Time to reconsider POET? Is there a better way to onboard new hires?

Are you thinking about adding post offer employment testing (POET) to your organization in 2022? Or, are you having issues with your current POET process? (you're not alone!) Is there an alternative to POET that would be better for your company and employees?  

What is post offer employment testing (POET)?
Post-Offer Employment Testing gives industrial employers the opportunity to ensure that newly hired employees are able to safely engage in the physical demands of work-specific tasks prior to starting a new job —  or those transitioning within the company to a new position. 

What problems are industrial companies having with POET programs?
We talk to HR leaders, operation managers, and safety professionals every day... and POET usually comes up in nearly every conversation.

They let us know that their current program takes too long to complete for new hires or that the program doesn't work as well as they'd hoped. We also hear that POET can either cost too much or they have no effective way to determine any return on their investment. 

We've even heard that POET programs are not always done consistently, with fail rates that are either too low or too high. So, the outside party conducting the testing is either passing anyone who can make it through a 30-minute physical ability test so they get the job.

Or their test standards are too high and they're turning away much-needed, high-potential employees unnecessarily. And that can lead to scrutiny from the ADA or EEOC along with associated lawsuits, legal fees, fines, and public defamation.

POET providers also seem to have huge geography issues, even those who claim to be able to handle coverage for this testing. And when they have coverage gaps, the POET company is required to scramble and find facilities and providers to conduct these tests, train them on how to do it, ensure they have the proper equipment, and more. These gaps might cause a candidate to not be tested or possibly requiring them to drive 50-100 miles to complete the testing.

Even if a provider can offer testing onsite, it takes up valuable space in the facility.

All of the extra steps, gaps, and requirements creates extra work for HR professionals and talent acquisitions teams during the onboarding process. Worse, it can slow down the process enough that they lose quality candidates.

How can we improve the new hire onboarding?
By utilizing ineffective POET programs, it can reflect poorly on the entire employee experience in the hiring process. HR departments already face difficulties in the manufacturing and industrial environments, so being able to attract and retain good employees is very important to everyone involved.

One of the powerful features within the Safety Ally solution from Healthy Roster is our new-hire onboarding process. We immediately address the known POET issues that industrial employers are having with our ability to conduct jobsite analysis and ergonomic optimization, based on specific roles and departments within an organization. 

And we can do this for every new hire, at every location, and for every shift within your company! No onsite visits are required and there is never a need for new hires to drive anywhere. 

With Safety Ally, you can: 

• Identify high injury risk job tasks/job titles
• Require new hire employees to complete appropriate onboarding training assessment with live encounter cadences throughout the onboarding period (and not just an initial one-time test) 
• Provide learning management system courses to adequately prepare employee for the physical workload 
• Deliver educational information pertaining to identified high-risk movements that may cause soreness - utilize Safety Ally to address/alleviate any pain or soreness reports 
• Allow us to provide ongoing screening surveys and, if surveys indicate a need, schedule real-time, live, early intervention calls with an industrial athletic trainer
• Give employees the ability to scheduled follow-ups — with 24/7/365 access, supported by 220 languages — with our workplace healthcare experts to discuss any issues they are having

Are you considering a Post Offer Employment Testing program for 2022? Not thrilled about the additional time it takes to get employees onboarded using this type of program? Unsure of the POET program costs or if it is effective? Do you still need to proactively address physical abilities and reduce new hire injuries?

We've developed a way to help and standardize the process across your entire organization... even the super remote locations at a fraction of the cost!

Talk to us today to learn more by telling us a little about yourself and your company: