Some Tips About Screening, HIring, Training, Managing New Employees in the Rule of St. Benedict - 2

We've been discussing St. Benedict's approach to those who wish to join his monastery. As we saw last time, that approach immediately promotes long-term stability in the monastery by carefully screening and training new members. We compared the sound practices outlined in the Rule to those of hiring and training new recruits in our own business.

Our view offered a few simple suggestions that would identify good candidates for hire, as well as train a new hire in a manner that could promote stability in our workplace. As we've noted in the past, our workplace may not expect employees to remain in place for life. But to the extent that people who perform well spend more rather than less time working for the business, we can achieve a reasonable level of stability that will enhance the chances for success in our endeavors.

Whether you're a business owner, senior manager, or employee, such stability should be a desirable goal. Designing a screening process and a training regimen thus needs to keep that result in mind. Unfortunately, these days, it seems many companies spend little or no time training employees. For example, my own experience has been that more times than not, customer service folks leave much to be desired. Many don't really understand the products and services of their company; few demonstrate problem-solving skills necessary to satisfy customers' needs or quickly and effectively resolve their complaints.

Fortunately, some companies do understand the importance of having competent employees who might choose to remain at their post for some reasonable length of time (if not necessarily for life). With that understanding, they create effective hiring and training regimens. And if they take the time to do that, the wisest also develop good management practices to supervise and encourage employees to do their best.

Having addressed the initial stages of accepting and carefully cultivating new members to the monastery, the Rule carefully drills the aspiring monk in what he is expected to do and what he can expect if he decides to remain in place for life:

"If he promise to persevere in his purpose, then at the end of two months let this Rule be read through to him, and let him be addressed thus: 'Behold the law under which you wish to serve; if you can observe it, enter; if you cannot, freely depart.' If he is still abide, then let him be led back into the aforesaid noviciate and again tested in all patience. After the lapse of six months let the Rule be read to him, so that he may know on what he is entering. And, if he still abide, after four months, let the Rule be read to him again. And if, upon mature deliberation, he promise to observe all things and to obey all the commands that are given to him, then let him be received into the community. But let him understand that according to the law of the Rule he is not longer free to leave the monastery, or to withdraw his neck from under the yoke of the Rule, which it was open to him, during that prolonged deliberation, either to refuse or to accept." 

I've had jobs where I wish it would have been clearly communicated to me what to expect, rather than the all-too-typical approach of "the first hundred days." If you haven't heard of this, it's where the employer treats the new hire in a manner that's intended to help them to acclimate to the new job. Not such a bad idea. The thing is, you may not understand just how demanding the job will turn out to be in the long run; or that your boss or colleagues perhaps may not out to be as helpful and friendly as they were during those "first hundred days."

So what about managing monks or employees after these initial days of training and acclimating? Well, that's what much of the Rule addresses. We've seen loads of examples so far as we've worked our way through the Rule. And we'll continue going forward. For now, the lesson we need to learn is that if we desire qualified, cooperative, effective workers, the initial screening, hiring, and training should be carefully thought out and tailored to the specific business and the exact role the employee is expected to play in striving to accomplish the goals of that business. 

So just hiring "good people" or letting them "figure it out" won't be the optimal approach.

And if you believe it's a good idea to maximize stability in workplace, the care and attention St. Benedict shows us in his screening and training will make a whole heckuva lot of sense.