[DFB FGXR6]

We had a new employee start on trial this past Friday and Saturday. I struggle meeting new people, so I was somewhat on edge.

The new girl got thrown in the deep end owing to a shipment of 600 bare rooted trees to process, label and put into stock on the Friday, then a relatively busy Saturday shift. It was fantastic having another set of hands on deck, both dealing with customers in the shop, but also helping to get through a massive workload. On both counts, she proved very capable despite limited experience.

The Friday workload meant that the two deliveries of potted stock that also arrived ended up sitting out back while we prioritized the bare rooted plants. Normally, Saturday is all about selling rather than restocking, however Saturday mornings in winter are usually pretty slow customer wise, so it wasn't really an issue on this occasion.

I'm actually a bit anal about stock placement, mainly because I've been corrected just enough over the years to know what is expected (it's funny how negative feedback is always remembered). I'm a very literal type of person, so if I'm corrected on something, it should apply to EVERYONE. I therefore despise laziness when it comes to putting stock out, I would rather the time be taken to get it right from the beginning, rather than just dumping it with no thought and then me having to go back and fix it. If the stock looks good and is displayed nicely, then it makes it easy for customers to shop and buy, which in turn, keeps everyone employed.

Unexpectedly, the new girl was paired up with me to help put the stock out, in theory for me to set the bar for how I/we like things done. I always think it's crucial to not only explain how to do something, but why. It's all too easy to just say do this or do that, but explaining why we do things gives much greater context and purpose to the task.

After a general how and why word-up, I set her up with a blank canvas and 40 plants to arrange/display and left her to it while I worked close by. Pleasingly, the end result was absolutely fantastic, to the point where I didn't feel the need to tweak or critique the display. What I liked most was that when the display wasn't working, she rearranged the plants until the display was perfect. Exactly what I wanted, an eye for detail and the ability to self-assess.

It's been a very long time since I have had to train someone new, but its very rewarding to see the end result of your tutelage producing a high-quality result. This might come across as selfish, but I hope this new staff member stays on, it might just give me a new purpose in my own role.