Recently one of my friends told me his organization hired Accountant three months back. She was a fresher and had a basic knowledge of accounting tools & software.
Their organization initially gave her training which had video and written modules. Her seniors were also very supportive and guided her. Gradually she started learning and performing better. It took her three months to excel in her work. But after learning and investing time, she left the organization.
I also discussed this with one of the co-founders of an organization. They revamped their brand name last year. They have hired many new people in the last six to seven months. Since the organization was going through a lot of internal changes, they did not focus on evaluating new employees’ performances during the probation period. Recently they evaluated their team performance and got to know one of the employees who was hired six months is at a slow pace and not efficient with the organization systems.
In the first case, the organization focused more on the technical skills of the new joinee and failed to evaluate whether she was a cultural fit. In the second situation, since the organization was undergoing a lot of changes. They did not have the time to check the relevant skills of new joiners during their probation period. It was after evaluating the team’s performance they figured out the real problem.
If you are also an HR facing similar issues with new joiners, let us figure out how to solve this burning problem & fix the leakages for the rock-solid organization.
Seven criteria On Which You Could Evaluate New Hires During Probation Period
Even after hiring candidates who are having all the knowledge and experience required for a specific position might end up not being the best fit for the role. Thus organizations put new recruits under probation period.
If you are also an HR and your organization has recently hired new employees. Then there are several criteria based on which you can evaluate candidates to ensure they are the right fit for the organization.
And once new employees complete their probation period, these evaluations will help organizations to take the final decision.
Now let’s start exploring the ocean of possibilities.
1. Cultural Fit
The first and foremost evaluation should be a cultural fit.
What exactly do we mean by cultural fit?
Employees are a cultural fit when their goals, values, and vision are aligned with the company’s goals and values.
Company culture includes
- values
- vision
- working practices and rituals
- language and communication styles
- belief systems
Although an employee requires the right skill & experience to perform their task, they will perform to their optimum level only when they are the right culture fit.
According to a psychological study, employees who fit well with their company culture are:
- Happy and satisfied with their work and role
- Are more likely to remain associated with their organization for a long time
- Are committed to their work
- Perform their tasks better
And on the other hand, employees who are not culture fit are more likely to leave their job, negatively influence people, impact team performance, always complain and impact customer or client relationships.
2. Entrepreneurial Attitude
As organizations need to prepare for unpredictable future challenges,
at the same time, they want to hire employees who can be the best versions of themselves at the workplace. They want someone with an entrepreneurial attitude who can be active, innovate and take ownership of their work.
An entrepreneur attitude
- values on freedom
- focus on providing value to the organization
- takes accountability
- is always self-motivated
And on the other hand, there are employees whose ultimate goal is job security. Their driving force in the workplace is fear of losing their job.
They work and operate based on a fixed number of hours per day. They indulge in finding fault or blaming people when things do not work according to their plan.
Employees only think about today. They do not think about the long-term impact of their actions.
You will be a successful HR if you can change the employee mindset to an entrepreneurial mindset, that will be one of the best moves for the company.
3. Adaptability
Employees with skills and capabilities who are adaptable to the changes can contribute to the organization’s growth. In the uncertainty period, they are the people who play the role of a team player who has the knowledge and is not scared to try new things and learn quickly. The probation period is the best time to evaluate this.
When existing employees and new employees are both adaptable can bring a variety of benefits to your company, including:
- Allowing the organization to adapt the business as per the industry changes
- Encouraging continued work culture during the transition period
- Inspiring employees with less adaptability
Skills that indicate adaptability in employees
- Problem-solving
- Teamwork & organizational
- Creative and strategic thinking skills
- Management Skills
- Leadership
Here are a few Tips that HR can use to improve adaptability within the organization’s workplace:
- Hire new employees with adaptability traits.
- Always encourage them to share feedback during organizational changes or after training.
- Always motivate employees & discuss with them how changes will impact the business.
- Always set an example for your co-employees.
Change is part of business, and as an HR, we need to implement changes in our organization’s policies & procedures to increase productivity and growth. And I know change will not always be easy, but with the right approach and education of employees, we can adapt these changes to be successful as an organization.
4. Soft Skills
Today along with technical skills, soft skills are also equally important.
- So, check whether new employees are active listeners or not. When others are speaking, they put their phone down or turn away from desktop screens and try to focus on what is being told to them.
- Check whether new employees are positive and curious minds. When someone joins an organization, you need to learn about your job, organization, and the nature of business. They need to display curiosity to learn new things and be positive at the same time.
- Check whether new employees use words thoughtfully and intelligently while speaking, listening keenly, and playing a team player role with leadership traits.
- Check whether new employees are keen to ask questions. When you work with an experienced team, you learn best by taking inputs and suggestions. You also build relations along with your learnings.
- Check whether new employees dare to make recommendations. That shows employees’ commitment and courage to solve problems.
5. New Employee’s Interest In Learning
During the probation period, one of the criteria on which we can evaluate a new employee is whether he or she has an interest in learning or not. In the initial days, some might struggle to learn about the new job role, just observe how these new joiners are responding to these struggles. All this will indicate whether they will remain at the organization or not. If they get frustrated easily and give up, this shows that they have low adversity quotients, and they might not give the level of growth that the organization expects from them. Since growth comes with learning, and if new employees are not learning, then they will be hurdles to innovations and, ultimately company’s growth.
6. Work Ethic
Talent and strong connections at the workplace can only help you up to a certain level. You require a strong work ethic to reach the top level and stay there.
Since work ethics are essential in an organization and can directly impact work quality. When employees respect and value their work, they will contribute to their optimum levels. Thus, they will perform better and ultimately contribute to the organization’s success.
Signs of Good Work Ethics
- Professionalism
- Discipline
- Integrity
- Respecting your work and team members
- Valuing time
- People are happy together, no catfights.
As an HR, you have to evaluate new employees’ work ethics.
- Check whether they ask questions and try to learn things.
- Do they take notes when managers give them instructions?
- Since they are new to the job, they will make a lot of errors. Check how they react to feedback and criticism.
- Check whether they take responsibility at the workplace.
Now let us discuss a few tips by which HRs can introduce strong work ethics among employees.
- Managers should set clear goals, and objectives for employees before starting any new project or task. Employees always need directions irrespective of their experience.
- To enhance their skills, employees need constant mentoring and training. During the initial days, managers should coach them at every step.
- You should always set a good example for employees which can be done by preaching what you practice.
- Create a clutter-free work environment in your organization. Make sure that employees feel safe and secure.
- Valuing your words, always being open to learning, being honest & transparent, having integrity, and being respectful are ways by which you can stimulate professionalism.
- Constant feedback plays a crucial role in building an organization. It promotes discussion and the exchange of ideas and suggestions.
- Always try to understand the needs of your employees. They will become more focused and extra motivated and will be aligned better with the vision and mission of the organization.
7. Alignment And Talent
During the trial period, the evaluation of new hires should be on alignment and talent.
For any organization, it is crucial to check the extent to which new employees and companies’ vision & mission are aligned. If they are not aligned, this can harm the organization to a high cost.
The second should always be talent. If someone is aligned with the mission & vision but lacks talent or does not possess skills, then do not retain them unless they are fast learners. If you want quality work, then you need talented people.
Now you might be thinking about how to check competencies.
How To Assess Employee Skills And Competencies
Post-Covid, organizations are making changes rapidly. They need employees who can adapt fast to these changes. As HR, we should know the skills and competencies of the employees. In this section, we will discuss just a few ways by which HR managers or business owners can access the skills and competencies of employees.
1. Give Your Employees A Test
The traditional and most efficient way to evaluate the technical skills of employees is by conducting a test. When employees are under a trial period, you can conduct these tests at regular intervals. After the completion of the trial period, you can conduct them periodically. That will help you to understand what are their weak areas and you can provide them with relevant training accordingly.
2. Ask Employees to Prepare a Self-Assessment
Self-assessment helps to analyze what motivates and incentivizes employees to perform their best at the workplace. It also reflects employees’ strengths and weaknesses. Thus, providing a better insight that will help them to improve. You can also ask employees to prepare a questionnaire for their self-assessment. This methodology will also help to understand the perception of employees.
3. Ask for Feedback From The Teams
When the team gives feedback, you get an idea of how well teammates are sharing the workload. What changes need to be made for better functioning? You become more aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the team. You get clarity on the kind of tasks they excel in and where they can face challenges.
4. Put Employees In Real Situations
Putting employees in real-life situations in the workplace is one of the most effective ways to develop employees. When you recreate scenarios and allow employees to look for solutions and resolve them, all this helps in employee growth and prepares them to handle challenges at the workplace. That also helps in checking the proficiency of employees.
5. Ask for Feedback from Clients
Taking feedback from clients is one of the best ways to understand whether your employees can meet up clients’ needs or not. That will also help you to understand whether employees already have sufficient skills for what their job demands or if some training is required.
Final Word
Depending on the skill set, job positions, time, and other resources, the organization can choose any of these methods mentioned above.
And one more thing senior or mid-level employees’ relationships with their juniors should be like best buddies if the organization wants to grow.
And if the HR feels that the employee is good but needs some time to improve his or her performance, give them a chance, mentor them, have faith in them, and if possible sit with them, based on their talent, change their roles or switch their departments.
Anyways hiring is an expensive affair, it’s always better to restructure it to keep employees and the organization’s interests aligned.
Wish you my best wishes!
Signing off!
Your HR Consultant
Vinny Bhardwaj