A new worker's first week is shaped by whose side they spend it at. The shift supervisor knows the rules; the experienced operator knows how the work is done on the floor. Where those differ, the newcomer learns the second.
Who should be the mentor
Someone who does the same job every day, does it properly and is willing to explain. If the third condition is missing, the pairing is short and the newcomer learns the rest by watching. See on the floor that they work to the current instruction.
The supervisor's role is separate: covering the rule, the decision limit and the record, showing which decision sits with whom and which form goes where. If they try to describe floor movements, two sources clash. In food businesses it is the operator's duty to see that staff are trained for their work (Turkish Food Hygiene Regulation, Article 21); the mentor carries the on-the-floor part of that training.
When they teach different things
When a newcomer says 'but that is how I was shown', either the instruction is out of date or the floor has found a shortcut. First establish which; then correct one of them. An unverified shortcut is not passed on to the newcomer.
Pairing length is set by scope rather than a number: it ends when the newcomer has done every step of the job at least once beside the mentor and shown it back, since a job never seen twice is a job not learned. The mentor's own work continues, so the role creates hidden overtime; recognising the load and planning the time makes it easier to find someone who wants the role. When several people start at once, the second is paired with another mentor on another shift.
A mentor who must explain also reviews their own habits; steps they cannot justify can be corrected in the instruction.
A mentor who must explain also reviews their own habits: steps they cannot justify come to light, and these can be corrected in the instruction.
