New employees bring plenty of optimism. Adding a fresh face with a new perspective, particularly in a small business, can pump up morale for an entire team.
Everything seems fabulous and on the right track until the new recruit shows up late late -- twice -- during his second week on the job. Sure, things happen: traffic, bad weather, child care.
But then there are a few performance issues -- nothing huge, but still troubling. Finally, you hear grumbling from other staff about how new hires are just never up to snuff.
The Probation Situation
You whip out your employee handbook and check the section describing the probationary period. The rules are clear about the length of this "get to know you" period. It's also clear that you can extend it if you choose.
This new staff member seemed so nice when you interviewed them, and it's a tough spot to fill, so you give them another 30 days to straighten up. Or 60 days. Or 90.
Bad move!
A client called the other day to describe attendance and performance concerns about a new employee. "We extended the probationary period, it's now ending this week, and they are asking if they will make it. They have still been late and made a bunch of mistakes. Oh, and she told us she is pregnant. What should we do? "
I asked a few questions:
- Has she requested accommodations at work due to pregnancy?
- Have you given special consideration before to other new employees who were pregnant?
- Why did you extend the probationary period?
The responses made it easy for me to provide a prompt answer. The employee hadn't requested any accommodations, and the small business did not have a track record of providing special considerations to new employees who were pregnant.
And -- no surprise -- the company extended the probationary period because she seemed like a nice person filling a job that it is tough to find people for.
My advice: Terminate her this week, before the extension expired, and tell her she did not make it.
It's simple. New employees should be on their best behavior and demonstrate the skills and enthusiasm you hired them for. Allowing exceptions only frustrates your other employees and customers.
Small businesses may be worried about turnover and unemployment, since they could still be liable for a portion of a claim. The cost of keeping a bad hire, however, should outweigh these concerns.
Don't Postpone the Inevitable
When someone is late a few times during the first few weeks of work, their track record will not improve. They will keep finding traffic jams that other employees seem to avoid without a problem. I will certainly allow for a major weather event, but the all-too-common excuses just don't fly.
As far as performance goes, if the expectations were clear and the individual was hired because they had the talent and experience to perform the job, then extra time is not going to make a difference. If there was a total miscommunication (they described extensive scheduling experience but can't seem to get the hang of Outlook), then try to find another open position for the person or get them some quick training.
Don't wait until the end of the probationary period to identify this gap. Address it when it become a problem early on. If nothing works during the allotted time, admit it's a mismatch and agree to part ways. Check your hiring process for the next candidate in line for the job.
There is one time when extending a probationary period is a requirement. When an employee identifies a disability that is preventing them from performing the work, then your next steps are to clarify the affect of the disability and have an interactive conversation about the potential accommodations. This may take some time.
When faced with a new failing employee who described a learning disability that caused consistent mix-up with numbers, for example, we brought in a job coach who worked with them to identify strategies to get the work done correctly. The two extra weeks were well worth it to produce an excellent staff member.
When the newest employee does not live up to expectations take action to save time and aggravation for an extended period of time.
By: Rebecca Mazin
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