Hiring new people takes a lot of time and resources. It’s terribly frustrating when you don’t get it right. The sooner you realize that there is a problem, the quicker you can act to resolve it, minimizing the impact on your business.
Where did the hiring process go wrong?
- Were you unclear about your expectations?
- Did you “go with your gut” instead of benchmarking?
- Did you onboard and train effectively?
- Did the candidate understand the nature of the job and the company?
What is the problem?
- Did the candidate misrepresent his abilities?
- Is he unable to ramp up quickly enough?
- Does he fail to mesh with your culture or his team?
How can you resolve the issue?
Discuss the problem. Let the employee know he is not meeting expectations. Be as specific as you can and give him achievable milestones you expect him to reach. He may not even be aware that he is underperforming. Your first step should be to allow him to correct himself.
Retrain or transfer. Look for gaps in your onboarding or training program to see where it may not be as effective as it could – particularly if you are frequently disappointed in new hires. Identify competencies in the employee that you can use or provide additional training to improve his weak areas. If you find that you are still unable to use him, see if there is a lateral move that would make sense for both the company and employee.
Terminate. If the above steps fail to achieve your goals, you may have no choice but to terminate the employee. Don’t drag your feet. Keeping an underperforming employee on the payroll is bad for him, the organization and employee morale. This will be difficult for all concerned, but be sensitive and professional.
At THE RIGHT STAFF, LLC, our experienced recruiters can help you avoid hiring disappointments by pre-screening candidates for you or offering temp-to-hire options for you to assess new employees on the job before committing to full-time employment. Contact us today to learn more about our staffing services in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and beyond.
