When someone I know, whom I'll call Sam, recounted the details of his first week at a new job, he was in the frame of mind to quit. Initially, everything at the company checked out with what Sam was looking for, including a supervisor who said the favorite part of her job was "mentoring" new staff.
So, what happened that so drastically shifted Sam's attitude about his new employer after just one week?
This description of Sam's first three days at his new job should give you a hint:
When Sam arrived on his first day at work, he received an email from his boss stating that she was tied up at meetings all day and would see him at day's end.
No one greeted him most of the day and Sam noticed that everyone looked stressed and intently focused on work. He made a call to the human resources director to ask a few questions relative to a new hire and was told that she was busy and would get back to him in an hour; but she never did.
He reviewed files and tried to make sense as best he could of a new account management system. At the end of the day, he had a brief encounter with his boss who outlined a few expectations and left. Sam hardly knew what to ask her with so little information.
The second and third days were more of the same, at which point I happened to speak to him. The complete lack of a welcome and no orientation left Sam in doubt about how well he could accomplish his new responsibilities.
I encouraged him to find a couple of people in similar positions who would explain the work culture as well as their relationship to the "boss who liked to mentor". Sam learned that his colleagues were all confused by the new account management system and struggled to keep their heads above water.
They added that they had little contact with the supervisor and approached her only in emergencies. While this was not what he wanted to hear, he now knew what to expect from his new boss.
By the end of the week, Sam was feeling less frantic about his job. His connections with several colleagues were key to his decision to stay for at least six months. But this story could have ended in a much different way.
If Sam had quit after a week, his employer would have lost out on a capable new hire in whom it had already invested resources through the hiring process. This negative outcome could have easily been avoided with a shared organizational goal to connect with new hires, provide them with a basic orientation to help them be as successful as possible.
As for Sam, rather than quitting, he decided on a proactive approach to his new job, and found inspiration in a quote by Gandhi: "Be the change you want to see."
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UPCOMING EVENTS WHERE I'LL BE PRESENTING WORKSHOPS OR KEYNOTES:
•Maine Health Women's Wellness Day: "Simple Steps to Love Your Work"
Saturday, May 13, Sheraton, So. Portland, ME
•Goodall Hospital Women's Health Expo: "Beyond the Midlife Crisis: Understanding Life and Work in the Second Half of Life
Saturday, May 20, Sanford, ME
•A Women's Retreat in Provence, September 23-30, 2006
Barb, As a former Executive Recruiter I, unfortunately, "saw" this happening more frequently than I ever imagined would be logical or reasonable. It is so critical that employers move back to the cultural belief that their employees are their most valuable asset and should be treated as such. I would venture to say that Sam's new supervisor would have treated her new car with far more attention than she paid to Sam. That is a tragedy of values!
Good for Sam for sticking it out and I have no doubt he will make a great contribution to that company's culture in the long term.
Dory
Posted by Dory Cote
Thanks for validating my blog, Dory. I think that the busyness epidemic coupled with a "fend for yourself" attitude of some supervisors has made quite a negative impact on workers' experience in the workplace.
Posted by BarbaraBarb,
As a supervisor in a large organization who is responsible in part for the inital orientation of new employees, I wholeheartedly agree with you - the investment of time up front placed in a new hire will pay off in the short and long run. Taking the time to discover how new employees prefer to learn, how they are best motivated and connecting them with a good mentor are key ingredients in the first few days for a new colleague. Thanks for this helpful reminder!
Posted by christopheBarb - I'm a manager and firmly believe that the time spent up-front with new hires training and mentoring is well worth the effort as I know in the end when they are well-trained and well oriented they can be well trusted to represent me and the entire team in meeting overall goals, not to mention that it sure makes my life easier! There is a huge mix of bad, not-so-bad, okay, and GREAT bosses. I refuse to work for someone I don't respect. However I've been lucky to have several GREAT bosses who have the same attitude I do regarding mentoring new hires and their direct reports. I also believe that people who don't "like" people are the worse managers and shouldn't manage!
Posted by JaneShift Sam's workplace to A High School Anywhere and you have described the first weeks of the new school teacher! Indifference of colleagues is not the problem. Attempting to keep up with the demands of a beginning school year is the culprit. Unfortunately, due to ever increasing state and federal mandates, those demands often increase, rather than diminish, throughout the year and the new teacher never receives ongoing support - despite the claims of districts with Mentoring Programs - mandated, of course, by more state and federal guidelines!
Posted by joyfully retiredHaving worked with many teachers over the years, I recognize the enormous demands on them. I also know what a difference it makes to have a master teacher take a newcomer under her wing to help ease their entrée into the profession.
Posted by BarbaraI just want to add to this...I recently quit a job after two days due to poor training.
They said they would put us in training class for the week, but in truth, that was only day one. The next day, they shoved us off to people up on the floor who had to meet quotas and couldnt really take the time to sit there and explain what they were doing. Not to mention, to stare at the same screen for five hours and not really get any feedback is very discouraging. To boot, I was placed in a different dept other than where I would have been working, on a different system that I wouldnt be using, because it would "help me understand" how my work comes about. Confusing is it not?? I can see showing it to me, but geez...five hours is a lot to watch something I wouldnt be doing as my job.
Employers really need to think about their training methods. If you have a complex system, they must thoroughly train the person one on one (not mentoring someone upstairs who doesnt have time for you) to get the best results.
Its alarming what an employer will promise you theyll do, and when you start working you find out it was an empty promise. Im just lucky I dont need a job right away and am not at their mercy.
Posted by JulieJulie, I'm sorry to hear that you experienced the down side of starting a new job. It's discouraging at best to find yourself in a new situation that is totally different from what was explained. It's an unnecessary waste of your time and the company's. I'll bet you'll ask many questions about the next employer's training program and see if other employees agree with their description.
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