Make Performance Management A Priority
Your new employee has been on board for nearly two months and still doesn’t seem to be improving. Is it time to cut your losses, or do you invest more time and money into additional training? We all struggle with this question and unfortunately many of us make the decision without thinking it through.
If you are considering letting a short-term employee go over performance issues, you need to ask yourself several key questions before making that decision:
- Have you provided the employee with the training and tools necessary?
- Did you assign the new employee a person to turn to for answers to questions or general assistance?
- Has the new employee been made aware of the performance issues?
If the employee is surprised by the termination, or if you’ve answered “no” to any or all of these questions, then you have not done your job as a manager.
It is very difficult for a person to come into a new environment and take over where someone else left off without a hitch. Many times, the individual has questions and isn’t sure who to turn to for help. Also, the individual assigned to train the new employee may not be the best person for the job.
New employees are an investment in your organization’s future. The time and effort put forth to save the employee far outweighs the cost of recruiting, testing and training an additional employee. Make sure this “investment” in human capital is maintained and well cared for and it will bring you many happy returns!
By Renee West, SHRM-SCP, PHR (New Philadelphia office)
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