Is Your New Employee a Poor Fit?
Hiring new people is a lot of work and most of the time we manage to find the right person to add value to the company. What happens when you hire a new person who doesn’t seem to fit?
What does “fit” look like in your company? Here are some areas where most managers evaluate their employee’s effectiveness and productivity:
- Work performance – for most companies, depending on the role, what is important is an employee’s attention to detail, how they handle customers or their creative abilities.
- Communication style – this is important for all companies, the level of the employee’s written and verbal communication. In a customer service role, how clear do they speak and how do they treat the customers. Does the employee treat others respectfully when communicating?
- How effective are they in resolving issues and do they follow the policies and procedures of the company.
- Team – does the employee work well with others and actively participates in team projects.
- Culture – Is the employee comfortable with the culture of the company.
When you evaluate an employee, you look at what they do (quality of their work) and how they perform their responsibilities while interacting with others.
The first 45 days with a new employee is critical as this is the time period where both of you are actively evaluating each other. I would recommend you have consistent weekly meetings to check in and see how they are doing, as well as provide clear expectations in performance and communication with you as well as team members. This minimizes the chance for poor fit. It also gives you time to evaluate this new employee.
If after 45 days of active interaction between the two of you, the employee doesn’t seem able to handle the position or lack communication skills, you may have hired a “poor fit.” Ask yourself: do they need additional training, are you listening to their concerns, are they better suited for another role or do you need to replace them.
Always think first how you can better the situation with the employee before considering termination. You have already invested time and money, so take the time to brainstorm around ideas to help the employee fit in better. Then have a discussion with the employee to hear their ideas and understand what is blocking them.
Be well,
Pat
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