{"id":7099,"date":"2020-02-01T00:00:10","date_gmt":"2020-02-01T08:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/todaysveterinarybusiness.com\/?p=7099"},"modified":"2022-06-15T17:45:15","modified_gmt":"2022-06-15T17:45:15","slug":"bad-new-hire-or-bad-hiring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/navc.sitepreview.app\/todaysveterinarybusiness.com\/bad-new-hire-or-bad-hiring\/","title":{"rendered":"Bad Hire or Bad Hiring?"},"content":{"rendered":"

After you spend time and money advertising for job candidates and interviewing them \u2014 and then selecting someone you believed would be a great addition to your veterinary practice team \u2014 it can be quite disheartening when the new hire just isn\u2019t working out.<\/p>\n

You think back through the hiring process, the resume that showed all the right credentials, the stellar references, and the new hire\u2019s great answers throughout the interview. And yet, the person isn\u2019t working out. So, what do you do now? It depends.<\/p>\n

Before you decide that someone isn\u2019t doing the job she was hired for, take an honest look at your onboarding processes and training procedures. Are you providing new hires with what they need to be successful? Or is training always going to take place \u201ctomorrow\u201d or \u201cnext week\u201d? If your onboarding and training suffer from lack of quality, then you should start there. If not, you might lose a potentially great employee because of improper or inadequate training.<\/p>\n

Sometimes, of course, a new hire clearly doesn\u2019t fit \u2014 perhaps she argued with co-workers on Day One. In that case, you might decide not to invest any more time and energy in the person.<\/p>\n

Having said that, avoid this training trap: Let\u2019s say you agree that your onboarding program<\/a> isn\u2019t the best but that previous employees figured out how to succeed without it. You are tempted to think that all employees should be able to navigate the job without optimal training. But, in reality, everyone is different and such a mindset will ultimately hurt the practice.<\/p>\n

Now, assume that, yes, your new hire is getting quality training but the situation doesn\u2019t look good. What\u2019s next?<\/p>\n

Talk About the Performance<\/h3>\n

Now you need to have a forthright conversation with the new hire, asking about her concerns and sharing your perceptions about her performance. Holding off on this potentially tough conversation can be tempting in the hope that all will improve or to avoid a confrontation. However, having a frank discussion is the best avenue for finding possible solutions.<\/p>\n

Be specific about your concerns and listen carefully to what she has to say. What misunderstandings can be corrected? What feedback can you offer to help her perform her duties more effectively? Could she shine in another position? What insights can you gather from the conversation to help bulletproof your hiring, onboarding and training procedures?<\/p>\n

Ideally, the two of you will devise methods to get back on track. It\u2019s possible the new hire will acknowledge that the situation isn\u2019t right for her, which is a step forward. If a solution is apparent, create a concrete plan containing specific tasks, benchmarks and deadlines \u2014 and stick to them.<\/p>\n

Cons of Continuing On<\/h3>\n

Sometimes, as you invest more and more time in a hire, you can go too far and be unwilling to give up even when the time is right to do so. Be sure to calculate the costs associated with keeping an employee who isn\u2019t performing to standards, both in the wages and the resources being expended to oversee her performance. Plus, if other employees are having to take on more work \u2014 whether because of the new hire\u2019s errors and missed deadlines or the reduced quality of work \u2014 that carries a cost as well.<\/p>\n

In a worst-case scenario, hiring the wrong person opens an employer to the consequences of negligent hiring. Under this doctrine, if your practice hired someone who then harmed a third party \u2014 and you knew or should have known about the possibility \u2014 then you can be held liable for the harm caused. Negligent hiring tends to be associated with employees who have criminal backgrounds<\/a>, but doing due diligence on all candidates is important.<\/p>\n

A Time for Self-Reflection<\/h3>\n

Let\u2019s say you need to tell your most recent hire that her employment is being terminated. Now you\u2019re in the position of having to hire again, making this an ideal time to determine whether you had a one-off case of a bad hire or your overall hiring practices are bad.<\/p>\n

Through the experience, what did you learn about your training program? Do any red flags stand out when you review your interview notes? Should you have recognized the warning signs during the interview \u2014 maybe you didn\u2019t give them enough weight \u2014 or do you see them only in retrospect? In either case, what can you learn to improve your hiring processes?<\/p>\n

Why New Hires Fail<\/h3>\n

A Leadership IQ study shared that 46% of new employees will fail within 18 months and that 19% will be clear successes. What\u2019s interesting is that people don\u2019t typically fail at a new workplace due to a lack of technical skills. Instead, lesser interpersonal skills are the main culprit \u2014 something that, in retrospect, many managers admitted they didn\u2019t focus on during the interview.<\/p>\n

In fact, according to the study, 82% of managers saw subtle cues that could have alerted them that the candidate was the wrong person to hire. But because the managers were focusing on other attributes or were hurrying or lacked confidence in their ability to interview and hire, they gave the green light to the wrong hire.<\/p>\n

Improve Your Hiring Practices<\/h3>\n

To avoid making mistakes, look for four key attributes, or soft skills, in a job candidate:<\/p>\n