At the same time it is also vital that the new employee is made to feel comfortable in their new role. Never forget that probationary periods are two-way - which means that it is easier for new staff to leave during this time.
To ensure that you as the hiring manager will be happy if your new employee passes their probation, you should conduct regular reviews. (In fact, in my view regular reviews should be conducted for the duration of the employee’s career with you.) In this article I look at preparing for these reviews.
It is very hard to find guidance on how to prepare and set the parameters for a review so we usually adopt the style of the managers who have reviewed us in the past. This can be good if they were good, but the opposite can easily be just as true. So, whilst some of the following may seem very simple, it is nevertheless important to apply this approach to ensure for maximum efficacy and a motivated and well-performing employee.
So, What Should Be Reviewed?
If you have followed the hiring process detailed in previous issues of this blog, the subjects to be covered in the reviews will have been covered in your initial job description and requirements from the behaviours you were expecting and interviewing for.
Rather than spend a large portion of this issue running through those here, I will refer you to the relevant blog entries for June 2010
“Making Job Descriptions Work For You” Part 1
“Making Job Descriptions Work For You” Part 2
“Making Job Descriptions Work For You” Part 3
So, following that approach means we will have established the outcomes we are looking for during the interview process and agreed them during the induction and initial training period. This means we can now set out to review against these outcomes.
Borrowing from my examples from the earlier issues, the expected outcomes for a new recruiter are detailed below after 30 and 90 days of employment.
In 30 days
- To be fully cognisant of our database and able to demonstrate an in-depth ability to perform searches and enter all conversations on it.
- To be able to present a complete overview of the technical speciality they work in.
- To be able to have informed conversations with candidates in their sector.
In 90 days
- To have met the targets set, leading through the recruitment process from obtaining the role, submitting CVs and setting up interviews; and having basic control of the process.
- To be able to effectively present candidates to clients.
- To be able to plan the day effectively and unsupervised.
This provides for clear criteria to be reviewed at the start of the employment and throughout the probation period.
Likewise, ongoing targets and behavioural expectations can be agreed and set for future reviews - both once the initial criteria have been met within the probation period and thereafter, once the probation period has been passed.
If handled correctly and professionally, these reviews can be highly motivational to your staff by providing ongoing challenges to them which will enhance their career and standing within your business, increase their skills and competencies and make them feel valued within the business - all of which will, in turn, increase their productivity.
In order to set appropriate and challenging targets remember the 'SMART' maxim: the targets should be:
Specific – detail the objective
Measurable – the parameters for success
Achievable – can they be achieved and have they been agreed by all parties?
Realistic – are the expectations realistic?
Time – the start and end time for the objective to be achieved.
Preparing For The Review:
When agreeing the review time and date let the employee know what you would like to cover. If the targets are “SMART” and have been agreed by both parties then both parties can prepare prior to the review by looking at the specific achievements and whether they have been achieved or not.
Normally the conversation will be about the specific targets but if additional points should be covered then it is wise to let the employee know in advance as well. That said, if there is a behavioural concern around attitude or treatment of colleagues or clients then I would bring this up in the review rather than prior to the review so that the issue can be covered informally without being marked on the employees records. This also prevents a drop in performance whilst the staff member worries about what will happen before the meeting has happened.
When And Where To Conduct The Review:
Reviews can be conducted formally at a set time or informally at the desk.
My preference is to review regularly at the desk and to formally review away from the desk on a monthly basis.
My regular reviews are daily to start with and move to weekly as the person settles in and is moving forward. My aim is to gain from these an understanding of how the employee is organising and planning, and to run through how they carry out their tasks in the live environment. These reviews can usually be conducted at short notice and are much more effective at the desk as -
a) you can often show them more effective ways of carrying out their day-to-day tasks and show them and their colleagues, who will be paying attention even though they are not being reviewed, how to be most effective.
b) it enables you to see that they are thinking about what they are doing and will ensure that the whole team does. This in turn ensures a better experience for your customers.
c) it allows you to praise them in front of others.
I provide a few days notice for the monthly reviews and set aside an hour for the review and ensure that there is private room/office to conduct it in.
The Environment:
The environment for conducting a formal review is very important and it should be akin to the environment you create when you set up interviews.
To be effective, it is vital from the outset that the employee feels safe to talk to you and that their development and concerns are important to you. The review should therefore be held in a closed room or, failing that, in a secluded area where interruptions are unlikely. Public places or open plan offices do not create an environment where an employee can feel comfortable being open and honest about their performance. Further, if there are aspects of their performance that you are not happy with then discussing this privately is always a good thing for the employee and - if handled correctly - motivational too. On the other hand, if problems are dealt with in an open environment in front of others, that can severely damage trust and the motivation of the employee and the team around them.
It is also important to ensure that you cannot be interrupted, your phone is off and that your attention is fully with the employee for the duration of the meeting. As with the interview, having a clock in your eye line is helpful so that you can track time without looking at your watch, which is a huge distraction to the employee and creates the impression that you are not really focused on the review.
Again like an interview, it is important that the employee is put at ease so that they are open and honest with you. So, start with small talk about themselves and how things are going just to create a more relaxed feel before you start the review itself.
Next Tme:
In the next article we will look at how to conduct the review.
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