring the effectiveness of your hiring? ere are formal metrics but another key "secret" to onboarding is a more per- sonal approach. We do that in intervals. In their first week new employees usually won't see me much at all. Aer their first week, I'll ask them, "How are you feeling at the company? Are you okay?" If people don't feel like it's going well, they won't do a good job. is negative feeling may stem from their health or it could be something else. I ask them, "Is everything okay? Do you have all the tools you need? Is your computer work- ing? Do you have business cards?" Really, it's oen the small things that make your life eas- ier, not the big ones. I run an open-door pol- icy where anyone can come and see me at any time, but within our onboarding process we do schedule formal chats aer two, four, and eight weeks. During those meetings I may be told, "Yes, I understand it," or "No, I didn't under- stand that, and I need more training sessions." is is critical, because it's built from the bot- tom up, one point to another, and everyone The team provides me with more input and feedback than I could ever give.