Hiring new team members is always an opportunity to move your firm forward, whether sparked by the excitement of growth or by unexpected staffing changes. But let’s be honest, training new hires can feel like a mountain to climb, especially when you don’t have a dedicated training department or a ton of extra time.
We hear it all the time:
“We’re too small to justify a training program.”
“We’re stretched thin and don’t have the time.”
“Our work is too unique to standardize.”
“We’ve tried before, and it just didn’t stick.”
Sound familiar?
Here’s the good news! You don’t need a full-blown dedicated training department to build something that works. In fact, we’ve seen some of the most effective training programs begin within small to medium-sized firms that started out with very little. Piece by piece, their operational structure was built, supportive training efforts were implemented, and sustainable growth endured.
While effective training is one of the most powerful ways to set your team up for success, the truth is new hires aren’t looking for a perfectly polished training plan; they are looking for clarity, consistency, and support.
With a little planning and creativity, you can build a training program that’s structured, repeatable, supports your team, saves you time in the long run, and evolves with you. Let’s walk through 10 practical strategies to get you there, without burning out your team or blowing your budget.
Think of this as your roadmap. It doesn’t need bells and whistles; a simple checklist works wonders. By converting your intake and case management pipelines (your A-Z phase-by-phase process map), you can determine what should be covered in the first two weeks, 30 days, and 60 days, including essentials like HR paperwork, IT setup, and intake or case management basics.
Trying to teach a new hire everything in their first few weeks is like trying to drink from a firehose. It’s overwhelming and counterproductive. Use your checklist to help them absorb what matters most, when it matters.
Use your checklist to:
Before their official start date, send key documents such as HR forms, company policies, and employee handbooks. This proactive step allows your new hire to review and complete necessary paperwork at their own pace, outside of the pressured environment of their first day. By handling these administrative tasks beforehand, you ensure they can hit the ground running, engaging with their role and team immediately, rather than spending valuable initial hours drowning in administrative paperwork.
If you already have an operations manual or individual training references, collect them all and house them in one location. Create a shared space, such as Google Drive, SharePoint, or another platform you already use, where new hires can find answers. This becomes your “self-help desk” and grows over time.
Be sure to update your documents as changes occur to prevent distributing outdated materials and creating a growing backlog of revisions.
If you don’t have any existing training references, start small! Document your key processes step by step, one at a time, and start to build your library.
Introducing new or updated materials to your team regularly, and housing them in a known and shared location, supports a culture of continuous learning and team centric development.
Don’t underestimate the power of a quick video tutorial. Five minutes or less is all it takes!
Use platforms like Zoom, Loom, or other tools to record short walkthroughs of your systems and workflows. Store them in your resource library for consistent, reusable training for both new hires and existing team members needing a refresher.
You can feel confident that, while your new hires learn independently, their training content is tailored to the needs of their roles. You can also help existing team members receive refresher training as needed, without scrambling to deliver it yourself repeatedly.
Don’t reinvent the wheel. Use what’s already out there!
Most case management systems offer free tutorials and webinars. Take some time to become aware of what your case management systems and other applications offer and embed them into your standard training.
Can’t attend a webinar at the scheduled time? Register anyway, watch the recording later, and share what you learned.
Lean on the free expertise already available and encourage your team to do the same.
Every team has go-to people. Make it official. Identify your SMEs and let them shine as the point person for specific topics.
SMEs share responsibility for training and knowledge sharing, recognize their seasoned team members' expertise, and route questions to those entrusted to provide the correct answers.
Bonus: SMEs can help build your training library with videos and process documents, and deliver focused training sessions periodically on those topics in which they excel.
Don’t forget to recognize them for sharing their time and knowledge!
Pair new hires with a buddy for questions, introductions, and support.
Buddies are different from trainers. Buddies help new hires integrate into the firm and with their peers quickly by giving your new team members a friendly point person for their general and common everyday questions, like where to find supplies, who they should direct topic-specific questions or issues to, or sharing great spots close by to the office.
Rotate buddy assignments with each new team member to give more team members a chance to support your team-centric culture. This is also a great professional development opportunity for those looking to advance emerging leadership skills.
Training doesn’t have to be a full-day event for your existing team members, and long “watch and learn” shadow sessions may not be engaging enough to make the impact you’re seeking. Instead, a 20-minute task-targeted shadow session followed by hands-on practice is often more effective.
Let new hires try tasks with guidance. New hires learn faster when they try tasks themselves rather than just watching someone else for long periods of time. This speeds up learning and boosts your new hire’s confidence.
Focusing on one task at a time keeps shadow sessions and review sessions short and focused while ensuring your new hire is adopting your firm-specific best practices. It also allows delegation of these targeted tasks, which can provide relief and support to the rest of your team.
No need to add more meetings. Use what you’ve got!
Add a regular and recurring training spotlight to your team huddles or weekly emails. Engrain it within your culture by giving it a name like:
You’ll soon see the results of this environment of continuous learning.
Nothing beats personal touchpoints.
Quick check-ins every few days help new hires feel supported, surface and address questions early, and keep progress on track.
Let’s Squash Those Excuses
“We don’t have time.”
Here’s the harder truth. You’re already spending extensive time answering repeat questions and fixing recurring mistakes. A structured program saves time in the long run.
“We don’t have the budget.”
Most of these methods cost nothing but a little organization. Checklists, videos, and buddy systems are powerful tools. They are about consistency, not cost.
“Our work is too unique.”
Sure, some parts of your practice are custom. 80% of what new hires need, however, involves the systems in place, clear communication, and established processes around what they will spend most of their time on. Don’t let the exceptions stop the rule.
“We’ve tried before, and it didn’t work.”
That’s not failure, it’s progress. Every attempt makes the next one better based on what was learned. Understanding “why” it didn’t work is the foundation of improvement!
As your firm grows, so should your training strategy. Once you approach 40 team members, we recommend recruiting or designating someone to lead in-house training. This person can maintain consistency, support new hires, and drive continued learning for your existing team. It’s a smart investment for your people and your future.
When selecting an in-house training manager, look for someone with strong communication skills who can clearly convey information and adapt to different learning styles. They should be organized and detail-oriented, capable of creating structured training programs while tracking progress and outcomes. Experience in employee development or a background in teaching or coaching can be a huge advantage. Most importantly, choose someone who is passionate about fostering growth within your team and building a culture of continuous learning.
You don’t need a perfect plan!
You just need a starting point.
If training feels like a burden to you, how do you think it feels to your new team member? With the right tools and a shift in mindset, training can feel less like a chore and more like your strategic advantage as you invest in your team’s success. When done right, your team can become energized and confident, fueling growth, sparking morale, and reducing costly mistakes.
Start small and stay intentional. You’ll soon be on your way to building a training program that welcomes and supports new hires, sets clear expectations for all, and builds a strong, confident team.
