Getting New Hires On Board in a Small Business
Q: Our company has grown from two to nine people pretty quickly. When you hire people who have had experience in this field, they tend to be set in their ways. What recommendations do you have for turning them to the “company way” with policies and procedures, etc.? – Valerie in Fort Myers
Answer:
First of all, congratulations on your success! It isn’t easy developing a business these days. That said, along with the positives, challenges arise with such quick growth, not the least of which is merging personalities and hoping they work well together. First, I suggest that you remember specifically why you hired each person. What skills and experiences made each employee attractive for the job initially? Are they demonstrating those abilities well despite some organizational challenges?
When you have new employees, you have to remember to be patient with them. Give them time to break old habits, but at the same time correct undesirable behavior using constructive feedback. Be sure to praise new employees when they do things the right way and try not to get too frustrated with them when they don’t. Neuroscience research has shown that people are open to change when they get positive feedback and resist change when they feel criticized. Weekly check-in meetings can help you successfully onboard new hires. They provide an opportunity for employees to discuss their experience so far, and for you to clarify expectations.
When an employee, particularly a new employee handles operations differently, it is important to think about why that might be the case. Credibility comes from knowing one’s work, and new employees are trying to leverage their past work to make them credible and valuable to a new organization. They may be trying to showcase their unique skills and ideas, and that kind of motivation can be channeled and utilized to improve an already successful business. The trick is to align their good intentions to the norms of your business.
It is also important to be open-minded when working with new people and to be careful not to shut their ideas out completely. They may have something unique to offer and have the energy to learn about and enhance procedures. If there are certain procedural “musts,” make them clear at the time of the interview and be consistent thereafter.
When you look to make your next hire, keep in mind that literature from organizational psychology suggests that an ideal hire has the skills and abilities required for the job, but hasn’t worked in exactly the same setting before. For example, a life insurance company looking to hire a salesperson may be better off finding someone whose experience has been in auto insurance sales. People naturally bring their ways of doing things with them, and those habits are difficult to break when the old and new environments are very similar. To sum it up, be patient, focus on the positives but be constructive, and think about how you can align each person’s strengths to the overall vision to your company.
Jaime earned her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Yeshiva University. She currently works in a private practice in NYC doing psychotherapy and career counseling. In addition to providing general psychological services, Jaime has extensive experience working with individuals of all ages on the autism spectrum. She lives in Hartsdale. (Advice given in Ask Jaime is not intended to be a substitute for individual psychotherapy.)
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