When Hiring, Be Clear About Work Environment

One of the areas I help my clients with is performance management – both setting up performance management processes, and dealing with performance issues.  Lately I’ve been finding that a number of organizations are struggling with issues related to new employees adapting to a small company work environment.

In small companies, where a gap in resources can make a huge impact, hiring managers are often so focused on filling the gap that they don’t take the time to go beyond simply matching qualifications to requirements. However, if they neglect to give the candidate a clear understanding about the work environment, they could be looking at performance issues down the road.

Take, for example, a candidate who is used to working in a large, structured organization, where roles are narrowly defined, and processes and procedures are well-established and documented.  They are deeply knowledgeable about their own role, but have traditionally delegated to others responsibilities that don’t fall within the definition of that role.  Unless they are told otherwise, when this candidate becomes an employee they may assume that it’s “business as usual.” I do my job and others do theirs.

A small company environment, however, is very different from a large, structured organization. People wear multiple hats, processes are often established on the go, and there are typically many things going on at once. The ability to prioritize is essential.

One of the most important components of effective performance management is managing expectations. This begins in the hiring process. As a hiring manager, help potential employees understand not just what the job requires, but also what working successfully in the company environment requires. Present them with realistic scenarios about what they might be asked to do in their role. Ask behavioral questions to determine how flexible they are, and how they prioritize. Ask them to describe a situation when they were asked to do something out of their job scope. How did they handle it? What was their comfort level?

Performance issues generally have one or more of these three root causes: 1) lack of ability, 2) lack of training or information, 3) lack of motivation.  Do your best to avoid these by taking the time to ask good questions, and provide clear expectations during the hiring process.

If you need help with developing an effective hiring process, please contact me.