Rob Howes, Manager Recruitment
Top Tips to Help Your New Employee Succeed
10th March 2009
To ensure the success of any new employee, the best thing you can do is support them with an effective induction, orientation and leadership program. Contrary to popular belief, it is not always poor hiring that affects success - in other words, you may have hired the right person but once they started their employment, they did not have what they needed to achieve the desired or expected results.
Below are some tips to help ensure your new employees have what they need to succeed:
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Contact your new employee, or invite them for a visit before they start. This is a warm welcome to the new employee as well as cutting back on the time they may need to become comfortable when they officially start
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Provide your new employee with an accurate job description and clear expectations to ensure they understand, and accept, what they are expected to do
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Ensure the equipment and tools they need to be productive and succeed are available immediately
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Introduce your new employee to their colleagues and show them where the employee facilities are located. Giving them time to get to know people and be comfortable in their work space will help them be more productive
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A buddy or mentor can guide the new employee through work place processes and politics as well as being there to listen and help, ensuring the new employee can be focused on productivity
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Consistent and properly constructed feedback will help your new employee continue doing what they do well, and give them guidance on how to work on areas that can be improved. Try giving feedback in an informal, relaxed environment to ensure the communication is non-threatening and the new employee feels comfortable enough to discuss any concerns and feedback they have
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Formal, written performance appraisals/reviews are critical during probation to ensure that there is no misunderstanding about whether progress is below expectations, at expectations or above expectations and to action plan what next steps are required to ensure the success of your new employee
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Ensure your new employee is invited to both formal and informal social events. Sometimes informal events are missed because they are impromptu and not necessarily sent to the whole office
