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Successfully Managing Employees In Their First Few Months – 5 Tactics · Enhance.training

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Successfully managing employees in their first few months is crucial for their success, the success of the team and your success as a manager.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: Their first few months are critical to creating positive impressions, forming relationships and starting to build a reputation.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: All very important areas that are easy to set and hard to change in the minds of others.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: From your side as a manager, you want to know if they will deliver the potential they displayed during the recruitment process.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: If they will fit into and add to the team, and if you enjoy working with them and are supported by them.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: To help you successfully manage employees, in their first few months we are covering, firstly, helping them to build relationships with team members.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: Secondly, give them really clear direction, expectation, and personal goals.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: Third, making the new joiner as productive as possible as quickly as possible.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: Fourth, learn their strengths, weaknesses, ambitions and interests.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: And fifth, holding them accountable for performance and attitude.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: There is lots you can do to help your new employees be as successful as possible as quickly as possible.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: Do make the time to plan and organise some or all of the following tactics.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: Firstly, successfully managing employees in their first few months starts with helping them build relationships with team members.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: It is in everyone's interests that the new employee feels welcome, feels they fit in, and they form positive relationships with team members.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: Good relationships means everyone gets along better, works as a team better, and is personally more productive at work.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: Getting on with work colleagues also means being happier, feeling like you fit in, and it makes you much more likely to stay.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: As a manager, it is easy to create opportunities for the current team members to get to know the new employee.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: Here are some ideas.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: Firstly, tell the team three to four interesting facts or talking points about the new employee before they start.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: You know, sporting achievements, interests, travelling, family, etc.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: Share to give the team ways to get a conversation started.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: Secondly, take the new employee around to meet everyone individually and tell the new person what each team member does, their interests outside of work and anything else that you think will be helpful.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: Or even better, get team members to tell the new joiner themselves.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: Third, take the new person to coffee or lunch personally on the first day and ask team members to rotate so everyone takes the new joiner out for coffee or lunch in the first two weeks.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: Fourth, ask team members to spend an hour one-on-one with the new employee to explain what they do in their job in more detail and how they're likely to interact with the new joiner.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: Fifth, organise tasks, activities, and many projects between team members and the new joiner so they can work together towards a specific goal and get to know each other much better.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: Once you have helped the new employee build relationships within the team, help them build relationships in the wider business, starting with your colleagues that they will need to support or depend on.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: It is great to join a team where the manager is really clear what they want from you.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: This clarity gives you direction, safety, confidence and permission.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: Having these factors means you are much more likely to work in a way that your boss needs and appreciates.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: You are much better equipped to work autonomously, learn and problem solve within the framework provided.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: This in turn increases the likelihood of doing a good job.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: On the flip side, when a boss does not clear with what they want from you or sends conflicting signals, you just don't know what is expected.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: You are left guessing, watching team members and asking for feedback from your boss.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: You try to do what you think is best without knowing exactly what is needed.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of time and energy is spent on working stuff out and avoiding taking missteps, leaving you a lot less time to do a good job.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_00: Everyone is worse off.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: For new joiners to the team, everything is new.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: If in doubt, communicate too much and too often what you want and then back off when they start delivering.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: This is much better than leaving them in the dark.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: Always communicate really clear direction and expectations and set clear personal goals for the new employees to hit each week and month for the first few months.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: Thirdly, successfully managing employees in their first few months includes making the new joiner as productive as possible as quickly as possible.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: Any new person joining has a lot to learn.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: Research has shown that an employee takes at least three months to generate more value than their salary.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: The more complex the job, the longer this period.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: As a manager, the shorter you can make this getting up to speed period, the better for them, for you and for the business.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: The quicker your new employee starts generating value, the closer your team gets towards reaching team targets.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: Before they start, think through and organise information and context about their role, the team and the wider business.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_00: Secondly, the training they will need.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: Third, who they will need to work with and when.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: Fourth, the resources they will need to have available.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_00: And fifth, the goals that they will need to deliver against.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: After your new employee starts, firstly, spend time mentoring and coaching to build your relationship, to help them learn quicker, to assess their strengths, etc.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_00: And to check on how they are progressing.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: Secondly, keep checking up on what your new employee has done so you can spot problems early and offer help.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_00: Trust but verify.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: Third, get the views of other team members and ask them to help teach and coach the new joiner too.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: A buddy system can work really well in this sort of situation.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_00: Fourth, get resources in place to enable a new employee to do their job effectively.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: In short, do everything you can to help your new employee maximise their productivity as quickly as possible.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: If you're new to the podcast, Enhance.training shares people management expertise, resources and courses teaching you how to be a great manager and build high-performing teams.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: I've included links to additional resources in the podcast description which you'll find useful, so do take a look at these.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: Fourth, when managing employees during their first few months, learn their strengths, weaknesses, ambitions and interests.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_00: A carpenter needs to know when to use a hammer, their saw, and their nail gun.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: A manager needs to know what their team members are capable of and interested in to get the most from them.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_00: A very true saying is great managers play chess, average managers play checkers.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_00: Make the time to get to know your new employee on a professional and personal level.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_00: Here are seven areas that I look to understand about each of my team members.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_00: Firstly, the extent and level of their skills, secondly, their judgment and decision making.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_00: Third, their character and values, fourth, what energy levels they have, fifth their ambitions and dreams, sixth, how they react in different situations, and then seventh their desire and ability to learn.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: When you have a good understanding of your team members, you can delegate work best suited to each individual as much as possible.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_00: Delegating intelligently makes better use of team members' strengths and interests, which in turn maximises what they and the team produce.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_00: Make time to get to know your new employee.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: Fifth, successfully managing employees in their first few months also means holding them accountable for performance and attitude.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_00: New employees should be on their best behaviour and working hard to create a good impression and be useful to you and the team as much as possible as quickly as possible.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_00: If they do well in their first few months, they should continue to do well thereafter.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_00: To fairly assess performance, you must have set realistic and fair goals for your new employee to achieve.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_00: I would suggest starting with some weekly goals as well as monthly ones.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_00: That way you can assess progress quickly and jump in to help with any problems.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_00: Once you have fair, reasonable goals that the employee is happy with, you can start holding them to account.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: Give your new employee lots of useful and specific feedback so they know exactly what they are doing well and not so well.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_00: Spend time helping them improve when this is needed.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: If your new employee is missing goals or even worse, showing a poor attitude, and this doesn't improve with help, then give them plenty of warning and then remove them from the business.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: This may sound harsh, yet if they are struggling, not fitting in or displaying a poor attitude, it is very likely to get worse as time goes on.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_00: Most employees work very hard in their first few months to impress and do a good job.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: Rewards them with plenty of praise and opportunity when they do.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_00: In summary, a new employee joining the team is always exciting.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_00: Successfully managing employees in their first few months reduces the time they need to take to get up to speed, makes them feel welcome and happier, which in turn makes it a lot more likely they will be successful.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_00: The more successful each team member is, and the better they work together, the better your team's performance, which is good for you personally.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_00: To help you successfully manage employees, in the first few months we have covered firstly, helping them build relationships with team members and the wider business.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_00: Secondly, give them really clear direction, expectations and personal goals.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: Third, making the new joiner as productive as quickly as possible.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: Fourth, learn their strengths, weaknesses, ambitions and interests.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_00: And then fifth, holding them accountable for performance and attitude.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_00: If you have any questions on successfully managing employees in their first few months, please email me at support enhanced.training and take a look at all the resources and courses to help you be a great manager and build higher performing teams.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks very much for listening, and I look forward to speaking to you again soon.