HR Pulse - Spring 2009 - (Page 39) Early development plans serve three important purposes: they show confidence in a new hire, detail a plan to address any gaps in critical skills, and show that the leader is committed to the new hire’s success. But retention is not the sole pain point for health care organizations when it comes to helping new hires make a strong (or weak) start. Few brand-new employees contribute at peak levels immediately, and long ramp-up times to reach full proficiency cost organizations and colleagues who have to shoulder the extra load. When individuals are frustrated with failures or misunderstandings that come with a new job, it’s likely their engagement will suffer. And a new hire with diminished morale may negatively affect the morale of veterans on his or her team as well. In other industries, the effects of a dissatisfied or uninformed employee are often limited to the individual and those who interact with him. But in the health care industry, the consequences of a partially proficient or poorly engaged employee are far greater, since every employee has the power to impact a patient’s perception of the quality of care that he receives. Patients will interact with a housekeeping or front desk worker who projects their frustrations with their jobs. A nurse who doesn’t seem to know the doctors on her team, where to find supplies, or how to operate the hospital’s EMR system is likely to leave a patient questioning her competence—and that of the hospital. Missteps are typical among new employees. In other industries mistakes lead to missed deadlines or poorly assembled parts. In health care, errors mean much more: infections, missed medications, pain, and even death. And, as insurers refuse payment for hospital-acquired infections and other preventable “never” events, errors come with pricey consequences. Starting Strong, Staying Long Your new hire likely picked your health system from a number of good options. How can you ensure those previously cast-aside organizations don’t poach your talent? The new hire’s leader holds the power. So how can leaders get their new team members off to a strong start? By following three best practices. 1. Share all job performance and personal expectations. Too often, leaders feel their on-boarding work is done when their new hire is enrolled in formal orientation (which tends to place heavy emphasis on clinical skills). But so much of what a new hire needs to know is specific to his or her new role. So, building on the organization’s orientation program, a leader needs to share: • specific information about job responsibilities, why those responsibilities are important, and how they relate to the organization’s business priorities, cultural priorities, or mission • how job success will be defined and measured, and how the new team member can evaluate his job success • how the leader interprets and prioritizes the various responsibilities listed on the job description • observable and measurable performance goals • pitfalls and mistakes that typically befall new team members—and how to successfully avoid them • what’s important to the leader, both in the short- and long-term; • expectations for reaching full proficiency—knowing that there is time to meet this expectation will prevent a new hire from being too hard on himself • the leader’s personal expectations, leadership style, and particular likes and dislikes such as communicating face-to-face as opposed to using e-mail. This may seem like an overwhelming list; it need not be shared all at once on day one. Leaders may feel conveying this information is unnecessary for experienced, knowledgeable new hires. Your bright new recruit in the ER may come with the right clinical skills, but he will still struggle, for example, to read nonverbal cues unique to his new team. Sometimes, leaders feel this level of sharing is redundant because the new hire is such a “perfect fit” with the leader, team, and organization—yet compatibility is quite different from meeting specific expectations for performance. Finally, sharing this list consumes a leader’s time, and it’s tempting to feel some pressure is eased with a new hire filling a previously open position. However, investing time in making a strong start ensures the position won’t open again in the near future. HR Pulse Spring 2009 ▲ 39
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.