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Technician Week 1 Field Shadowing Program

SOP Operations Updated Jun 19, 2026

Why this matters

Most service-trade technician turnover happens in the first 90 days, and a disproportionate share of that occurs in week 1 when a new hire forms their first impression of the company. A structured week-1 field shadowing program (as opposed to "go ride with Bob and pick it up") sets a competence floor before the new tech is sent solo, surfaces red-flag attitudes or skill gaps before they cause a callback, and tells the new hire that the company actually invests in people. This SOP defines a 40-hour shadowing week: who they ride with, what they observe, what they get tested on, and what triggers an extended program before they earn a truck. It also covers the OSHA and DOT baseline training that must be done before they touch a customer site.

Day 1: classroom and compliance

Day 1 is not a ride-along. New tech reports to the shop. Cover:

  • Company orientation: history, customer promise, sample customer call from start to finish.
  • Pay structure walk-through: how the comp plan works, when they get paid, how PTO accrues, OSHA-required wage statement requirements per state (in California per Labor Code section 226 the wage statement requirements are explicit; in other states FLSA recordkeeping under 29 CFR 516 applies).
  • Hazard communication: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1200 HazCom training on the chemicals on the truck, where the SDS binder is, what GHS pictograms mean.
  • PPE: assignment and fit of safety glasses, gloves, hard hat per ANSI Z89.1 if overhead hazards exist, hearing protection per 29 CFR 1910.95, and respirator if any task requires one (note: respirator use requires medical clearance and fit testing per 29 CFR 1910.134 before first use, not on day 1).
  • Vehicle: assigned truck or rider assignment, fuel card or company card protocol, DOT pre-trip inspection per 49 CFR 396.13 if applicable.
  • I-9 and W-4 completion, direct deposit setup, benefits enrollment paperwork started.
  • Cell phone, tablet, and FSM app login provisioning. Show them the tech-facing screens they will actually use.

End of day 1: new tech should not have visited a customer. Compliance and setup only.

Day 2 to 3: ride-along with the lead tech in observation mode

Days 2 and 3 the new tech rides with a designated lead tech (not just whoever is available; the lead tech is pre-trained on the shadowing program and is paid a small mentor bonus for the week). Rules:

  • New tech does not touch tools, does not talk to the customer beyond a polite greeting and handshake, and does not load or unload parts.
  • Lead tech narrates: what they are seeing on the truck pull-up (parking position, ladder access, customer signage), how they greet the customer, how they walk the diagnosis, how they price the recommendation, how they close.
  • After each job, in the truck on the way to the next: 3-minute debrief. "What did you see, what did you not understand, what would you have done differently."
  • End of day, lead tech submits a 5-line written note to the manager on observed attitude, listening behavior, mechanical aptitude red flags.

Day 3 afternoon to day 4: assist mode

Once the new tech has watched 4 to 8 calls, switch them to assist mode. They carry tools, hand the lead tech what they ask for, set up the work area, clean up. They still do not diagnose or quote. This is the phase where you find out if they actually know how to handle hand tools, whether they can identify a 7/16 socket without asking, and whether they put things back where they found them. Lead tech continues the post-job debrief.

Day 5: supervised lead mode

Day 5 the new tech runs the call with the lead tech as observer. They do the customer greeting, the diagnosis, the recommendation, the work. Lead tech intervenes only on safety or if the customer is about to be misquoted. After each call, full debrief. End of day, manager and lead tech do a sit-down with the new tech: what is the readiness rating for solo work next week.

Readiness scoring at end of week 1

A pass on week 1 is not "they made it through 40 hours." It is a structured score on five domains:

  • Customer interaction: did they introduce themselves, mask, shoe cover, name on jacket
  • Diagnostic discipline: did they jump to a conclusion or did they actually verify
  • Safe work practices: PPE worn appropriately, LOTO per 29 CFR 1910.147 where applicable, ladder use per 29 CFR 1910.23
  • Truck and tool discipline: clean, organized, parts restocked, tools accounted for
  • Documentation: photos taken, notes written, invoice or work order completed accurately

A score below the agreed bar triggers a week 2 extended shadowing program. Do not send them solo to make up for a hiring miss; you will pay for it with a callback or a customer escalation.

What happens if the lead tech rejects the new hire mid-week

If the lead tech reports a serious red flag on day 2 or 3 (showing up impaired, refusing PPE, lying about prior experience, being rude to a customer), pull them off the truck immediately and escalate to HR. Document the specific behavior with date, time, and witness. This is exactly the documentation chain you need if termination becomes the right call inside the 90-day introductory period. Do not let it ride through the week to be polite.

Do not bill any portion of the shadowing week to the customer as a second-tech charge unless your service agreement specifically allows training time on customer jobs. Billing a customer for training is a fast path to a complaint and a chargeback.

Reset point: end of week 1 manager 1-on-1

The new tech sits with the manager for 30 minutes at the end of week 1. Direct questions: What surprised you, what concerned you, do you want this job, what do you need from us to be successful next week. This is the moment where a quiet but valid concern (the lead tech was condescending, the truck smells like cigarettes, the schedule is different than what was promised in the interview) surfaces while it is still cheap to fix. Skip this meeting and you will read about the concern in their resignation email at day 60.

References

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