The Confident Entrepreneur With Jennifer Ann Johnson
Jennifer is a multifaceted entrepreneur while also actively involved in her community. She owns True Fashionistas (Florida’s largest lifestyle resale store), CooiesCookies, Pink Farmhouse (online store), and Confident Entrepreneur, which encompasses her podcast, blog, motivational speaking, and coaching business for women entrepreneurs. Jennifer is an inspiration to other women business owners - showing it's possible to be successful in business while also making a difference and giving back to her community. Jennifer lives in Naples FL with her husband and twins.
The Confident Entrepreneur With Jennifer Ann Johnson
The Art of Onboarding for Success with Karen Shepheard
Does employee loyalty start before day one? HR expert Karen Shepard reveals how effective onboarding—beginning at recruitment—creates a thriving workforce. With over 15 years of experience, she shares why transparency, cultural fit, and soft skills are essential for seamless integration and long-term retention. Learn how pre-interview assessments, personalized training, and open communication set the stage for success. Plus, we explore how job titles shape growth and leadership potential, inspired by Lou Holtz’s philosophy that every employee is a leader. Tune in for expert insights to elevate your hiring strategy and workplace culture!
Visit us at jenniferannjohnson.com and learn how Jennifer can help you build the life you dream of with her online academy, blog, one-on-one coaching, and a variety of other resources!
First impressions aren't just for first dates or client meetings. When it comes to business, the way you welcome and integrate new employees can make or break their success and yours. Today, we're diving into the often overlooked world of employee onboarding. It's more than just paperwork and introductions. It's about setting the stage for long-term success, engagement and retention. Did you know that a strong onboarding process can improve new hire retention by 82% and productivity by over 70%? Yet many businesses treat it as an afterthought.
Jennifer Johnson:In this episode, we welcome into the studio Karen Shepherd. Karen is the owner of HR by Karen and she has over 15 years of experience in HR and she's always described as genuinely passionate and creative by her peers. She is the partner that you want to take your business to the next level. She wants to work together to change. Why not you to why not us? We will explore why onboarding is crucial, what a great onboarding process looks like and how you can create an experience that turns new hires into long-term high-performing team members.
Jennifer Johnson:Whether you're a startup founder hiring your first employee or an established business looking to refine your processes, this episode is packed with insights that you can't afford to miss. So get ready to transform your approach to welcoming new talent. Your journey to building a more engaged, productive and loyal workforce starts now. Let's dive in. Welcome, karen. Thank you, jennifer. I just love having you on because I always gain a new insight. Oh, how sweet. And I love being here. I mean, hr is such a vast field and there's so many different components about it and I know I just I had just recited the statistics and they may even be higher than that. Now I'm not sure. But why is hiring or why is the after hiring so I say the after hiring meaning the onboarding process, why is that so crucial for a company? Meaning the onboarding process.
Karen Shepherd:Why is that so crucial for a company? Actually, Jennifer, it's not the after hiring Recruitment is part of the onboarding process.
Jennifer Johnson:See and look it. I learned that right now. So why it really is, because it's so important.
Karen Shepherd:It is all about most people. When they hire right, it is about filling the seat half the time. If they're in panic mode, someone may have just quit.
Jennifer Johnson:Oh, I know nothing about that, nothing.
Karen Shepherd:I'm backing from the microphone because I know how my laugh can like squeal in the microphone. But yes, it's so important to hire for your culture, hire the character of an individual, the soft skills of an individual and it is and the technical skills. I obviously have to be there, but it shouldn't be the first focus. So, when you hire right, the onboarding process is easy, okay. Okay Because then and one of the important things to do during the recruitment process is transparency. You have to be transparent. You can't have a candidate sit across from you and say we are great, we do everything right, and then the candidate shows up and you don't have the tools in place for them, you don't have a process in place for introductions. So it is not.
Karen Shepherd:Onboarding does not start when they arrive, it's before, and you know, many times it's been my experience, think about it you hire someone you send them the offer letter, but they can't start sometimes for another two to three weeks because of their current commitments that they have Right and you want an employee like that.
Jennifer Johnson:Right, of course, trust me, I would imagine so.
Karen Shepherd:Yes, so you want to continue to engage them when they haven't even set foot in their door yet, especially if you have to wait three weeks or a month or whatever. So it's very helpful. Send a handwritten note, really simple there. Send them some swag Get them ready.
Karen Shepherd:Get them some excitement right. And when they arrive, you know, is there a note for them? Is there, are you celebrating them? Are you introducing them to your staff, the rest of the team? It's so important to continue that excitement for weeks before they walk in the door and continue that engagement.
Jennifer Johnson:Now you mentioned something and I hear this a lot lately soft skills. What are soft skills for our listeners who may not know, because I know somewhat but I don't really know what are soft skills.
Karen Shepherd:Yeah, so soft skills are your foundation. Okay, how is your positive energy? How is your work ethic? How is your character? How is your positive energy? Mm-hmm, how is your work ethic? How is your character? How is your integrity? How are those things? Those are your soft skills. Are you naturally going to show up or am I going to have to put a fire?
Jennifer Johnson:under you to show up.
Karen Shepherd:Sure, those can I count on you. Are you reliable, mm-hmm? Those are your soft skills, your insights.
Jennifer Johnson:So do you, when you sit down in an interview with someone like is there questions? You can ask them to pull that out of them, because how am I supposed to see somebody's character or somebody's integrity by just talking to them for however long I interview them?
Karen Shepherd:Well, that's a very good question. Three years ago, I met someone who owns Trait Set, and Trait Set is a pre-interview assessment and you can assess their customer service skills. You can assess their work ethic and integrity. You can assess their leadership skills. You could also assess how they're going to work remote, if your job can allow that, okay. So it's. They're great assessments and every time, every time I don't listen to them because they show me whether to consider them, to hire them or to decline them. That's pretty amazing from a test From assessments.
Karen Shepherd:Yeah, from it an assessment just like DISC, right Is a behavioral assessment, or there's so many different assessments out there Myers-Briggs and things of that nature but what I like about this is it shows where they're not good at. So, for example, I just went through a personal hiring process. Right, I'm hiring on an. Hr, another HR to help me and it showed me where her weaknesses are. Now, if I because I'm not a very good organizer- and we can't be everything organizer and we can't be everything detail oriented.
Karen Shepherd:I can't have someone else like that, like that, right, because then we won't get anything done, right? So it's very interesting, but I what's great about these assessments is they ask questions, they provide questions that you should ask in the job interview. Great and I love it. Is that based on what it came back as? Yes, okay, yes, so, and it just tells you right in the assessment Wow, it's amazing, it's intuitive, it is so. So I never, when people hire me for recruitment, I never not use these assessments.
Jennifer Johnson:Yeah.
Karen Shepherd:It sounds powerful. Yes, it's very empowering for the client, for sure.
Jennifer Johnson:So let me ask you this so the whole onboarding process starts from recruitment? Yes, okay. What is that impact if we don't start out there? Like what? What negative impact? Wrong, wrong souls for the wrong roles, the wrong butts in the seats, like Right Turnover, turnover, turnover, turnover.
Karen Shepherd:You know those doors, those revolving doors and office buildings.
Karen Shepherd:That's your office. If you uh, if you try and go towards an individual's weaknesses, then they're going to be. You're not setting them up for success. You have to find the seat for them that works towards their strengths, not their weaknesses. You don't want to train someone's weaknesses. Someone's weaknesses are not going to get better by training Right. They may become knowledgeable, they may learn something, but I'm not saying a technical skill can't be trained. Of course it can. However, if it keeps showing up, you have to talk to them three or more times about it. They're not getting it because it's a weakness.
Jennifer Johnson:And you're doing a disservice not just to yourself and the company, but to them as well.
Karen Shepherd:Right and you also have to ask yourself the question am I training properly? You look from within. Is there something wrong with me? Am I?
Jennifer Johnson:doing this wrong.
Karen Shepherd:Right, because someone may not be getting it because of how they're being trained. So there is. I mean it is. Onboarding is such a critical component and I always say hire fast and fire faster. And I don't mean hire fast and just fill a seat, I mean hire fast in the process, because when you get a gem and it takes you two to three weeks to make a decision, say bye-bye, right, and that could be just as difficult as the turnover.
Jennifer Johnson:So now walk me through a typical onboarding. You say it starts with the recruiting. What's after recruiting? After the recruiting and the engagement before so if they can't start for two weeks, yes, Get them excited when you should always have a process.
Karen Shepherd:Maybe it's an introduction having someone walk someone around the team show them the facilities, as ridiculous as it may sound, where the kitchen is, how to make the coffee.
Karen Shepherd:With all the coffee different makers out there. I know there's this one client I visit. I'm embarrassed to ask them to make me a cup of coffee, but it's only because I can never figure out their fancy machine and there's no instructions, right, right, so it makes you feel at home. Yes, it definitely does. You know, make that person feel like they are valued as soon as they walk in the door and empowered to be them and bring their host selves to work every day. They never should, but I have a gift for your listeners yes.
Jennifer Johnson:What is the gift? We like gifts, yes.
Karen Shepherd:I have a gift, so in my book Lead with Love. There is a section in it with Lead with Love tools and part of one of my tools. There's like 16 gems in there that helps with that. There's a sample offer letter in there oh awesome. And there is also an onboarding checklist. That's awesome.
Jennifer Johnson:That will be very valuable.
Karen Shepherd:Yeah, so it is very valuable tool. There's lots of valuable tools in there, and I'm willing to give this gift to your listeners.
Jennifer Johnson:Wonderful, and your book, your book Lead with Love, has been out. They can buy it on Amazon. They can buy it.
Karen Shepherd:Lead with Love Foundation. They can go to HR by they can buy it. Lead with love foundation. They can go to HR by Karen. They can go anywhere Awesome.
Jennifer Johnson:And it's lead with love. 10 heart centered strategies to build a more profitable business is the name of her book, so if you're looking for that and that's where the QR code is and we'll make sure we can drop that into the show notes- yes, I'm, I'm happy to gift your listeners because you give so much, I want to give back.
Karen Shepherd:So a checklist, you know, making sure your offer letter is compliant, and it's okay if it's not a formal offer letter.
Jennifer Johnson:It can be an email. I was going to ask that because a lot of people don't, you know send them something in the mail. Yeah, it doesn't have to be. Is it always a good practice to email them, or is it good practice to call them first and say, hey, you got the job, and then email them?
Karen Shepherd:That is an amazing question, because I always, always, a lot of people have that assumption. A lot of candidates think that an offer letter, when it comes, it's time for negotiation. Oh, I didn't go there. Yes, thank you for the reminder for me to bring this up today because I always tell a candidate this is what's going to be in your offer letter.
Jennifer Johnson:I always call them first. Yes, okay, so you call them with the offer, with the offer.
Karen Shepherd:Sometimes, like last week, I didn't let her leave the office without me telling her. I knew right away I was hiring her. I knew before she showed up I was hiring her. Wow, yeah. So I uh, and I said this is what's going to be in it, this is what I can do. And I gave her the rate, I gave her the date, I gave her what her position was going to be and I said, just so you know, when you receive this offer letter, it's not time for negotiation.
Jennifer Johnson:Right now. So you were up front with her.
Karen Shepherd:Oh, totally, transparency is so key with everything.
Jennifer Johnson:Transparency is so key with everything. But some people would say if you bring up the negotiation part, that peaks their, you know they're going to be more apt to negotiate, whereas if we don't bring it up they won't. Does that make sense or is that false belief?
Karen Shepherd:I feel that's false belief. I really believe in. Transparency is everything Like, and you and I explained the why and the because like listen, this is what I could afford to give you right now. You do what you say, let's meet in the middle, I will. I am the biggest giver there is. I will never, I will not be that person.
Jennifer Johnson:But that no, and I kind of meant, like you know, bringing up negotiation. If you just say this is what your salary will be, you're being transparent and you say you know you don't say anything about negotiation. At that point You're saying that that opens them up once you send the letter, to think that they can negotiate with you If you don't tell them. If you don't tell them, if you don't tell them.
Karen Shepherd:This is the time to negotiate right now not when you get the letter.
Jennifer Johnson:I see, okay, yes, so it's okay to bring it up. Yes, the negotiation part. Yes, saying it Okay.
Karen Shepherd:Yes, because that's the time to have a conversation when you're face to face with them. You're right, I mean because they're going to do it inevitably Otherwise exactly. Exactly. I don't why waste anyone's time.
Jennifer Johnson:You're just cutting to the chase right now.
Karen Shepherd:Yes, I'm very direct.
Jennifer Johnson:There's no other way to be like but it makes sense because inevitably you know that they're going to probably come back after they get the letter and say, well, I really need this dollar amount and you know you can't move on it. So you tell them right then and there. And if they don't, if that doesn't work for them, then you know you're on to the next person and they're on to the next interview.
Karen Shepherd:Again, the hiring process. You have to hire fast and that doesn't mean fill the seat with anyone. Again it means your process needs to be pushed, continuously pushed forward, so important. And so my candidate she called. She says I'm ready to sign, but I would like one change.
Jennifer Johnson:And I'm like, here it comes.
Karen Shepherd:Here it comes. Can we change the title? Her title, yeah, her title. That is what was important. So that is so critical to understand, because I didn't realize that a title was going to be so important and that was one thing I didn't talk about, so I'm glad we're talking about this. And that was one thing I didn't talk about her.
Jennifer Johnson:I'm glad that we're having this discussion about this, because have you found that over the last few years, that title has become really important to different generations? Yes, and why?
Karen Shepherd:The why is I want to know the why is personal growth, leadership and personal growth? It's all about it, because the real good gems know that they're going to continue to grow.
Karen Shepherd:They want to grow, they're very career minded and you can't bust someone's chops for that. Yeah, because that is what I believe in, that's why I love helping the younger people, and that's what we do with the foundation, our future workforce. We have to listen to them, we have to understand what's important to them, and that is part of the onboarding process, too, is listening to them and understanding what is important after five o'clock, because it's not about it's not about you.
Jennifer Johnson:Right. So let me expound on that a little bit. What if you somebody would say you know what? I really want a title change. Whether they're accepting a job or they've been working for you for a while, I really want a title change. They didn't ask for extra pay, they didn't ask for anything else, they want a title change. What if you're at a place in your company where you just don't have that position per se?
Karen Shepherd:Then you're transparent about transparent, what do you say?
Jennifer Johnson:I. I'm sorry I can't do it. Maybe I'll relook at that.
Karen Shepherd:Yes, May we revisit. May we revisit this conversation in another six months and see where we're at. I mean, as long as you're transparent, you know, because right now we don't have that availability, Just like I was saying, with the salary. You may want X, Y, Z, but I can only do the X right now. You show me what you got, you bring it and then let's continue to have that conversation and you have to create that safe space for that conversation.
Jennifer Johnson:And if they say no, I know, then you know that they're not for you Exactly. You have to be willing to, Because they're all about the money.
Karen Shepherd:It can't be some candidates and employees. It's not about the money. They may want the first parking space, exactly. As ridiculous as that sounds but it's important for them to say exactly as ridiculous as that sound, but it's important for them to say employee of the month. You know you walk into a building sometimes and there's a space just for them there is.
Jennifer Johnson:That is a proud feeling when you walk right, when you drive up, it is so I know we we started on on the the onboarding journey, yeah, but this is all part of the onboarding. I kind of went off in the flowers over here. That's what happens. We start talking about something and then something comes up.
Karen Shepherd:So where were?
Jennifer Johnson:we at in that process you offered them the job. You had the conversation. The offer letter, yeah, the offer letter.
Karen Shepherd:Offer letter is really important. It's going to be in the tools. Your listeners will have it. The onboarding checklist. Give them attention on their first day. Don't make it all about the paperwork a second. They walk in the door, have a little breakfast for them, introduce them to the rest of the team and the paperwork can wait, even the I-9s. You have three days. I mean it doesn't have to be right that second, maybe the tax forms. But another issue that is really with all the automotive automation of onboarding now, where a lot of employers have their employees do it online now I've seen that I know we don't do that, but I've seen people do that.
Karen Shepherd:Yes, and if someone isn't sitting down with them, even though they did that online I talk about it in my book they're going to be lost.
Jennifer Johnson:Yes, absolutely those tax forms are. I don't know they're going to be lost. Could be in a different language. I can't understand them.
Karen Shepherd:But especially in the handbook. Like the handbooks, oh sure, if you that handbook, I don't care if you have one employee or you have thousands of employees, you have to have a handbook.
Jennifer Johnson:Okay, I'm glad you brought that up, because the handbook is very important. Yes, and I'm going to jot this in the notes because that's going to be something we're going to talk about. I want to go through the process, but we're going to come back to handbook and what should be in it. Okay, but let's continue walking through the process and then we'll go back to handbook.
Karen Shepherd:Okay, and just so you know, there's a handbook checklist in my tools as well.
Jennifer Johnson:That's great, that's awesome.
Karen Shepherd:That's even better. Okay, it's a checklist.
Jennifer Johnson:I don't give you one of my magic handbooks, but you have the check, so there's no magic handbook QR code no.
Karen Shepherd:Got to make a living somehow. That's great. Okay, so the handbook is part of the onboarding documents. Okay, so the handbook is part of the onboarding documents. And then, once you get through the party, the introductions, and maybe there's lots of different training training on billing, training on some software program, maybe it's something different that they don't have any experience with yet. That is a technical training piece that you have to do. And then I mean onboarding literally should take weeks.
Jennifer Johnson:Okay, that was another question I had. How long should this take? It could take weeks.
Karen Shepherd:Okay, you know, maybe someone takes them out for lunch, or maybe someone just to get to know them and to feel at ease. You know, anytime you really want to get to know an employee, you take them out for a meal. Sure, I firmly believe that, because you just see how they talk to the servers. Oh sure how they interact with you. Are they talking? You know what? If they're in leadership and they have to meet with customers and clients, how are their manners?
Jennifer Johnson:That's a good point.
Karen Shepherd:Yes.
Jennifer Johnson:Very good point. Yeah, so it can take months or weeks. It could take weeks.
Karen Shepherd:And really an employee is not going to be great, honestly, for a year. It can really take an entire year for an employee to really mesh in Right.
Jennifer Johnson:I did not know that, I didn't really. You know, when I think of onboarding, I think of what I am sure typical people think of. We think of coming in and doing all the tax forms and the documents and the book and all of that, and then then they're off to do their job. Yeah, and you kind of just not. You don't forget about them, but they just do.
Karen Shepherd:That's the problem. Yeah, so it's always fun to you know. Another great recommendation is to have a mentor. I like that. Okay, it doesn't someone who's been there for a minute, not someone who just started last week. Don't have the blind lead the blind.
Jennifer Johnson:I don't know where it is. Do you know where it is? Yeah, I have no idea.
Karen Shepherd:But it's part of that creating that safe space. It is saying listen, if you have any questions, this is who you should go to. This is who we're connecting. Maybe the personalities are great. You find that connection and people come to work with their friends. Sure, they do, right I? Was very lucky. I got to go to work with friends for 21 years with one of my firms, and so that's why it's really important, as a entrepreneur who is a small, small business myself, to hire who is smarter almost than me in certain aspects that I can collaborate with and feel safe doing that Right Myself as a business owner, we never want to be the smartest in the room.
Jennifer Johnson:No, you should never be.
Karen Shepherd:I don't want to be room. No, you should never be. I don't want to be. I mean, I do my job really, really well, but as a business owner, sometimes I fail. We're human. Yes, we're definitely human and yeah go ahead.
Jennifer Johnson:So let's talk about the handbook. Okay, okay, what should be? I mean, you don't need to tell us all Not a tell-all but why is a handbook important? Like what are a few components that are important to have in the handbook?
Karen Shepherd:Right, the handbook is like a Bible. I compare it to a Bible. It is that important Uh in it it shows. It shows uh compliance pieces, what it's really a guide.
Jennifer Johnson:Handbook is a guide.
Karen Shepherd:It's, it's a guide but it sets expectations, okay. I write it where it's general so that it can be perceived by the owner and move forward in individual cases. As long as you're consistent, that's the key right. Consistency is key because once you change your mind, let's say pregnancy Okay, a woman is pregnant, let's just go for the hard one, okay.
Karen Shepherd:And we don't call it maternity leave anymore, we call it parental and adoption leave. So there's no discriminatory against anyone. And it says in your handbook that you allow eight weeks of unpaid leave. What if one of your best employees needs 10 weeks? And family and FMLA, which is the Family Medical Leave Act, that you normally get 12 weeks, right, in large companies that are 50 or more employees Right, they need 10 weeks. And you give it to them.
Karen Shepherd:And then a year goes by. And then a year goes by and one of your not so great employees says I need an extra two weeks. And the manager or whoever says nope, our handbook says eight weeks, you only have eight weeks and if you don't come back, we cannot guarantee your job. Well, technically you can't guarantee the same job anyways when they come back from pregnancy leave. But then the employee says but you gave so-and-so 10 weeks, that's the big lawsuit, right there. Consistency is key. Consistency is key. Consistency is key. If you go off the guideline of what your handbook says, then you have to keep it consistent. So you have to be really clear on that.
Jennifer Johnson:I see that. Wow, so an employee handbook is different than an operations manual? Yes, because I think people do get that confused.
Karen Shepherd:All the time.
Jennifer Johnson:Operations manual is how to do your job.
Karen Shepherd:It's how to do your job. It is. The job descriptions are in there.
Karen Shepherd:Like I had one client, Job descriptions are in the operations manual, not the, not the handbook. It should never be in the handbook because they change too often. You want your handbook, so it needs to be reviewed every year, but you shouldn't have to make too many changes. The biggest changes that we've added to a handbook is remote work and AI. Right, ai is huge. Employees need to know that they cannot put all the company's personal stuff into AI. It will feed off of it, read it and it can be such a nightmare.
Jennifer Johnson:It's something that people I mean. It's a learning curve for people because it's you know you wouldn't put that in Google, right? Put your company financial statement in there, right? You wouldn't?
Karen Shepherd:Unless. You're a nonprofit.
Jennifer Johnson:But I understand.
Karen Shepherd:Right, yeah, it's, it's crazy, it's crazy. So those are the big ones. Wages is another big one. How you pay your exempt and non-exempt, those are really big components of the handbook. Leave policies are really up to the company company. I, I even I recently learned that there are some states that require you to give paid time off. There are and I I didn't realize that they were making them. Florida isn't like that, so that's good. So leave policy here in Florida is if you don't want to give it, you don't have to period. It's not rockin' science, but to me one of the biggest. And of course, the non-harassment and all those compliance pieces have to be there. But in my eyes it is the last I have mine in sections and the last section is conduct.
Jennifer Johnson:The do's and don'ts, the don'ts.
Karen Shepherd:Don't do this, don't? You know? Like don't be a jerk, I'll just say jerk. Yeah, I know.
Jennifer Johnson:I know what. So Karen's book was supposed to be called something other than lead with love. We're not going to discuss this on this podcast, but that's what she's talking about. It starts with an A yes are Lou Holtz's principles. You don't know who Lou Holtz is in his football season.
Karen Shepherd:I'm so glad it's football season. He was the coach of Notre Dame and he had those three simple principles and it's so important so that have good behavior.
Jennifer Johnson:Model good behavior.
Karen Shepherd:Model, because everyone is a leader. The organizational chart is flat. I know I've said that before. Yeah, we only have different job responsibilities. We're all in it for the same mission and vision.
Jennifer Johnson:That's it. Yeah, that could be better said. Yes, that's awesome. Well, as always, I've enjoyed our conversation. I know we went through a lot and we took a lot of twists and turns, but it's all great information for our listeners. Traveling through the HR world is not easy, especially if you're doing it alone, so that's why they have someone like you on their team who can help them. Karen, if our listeners would like to get in touch with you, how can they do so?
Karen Shepherd:They could either call me at 239-776-5919 or email me at karen at hrbykarencom, or just go to my website and check us out at hrbykarencom. That is fabulous. Thank you so much again. It is always fun spending time with you, jennifer. I love itcom. That is fabulous. Thank you so much again. It is always fun spending time with you. I love it Yay.
Jennifer Johnson:I heart you very much. I heart you too, and thank you to all of our listeners. I heart you as well.
