Why hire in the first place?

Any employer hires for the same reason, they have a problem that needs to be fixed. When hiring, the best manager looks at three factors: whether the person has the ability to perform the role, whether the person is motivated to perform the role, and whether they are a good fit with existing staff. Many times, people are hired just based on their resume. Just because someone has the right skills doesn’t mean he’ll want to play the role that someone else has designed. That is why it is essential during the interview process to understand if the candidate is motivated to do the job he is applying for. Equally important is understanding whether the candidate will be a good fit with existing staff. This includes personality, work style, and skill background. The best manager knows that hiring the right person is important not only to get the new job done, but also to help the existing team be more productive.

Who is responsible for the success of employees?

This may surprise you, but not only the employee is responsible for his success! Organizations are quick to take credit when the new person does well, and they are just as quick to blame the employee when things don’t work out. The success of the person hired depends on the entire system. For example, a demanding micromanager will get less performance out of the same person who might instead be working well enough for a smarter manager. Most people don’t wake up in the morning and decide that today would be a good day to fail at work. Most people come to work with hope, anticipation, and a feeling that they will do their best and have a productive day. The best manager knows that the system a person works under determines success. When things go wrong, the best manager will quickly scan the system to understand what went wrong. For example, let’s say a bank expects its customer service employees, who work at desks in the main customer waiting area, to open at least 5 new accounts per day. This bank decides to penalize an employee who was constantly opening 1 account per day for a week. The employee is upset; above all, knowing that you do not depend much on him or her. The best manager examines the system to see what is wrong. Upon investigation, the top manager discovers that many factors may have led to a bad week. The bank’s credibility may have been affected by a news article that described some ethical problems in the bank’s operations. Or a new bank had just opened on the block and was offering free iPods to any new customer who opened an account. The best manager engages the staff to see what new ideas and plans need to be put in place. There is no guilt to pass.

How to measure the assimilation of new employees

Most of the time, once a person is hired, there is little formal measurement of whether the person is working beyond probationary review. The best manager knows that the best way to measure is to periodically ask a new person how things are going, if a person is happy with the job, if the goals are clear to the person. The best manager wants to know what the new hire needs to be successful. The best manager reviews the system and tries to understand if he is supportive of the new employee and if the new person has good relationships with co-workers. The best manager could see if the full potential of a new person was used. The best manager will actually ask the new employee if the position meets her expectations. While these measurements are subjective, the important factor is that they involve both parties in the evaluation.

What to do if things don’t work out

Of course there will be times when things don’t work out. Many organizations move quickly to terminate the employee. This should always be the last resort. Firing a person has many negative effects on the organization. First, morale suffers with employees who stay; many times this same function will be rehired within a year at 2-3 times the cost. The best manager, on the other hand, tries to understand what went wrong and if it can be fixed. If not, a two-way conversation takes place and a plan is agreed upon. This plan may involve retraining, job rotation, or a period of time where the employee has time to interview and pursue other opportunities with the organization. The organization gives these people top priority. Unfortunately, many organizations instead use this redeployment group as a quick step toward abandonment and termination.

How to let go in a humanistic way

There will be times when people need to be let go. How this happens is very important. Many organizations call on relocation companies to handle this process. An employee comes to work in the morning and runs into a stranger… Then 60 minutes later, someone else is cleaning the office and taking the employee’s personal items to the parking lot. Many people are treated like criminals while they are let go. The best manager meets personally with the affected person and answers all questions after discussing the reasons why the person is being fired. The best manager explains the next steps, which include relocation assistance over a fairly long period of time over many months to help the person find a new job. The best manager knows that this will help the credibility of the organization. When people are fired inhumanely, existing employees find out about it. Instead of doing their job, they’ll worry if they’ll be next. As a result, they work in fear and in reactionary mode. When people are let go humanistically, existing employees know that at least if things don’t work out, they’ll have support to find something else. The best manager knows that this is the correct approach for a person and the correct moral approach in a society.

Learning summary and next steps

The best manager knows that it is the system that determines the behavior and performance of its members. What is the process in your organization for hiring, evaluating and letting go? Makes sense? Which parts need to change and why? Just by asking these questions, the organization will have a healthy system where people want to work.

craig nathanson