Can your team members answer the 10 questions correctly? If not, create opportunities for discussion and continuing training. They may even have some valuable input from their experiences.
Crafting a comprehensive onboarding plan is crucial to ensure that your employees or contract team members can confidently address the specific needs of your clients, patients, and your overall business model.
The 10 questions
Does your new hire orientation and training include the answers to these 10 questions? This is a great opportunity to review your onboarding plan and provide CE for your team.
1. What are your animal handling and care policies and procedures?
A strong foundation in animal handling and care procedures and policies ensures consistency and reliability in the quality of care provided.
Tailor your training to instill a deep understanding of your business’ humane values, standards, and specific protocols. In doing so, you can lower the risk of injuries and even death to both animals and people.
2. What are your owner interaction policies and procedures?
Effective communication with pet owners is vital for building trust. This in turn helps you grow your business.
Clearly outline your policies and procedures regarding owner interactions, emphasizing transparency, professionalism, and compassion. Prepare your team to confidently handle upset, stressed, and/or overly demanding clients. Role-play some of the trickiest encounters.
Client interaction skills are an ongoing learning process – be sure to continuously discuss and practice these communications with your team.
3. How do you protect yourself and your clients from zoonotic diseases?
If you’ve worked in animal care long enough, you know what ringworm looks like – probably from personal experience. Uninformed or careless interactions with potentially contagious diseases can mean infection to your team and/or clients.
The pandemic reminded us that animals are at risk of zoonotic infection from humans. We may be putting our client’s pets at risk.
Hazmat suits are hot and unattractive, but worth wearing to prevent exposure to contagions. I’m on the right, leading a team rescuing animals from a hoarding situation.
Cross-infection is preventable using the right handling and cleaning protocols. Equip your team with the knowledge and practices needed to safeguard against potential health risks associated with animal care. This includes training on best practices in hygiene protocols, protective measures, and disease prevention strategies. This may also mean providing access to the rabies vaccine for your staff members.
There are federal and state laws that your business must comply with regarding zoonotic diseases. Zoonoses are considered public health threats. Elderly people, babies, and immunocompromised individuals are at greater risk of infection and complications.
4. How do you prevent the transmission of contagious diseases and parasites between pets?
In the animal care industry, preventing the transmission of disease and parasites is paramount. You don’t want your business to be ground zero for the next county-wide kennel cough outbreak!
Ensure your team is well-versed in proper cleaning and handling protocols that minimize risks. Implementing and enforcing infection prevention measures is the key to maintaining a healthy environment for all of the species in your care.
5. What do you do if a pet gets lost?
In the unfortunate event of a lost pet, you must respond quickly and in an organized way. Develop a clear plan that includes search procedures, client communication protocols, and collaboration with local authorities.
Depending on the situation, you may also have to field questions from a newspaper or news station or on social media. For example, if a dog escapes into traffic and is hit by a car. Or, an owner may become very emotional over what they perceive as a negative interaction with your business.
6. How do you identify symptoms of illness and injury?
Train your team to recognize and respond to signs of illness or injury promptly. A keen understanding of symptoms ensures that pets receive timely and appropriate care. You will want to cover information about all the different species you work with.
Identifying signs of illness is an essential step in preventing a contagious disease outbreak and remaining in regulatory compliance.
7. How do you provide first aid for each species with whom you work?
Develop a training module that covers first aid and CPR techniques for the different species you serve. Your team should feel empowered and confident to respond effectively to a variety of emergencies.
You may also want to provide training on CPR and first aid techniques for humans. You will want to understand your state’s Good Samaritan Law and how it impacts your business risks.
8. What do you do if a pet needs emergency veterinary care?
Emergency situations require quick and decisive action. Ensure your team is well-prepared to coordinate emergency veterinary care. During your new hire orientation and training, you will want to review your medical care communication and response protocols.
9. What are your emergency plans?
Safety should be a top priority for animal care businesses. Develop a well-defined emergency response plan to ensure the safety of both animals and people in case of unforeseen circumstances.
Remember that emergency response does not just mean evacuation. You and your team should be able to respond to animal and human health emergencies, theft, fire, flooding, and the list goes on…
10. Are you in compliance with local, state, and federal regulations specific to animal welfare?
How well does your business comply with all related laws and regulations? Have you checked for any recent updates? Are you prepared for a possible surprise inspection?
Familiarize your team with and uphold the highest animal welfare standards in compliance with local, state, and federal regulations. This includes which zoonotic diseases need to be reported to your local public health department. Regular training and updates are essential to ensure ongoing compliance.
How many questions could they answer?
Hopefully all of them. But if they couldn’t answer all of them, don’t worry. You have an opportunity to continue to provide continuing education for your team.
A well-developed onboarding plan sets your new hires and contractors up for success. It helps you keep your best employees and contractors longer. Thorough orientation and training also helps to elevate your animal care standards and improve your customer service. A reputation for being professional is essential to growing your business.
Would you like help developing your effective onboarding plan?
I’m here to help! I’ve been hiring and managing animal care teams for over 20 years. My experience can help you save time and resources. I can help you identify any gaps in your orientation and training and share the tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years.
You can start by downloading your free copy of the Onboarding Plan Checklist.
Schedule a complimentary 30-minute conversation with me, and let’s take your new hire process from good to great!
Tiffani Hill LLC 