What is expected from a new employee?
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All human relationships, including those of employers and employees, involve expectations, and conflicts tend to occur when expectations are not met. When you start a new job, you should try to make sure you have a clear understanding of what your new employer expects of you. It's also important to give some thought to what you expect of your new employer. Show
Employer ExpectationsYour new colleagues will expect you to approach the job with an open mind, so you can quickly learn what you need to do it well. They will expect you to take instructions and directions from the people training you and from your new supervisor. They will expect you to be reliable. Arrive at work on time and don't leave until your shift is over. Call in to give notice if you are sick and can't make it in or are going to be unavoidably delayed. Your new employers will expect you to be honest, to conduct yourself professionally, and to dress appropriately for the position. Going Beyond What's ExpectedIf you want to make an excellent impression and exceed your employer's basic expectations, try to cultivate a cheerful and flexible attitude. Things are often more complicated in reality than they appear on paper, so the company's official organizational chart might not be sufficient to describe everything that actually needs to get done. If you display resentment when asked to do something outside of your normal responsibilities, your boss might be disappointed. Employee ExpectationsYour employer will expect certain things of you, but you also have the right to expect things of your employer. Employee expectations include the timely and accurate payment of wages, adequate training, safe working conditions, full explanation of all company policies and especially of your job responsibilities, and fair and constructive feedback from your supervisor. If any of these expectations are not being met, you should have a conversation with your supervisor to discuss the situation. Most of these employee expectations are not only reasonable, but also are required by law. When Expectations Are Not MetThe relationship between you and your employer is likely to run into trouble if either of you feels that expectations are not being consistently met. Some of these situations are unambiguous. For instance, if you don't get your paycheck when you are supposed to, your employer is clearly not meeting a legitimate expectation. If you leave the office an hour early every day, you are not meeting expectations. Other expectations might not be reasonable. If your employer expects loyalty from employees but does not extend the same loyalty to them, this may not be fair. If you expect to be promoted after you've been working there for a year, this may not be reasonable if you haven't excelled as an employee. Whenever you're dealing with employer expectations, try to assess them objectively to decide how reasonable they really are. New employee onboarding is the process of integrating a new employee with a company and its culture, as well as getting a new hire the tools and information needed to become a productive member of the team. Onboarding new hires at an organization should be a strategic process that lasts at least one year, staffing and HR experts say, because how employers handle the first few days and months of a new employee's experience is crucial to ensuring high retention. Getting Started with the Onboarding Process Finding the best candidates for positions in your organization is only part of building an effective team. The process of onboarding new employees can be one of the most critical factors in ensuring recently hired talent will be productive, contented workers. However, in some organizations, onboarding is often confused with orientation. While orientation might be necessary—paperwork and other routine tasks must be completed—onboarding is a comprehensive process involving management and other employees that can last up to 12 months. Before implementing a formal onboarding program, employers should answer some key questions to attain team and upper management buy-in, including:
Once these questions have been answered, HR professionals and upper management can devise a plan of action to help new employees quickly assimilate company policies and workflow while getting fully acquainted with the organization's culture.
SHRM Members-Only Toolkit: Understanding Employee Onboarding Creating an Onboarding Program"If we don't worry about onboarding before the employee starts, then we're way behind," said Ben Peterson, CEO of BambooHR, an HR technology company. "Rather than having a stack of papers waiting for their signature, send them out to the employee beforehand, for electronic signature. Give them their benefits selection. Find the technology to help you automate the paper-pushing process." As soon as new employees receive a job offer, they can also receive access to the company's online onboarding portal, said Amber Hyatt, director of product marketing at SilkRoad, a talent management solutions firm. "Here they discover content that's designed to engage them, like a friendly note from their manager, first-day information, welcome messages and photos from new teammates, a glossary of company acronyms, a virtual copy of your employee handbook as well as other details about the new hire's department and job responsibilities," she said. New-hire portals also benefit HR through dashboards that can organize and track tasks that need to be completed and managed electronically, such as W-4 or I-9, benefits and payroll forms, Hyatt said. In addition to having new employees fill out new-hire paperwork online, consider providing the answers to questions they may have, such as where to go on day one, who to ask for upon arrival and what to wear, she said. Set up new hires' desk, phone, computer and password logins before they arrive, said Peterson. "The worst thing for a new employee is being wooed through the recruiting process and then arriving on the job and the receptionist isn't even expecting you or your office isn't set up," he said. Further Reading: SHRM Foundation: Onboarding New Employees: Maximizing Success When employers consider building an online onboarding portal, they should first think about the core messages the website will impart to new hires and integrate those ideas into the design components. 5 Steps to Create an Onboarding Program for Managers The First DayThe two main goals on the first day should be setting expectations and introducing objectives. Employees need to have crystal clear ideas about what their job duties and responsibilities are on Day 1, Peterson said. "New employees need to get to know the job and get to know their new co-workers. Social interaction is critical. You want them back on Day 2, right?" he asked. New employees at BambooHR are taken out to lunch on the first day. "We cared enough to hire them, we want them to know we care enough to build rapport," Peterson said. Aligning expectations is critical. "Organizations that don't focus on acclimating new employees to their corporate culture are at a significant disadvantage," said Hyatt. "Employees who know what to expect from their company's culture and work environment make better decisions that are more aligned with the accepted practices of the company." To keep existing team members from resenting a new employee, make sure roles and responsibilities are outlined for the entire team, Peterson advised. "Sometimes existing team members could feel threatened that someone new could take over their responsibilities. So it's a good idea to clarify the position of the new hire as well as [the positions of] other team members whose work is closely related, how they'll interact with each other, and how projects will run," he said.
Further Reading: Onboarding Mistakes to Avoid And Some Creative Ideas to Adopt Recruiters Can Create 'Unboxing' Experience for New Hires Executive Onboarding Lessons from Presidential Transitions The First Few MonthsIt's important for HR to have a one-month check-in to make sure that that the new employee is comfortable, happy and engaged, said Peterson. "Reviewing and giving thoughtful feedback on your new hire's early contributions are also important during onboarding," he said. According to a BambooHR survey, three-fourths of new hires said training during the first week on the job is most important to them. Meanwhile, 41 percent of HR professionals felt they needed to update training in onboarding. "If you aren't communicating what new hires are supposed to be doing and arming them with the tools to do it properly, you're setting them up to fail," Peterson said. You also don't want to inundate your new hires with too much information. "While it's important to get your new hire ramped up and productive quickly, you also need to make sure you provide on-the-job training in a manageable flow," he said. Hopefully, new hires have picked a mentor by the end of the first month, Peterson added. Fifty-six percent of respondents in the BambooHR study said that having a buddy or mentor at work was very important when getting started. The Aberdeen Group report found that high-performing organizations are nearly two-and-a-half times more likely than lower-performing employers to assign a mentor or coach during the onboarding process. "Mentoring programs can be as simple as assigning a new employee a go-to person or having an elaborate team of mentors for any questions that might arise," Hyatt said. The First Three to Six Months Peterson advised HR to conduct another check-in between three and six months, depending on the employee and the role. "Unfortunately, only 15 percent of companies continue onboarding after six months," he said. Remember, nearly 90 percent of employees decide whether to stay or go within that first six months. "You have a huge impact on that choice. Sometimes you just have to show that you sincerely care," he said. The First Year"An employee's performance at the end of the first year will prove if they're fully productive," said Peterson. "Now you can plan for future development. Show them what their career looks like at the company. Sadly, sometimes they don't belong there," he said. The end of the first year is when traditional onboarding transitions into retention and employee satisfaction. "Shift from on-the-job training to continuous development. It's also a great time to have the compensation conversation," Peterson said. "Your new hires will thank you for setting them up on the path to success and your company will be well on its way to turning those new hires into seasoned employees." What should you expect from an employee?So, let's start with what we know for sure: In the modern business landscape, employees expect to be treated with respect, to be paid equitably, to trust and be trusted by the people they work with, to feel job security, and to have opportunities to use their skills and abilities in their work.
What should I look for in a new employee?Here are ten standout traits to look for in screening new hires:. Long-Term Potential. ... . Ability to Produce Results. ... . Enthusiasm and Passion. ... . Putting Skills to Action. ... . Fitting the Work Environment. ... . Team Player. ... . Ambition. ... . Giving Credit to Others.. What are the 3 most important qualities you are looking for in a new employer?There are three key employer characteristics a job seeker should look for in an employment relationship: reputation, career advancement and work balance. These often show up in employment surveys as being most important for candidates.
What is the most important information a new employee should receive?Updated job description and performance plan.
New employees should have a clear idea of what their position entails and how success will be measured. If you have expectations as to what they should accomplish in the first few weeks or months of their employment put it in writing.
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