PROFESSIONAL TRAINING · MODULE 01

Guest-ready in 30 days: the
new-hire onboarding module.

In this module you'll build and run a first-30-days onboarding plan for new hospitality hires — the shift behaviors to teach, the shadow-and-practice loop, the manager checks, and the follow-up conversations that make them stick.

~ 45 min hands-on audience · new hires + managers outcome · day-1 shift ready
Harbor Row Hotels · People & Learning

WHY IT MATTERS

By the end, you will be able to…

① Explain why the first 30 days decide retention.

Hires who don't shadow a real shift in week one leave 2.4x more often before day 90 — across all 42 Harbor Row properties.

② Run the 3-shift onboarding workflow.

Observe, co-work, solo-with-support — each shift has one buddy, one checklist, one 5-minute huddle.

③ Perform the greet-and-seat on demand.

Given a walk-in party, deliver the 90-second script and log a clean readiness card.

④ Close the loop with a manager check-in.

Day 7, day 14, and day 30 conversations, and what "ready for solo shifts" actually looks like.

CORE WORKFLOW

Two parts, every shift.

Every onboarding shift has exactly two things inside it: a buddy (the shift lead paired with the new hire for all three shifts) and a 5-minute huddle (one goal in before the shift, one observation out after).

Rule of thumb. Don't hand a new hire a manual — hand them a buddy and a checklist. The buddy narrates decisions out loud; the checklist turns "watch me" into "now you."

The buddy

A shift lead with 6+ months tenure, paired for all 3 onboarding shifts — same buddy, same hire.

e.g. front desk · F&B · housekeeping

The huddle

5 minutes before and after each shift, logged on the readiness card.

e.g. observe → co-work → solo

WORKED EXAMPLE

The greet-and-seat, 90 seconds.

# target: under 90 seconds, door to seated
01 Eye contact + name: "Welcome back, Ms. Alvarez"
02 Confirm party size + any notes on file
03 Walk the table, don't point   # narrate as you go
return pace to guest, not to kitchen
What just happened. The buddy ran the 90-second greet-and-seat while narrating each decision out loud, then logged it on the readiness card — that narration is what the new hire copies on shift two.

SHIFT 2 · CO-WORK

Run your first greet-and-seat.

From watching to doing — three parties, solo, with your buddy one pace back at the host stand.

Your task

  1. Take the next three parties solo while your buddy observes from the host stand.
  2. Use the three required phrases — welcome, confirm, walk — every single time.
  3. Log your own turnaround time on the readiness card after each party.
  4. Bonus: handle one seating conflict and narrate your choice to your buddy afterward.

Stuck? Remember: every shift you log becomes evidence for your day-14 readiness check.

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

What makes a new hire "solo-shift ready"?

A
They finished the online orientation video

No — the video covers policy, not the greet-and-seat or table-walk skills a shift actually needs.

B
Their buddy signs off on 3 shadow shifts and a clean readiness card

✓ Correct. Observe, co-work, solo-with-support — each logged and signed by the same buddy.

C
They've worked at the property for at least two weeks

No — tenure alone isn't readiness; the readiness card is what unlocks solo shifts, not the calendar.

SUMMARY · MODULE 01

Next behavior: book the day-30 check-in.

✓ Explain why 30 days matter

Shadowed hires stay 2.4x longer past day 90 — the module exists to make that shadowing repeatable.

✓ Run the onboarding workflow

One buddy, three shifts, a 5-minute huddle before and after each one.

✓ Perform the greet-and-seat

Under 90 seconds, three required phrases, logged turnaround time.

✓ Close the loop with your manager

Day 7 check-in, day 14 readiness review, day 30 solo-shift sign-off.

Up next. Managers: put the day-7, day-14, and day-30 check-ins on the calendar today — new hires: bring your readiness card to each one.