How to Set Expectations for New Hires
Recruitment doesn’t end once the applicant is hired. It continues until the employee is acclimated to the company and contributing to a successful workplace. Ideally, that means that you carefully show the employee what is expected of them, what they can expect, and what will ensure that they’ll have continued success with your company.
Setting those expectations isn’t something you can do with the job description alone. It has to do with how you genuinely prepare the employee for what lies ahead. There are several tricks to setting expectations for new hires, including:
Understanding the Hierarchy – Give them an opportunity to know exactly who they report to within the company, what will be asked when they meet, how often they’ll be coming, and so on. If they’re taking on a supervisory role, make sure they know who they’re responsible for and how that will be held accountable. You do not need to go into the negatives or threats, but keep them posted on what is going to be done to gauge their productivity and accomplishments.
Prepare Them for the Culture – Every workplace has its own culture, and part of an employee’s ability to fit in has to do with making sure they understand that culture. If a group of people joke around a lot, let them know that that’s what they do. If a group of people are very serious and quiet, let them know that too. Culture ensures no one is surprised, and that people are ready for who they’ll be working with and what they’ll be doing.
Outline the Tangible Results of Success – Once you believe you have given them a clear picture of the duties that will be required of them in order to meet your expectations, let them know what tangible results they should expect to see as a result of doing their job well. Explain how it will affect coworkers, customers, other departments, and anyone or anything else you can think of. This will both give them a sense of value within the workplace, and help them to recognize what doing their job effectively looks and feels like.
Always remember when setting expectations for a new hire that while giving them too little information does neither of you any good, too much specificity can also be problematic. You should give them a realistic sense of their duties and goals, but don’t go so far as to tell them exactly how you would do their job. Instead, allow them to use their personal strengths to achieve the goals you set for them. This will result in easier, more enjoyable work for them, and more satisfactory results for you. For expert Australia recruiters trained in finding you capable, receptive new employees, contact Recruit Shop today.
