So how should HR and reward professionals prepare themselves for this and make sure their business strategy is the right one?
A fantastic senior strategic employee I know, who took a new role in Germany, learnt the phrase ‘This is a pen, not a magic wand’ to prepare herself on day one. This is a great, subtle way for a new recruit to tell new colleagues that they cannot be expected to change everything in a day.
On a more practical note, there are a number of tips for helping new recruits make a lasting impact in their new role.
Firstly, they should not believe everything they are told. It is not unusual for new recruits to arrive at their new employer to discover that the promised budget has vanished, the strategic aims have altered the day-to-day activities, or that their objective is merely to keep things going.
This explains the need for new recruits to re-ask all the questions they asked during their interview, especially around their employer’s objectives and expectations for both their role and the business.
New recruits should avoid the ‘big bang’ theory: turning up on day one, changing everything and assuming that just because it worked really well in their last organisation means it will work well now. This is an especially dangerous approach if the new recruit is working in a new country or culture.
Instead, new recruits should take their time to speak to everyone in their team. Ignoring the feelings of the person in the team who applied for, but did not get, the job can be a quick way for new recruits to alienate themselves. That person could, after all, be everyone else’s best friend and confidant.
Jeremy Thornton is founder of Oasis HR
