91TV

Orientation is just the beginning of an employee’s journey. The first day starts the process. The days that follow create lasting success.

You have hired a new employee. Their first day will likely be spent in new employee orientation. Many organizations place significant focus on this starting milestone. It is a required, formalized process where employees are welcomed by managers and coworkers. Time is spent filling out paperwork and reviewing company policies. Safety expectations, processes, and the basics of their role may also be introduced. Once complete, employees have the foundation to begin their work. However, what happens after orientation often determines whether employees truly succeed.

Replacing employees is costly and disruptive. Companies cannot afford to treat employees as “trained” after day one. The focus should be not just on getting a new employee started, but on helping them thrive in their new role. In fast-paced, safety-focused environments such as MRFs, PRFs, hauling, and landfills, long-term success is not dictated by orientation. It is a result of what happens in the months that follow.

Why Days Two Through 365 Matter More Than Day One
Orientation serves a specific need. The information shared is important, but it is impossible to learn everything in a classroom. 91TV and recycling positions are often physically demanding and labor-intensive roles that require hands-on training to become proficient. The first day is only the beginning, and orientation should be viewed as the kick-off of a long-term journey.

The first year of experience matters. Gallup, a global analytics and workplace research organization, has found that employees in many roles may take 12 months or more to become fully effective. During the onboarding process, employers need to ask themselves, “What support do employees need after orientation?” rather than “Did they complete orientation?”

Leadership, coaching, employee engagement, and development opportunities are crucial to new employees’ growth and should remain a focus throughout their first year and beyond.

Leadership Creates Accountability
Strong leadership is essential to effective onboarding. Managers who work closely with their teams demonstrate company expectations through their daily actions. They define the benchmark for personal responsibility, safety, and reliability. A lead-by-example approach fosters good work habits. Visible and approachable leaders play an important role in supporting employees, recognizing progress, and turning high standards into daily routines.

Employees are more likely to be accountable to leaders they trust. Consistent, hands-on leadership builds accountability. Rather than being viewed as disciplinary, accountability should be seen as ongoing guidance that helps employees stay on track and continue improving. Managers can encourage this by setting clear boundaries and providing upskill opportunities. Employees want to know they are doing a good job. Over time, real-time feedback, established dependability and performance metrics, and recognition of achievements help employees take ownership of their role. As a result, team members naturally become more independent in their day-to-day responsibilities.

Leaders also shape the culture at work. Employees pay attention to leadership behavior. The way managers communicate, solve problems, and focus on safety sets the tone for the whole team. When everyone is held to the same standards, it builds mutual respect. These habits create a culture of safety and shared responsibility. This keeps work consistent, encourages people to solve problems early, and helps everyone do their best.

Coaching Builds Confidence
New employees will encounter challenges. Coaching not only helps them learn the job, but also improves their skill set. On-the-job coaching allows leadership to recognize strengths and acknowledge strong performance. It also creates natural opportunities to correct mistakes early, answer questions in real time, and reinforce good practices. Coaching can be integrated into a daily routine and delivered more formally at milestones, such as 30, 60, and 90 days. These conversations provide regular check-ins and feedback, not just when problems arise.

For employees, it is about building confidence. Coaching encourages employees to seek clarity and builds trust between employees and leadership. Continuous guidance provides positive reinforcement. It can help reduce the frustration of learning a new role and provide support during the beginning of a new career.

Engagement Drives Retention
Orientation welcomes employees to the organization, but engagement is what helps them stay. Engagement is not an extra task on the calendar. It is a practice that should be embedded in regular work routines. The goal is to make everyone feel like valued members of the team. Ways to build employee engagement include:

• Recognize employee contributions in visible ways
• Celebrate milestones and achievements
• Focus on employees’ strengths and provide encouragement
• Invite employees to share ideas and provide feedback
• Create opportunities for employees to participate in team discussions and problem-solving

These experiences help employees feel connected to their team and understand the importance of their role. They highlight that their contributions make a difference. Ultimately, they build lasting commitment to the company. This leads to better retention, a more experienced workforce, and a workplace where employees want to grow.

The benefits of engagement extend beyond retention. Gallup’s workplace research has consistently found that engaged employees contribute to stronger business outcomes across industries. Engaged employees take initiative, work well with their teams, and share ideas that improve operations. In return, organizations benefit from fewer safety incidents, improved attendance, and a more productive workforce.

Employee Development Never Stops
91TV and recycling operations are dynamic. Equipment is updated, processes are modified, and safety rules evolve. In addition, employees are learning and growing, which adds a human element. As all these factors progress, workforce development needs to keep pace to ensure team members can perform in their current roles and are positioned for future opportunities.

Employee development builds on the foundation established during orientation and the first weeks on the job. Refresher training helps employees remain compliant with safety practices and aware of operational changes. Cross-training teaches new skills, creates a more flexible workforce, and helps operations adapt when business needs change. Through ongoing learning, employees gain broader operational knowledge and are better prepared to take on new responsibilities.

Continuous development is about more than preparing employees for advancement. It creates positive outcomes for both people and operations. Employees become more confident, consistent, and effective in their roles. For organizations, it helps build a talent pipeline and ensures workers are placed where they can have the greatest impact. When learning becomes part of everyday work, employees grow alongside the business and contribute to a more qualified workforce.

Measuring Success
Organizations spend a lot of time and resources on hiring and onboarding. Companies need to look beyond the orientation checklist to measure the impact of these efforts. What matters most is whether employees continue to learn, grow, and become productive contributors to the team. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) recommends evaluating onboarding success by more than the completion of required activities. Measures such as time-to-productivity, retention, employee feedback, and performance indicators can give a better sense of how well employees are settling into their roles.

While turnover and retention are common workforce metrics, they rarely capture the whole story. Trends in attendance, safety, productivity, and quality provide insight into workforce and operational performance. Monitoring these measures over time helps leaders identify patterns, recognize opportunities for improvement, and determine where additional training or support is needed.

The employee experience behind the numbers should also be considered. Are new hires receiving regular check-ins? Do supervisors provide ongoing coaching? Can employees comfortably ask questions and share feedback? Are they participating in training and development? These interactions reveal how engaged and comfortable employees are, and whether they have the tools to do well.

Beyond the First Day
Orientation is just the beginning of an employee’s journey. In an industry as demanding as waste and recycling, building a strong team requires more than a positive first day. The first year is when employees develop the skills, experience, and relationships needed for long-term growth. Organizations that extend support past orientation promote a more capable workforce where employees understand the purpose of their work and can continue to grow. The first day starts the process. The days that follow create lasting success. | WA.

Day 2 Through 365: A Checklist for Supporting Employee Success

Use this checklist to evaluate your onboarding process beyond day one:
• Supervisors regularly check in with new employees
• Employees receive ongoing coaching
• Safety expectations are reinforced daily
• Employees know who to ask for help
• Skills continue to develop through ongoing training
• Managers address challenges early
• Good performance is recognized
• Employee feedback is collected and acted upon
• Progress is reviewed during the first 30/60/90 days,followed by ongoing check-ins
• Employees understand opportunities for growth and advancement

Leadpoint Business Services is the waste and recycling industry’s trusted workforce and recruiting partner, providing recruiting and workforce solutions for MRFs, polymer operations, landfills, and collection facilities for more than 25 years. They hire, train, and onboard employees to help operations meet their operational, safety, and financial goals. Through embedded onsite leadership and a focus on workforce development, Leadpoint helps operations nationwide build safe, productive, and stable teams that improve performance and efficiency. For more information, call (602) 431-0410, e-mail [email protected] or visit .

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