HR Pulse - Spring 2009 - (Page 40) MORE HELLOS, FEWER GOODBYES hire in your billing function has codes committed to memory, but your billing interface is brand new to her. Whatever the new challenges are, new hires are eager to face them and need leaders’ help to build the confidence to do so. There are several steps a leader can take to build a new hire’s confidence and promote development early on. First, review the results of your selection process, which hopefully provided rich data regarding the candidate’s skills and development needs. Tell the new hire what skills and experience impressed you, which will build his confidence and demonstrate his value to your team. Next, help the new hire understand how to add value to your team or organization immediately. For example, if your new pharmacy hire brings a wealth of knowledge about newly released drugs that were evaluated by his previous employer, encourage him to share information with veteran pharmacists. Finally, create a short-term development plan. Covering just the first six to eight weeks, it may detail how to leverage a strength or learn a critical skill. 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. ■ William C. Byham is cofounder, chaiman, and CEO of Development Dimensions International (DDI), a global human resources consulting firm. Debra Walker is vice president of DDI’s health care practice. www.ddiworld.com/healthcare 2. Help new team members create a productive network. Staff members become engaged in their work, and increase their ability to problem-solve independently, when they proactively build relationships and seek information from their new colleagues. This is important in health care because each associate has many internal partners. As hospitals emphasize a patient-centered care model, clinicians must develop a network that stretches across departments and disciplines. Just some of the people they’ll need to know are anesthesiologists, pharmacists, pre- and post-op surgical staff, radiologists, medical records and billing clerks, and even visiting clergy members and food service workers who can help meet patients’ unique needs. But relationship-building and networking do not come easily to everyone, so leaders should identify key individuals for a new hire’s network. Leaders also should support and encourage new associates in making connections with team members and other internal partners. One health care organization that participated in the DDI study assigns new hires a training partner or mentor to help them during their orientation period and encourages leaders to make lunch or break appointments to foster new connections. This organization provides new hires with an organization chart, identifies individuals who can answer questions, and is working toward installing a contact in HR who acts as a new hire liaison and retention specialist. 3. Start development from day one. It’s likely that a need for growth and development is one of the factors that put your new hire in the job market. It’s just as likely that some aspect of each position will be new to the person taking on the role. Perhaps a nurse is moving from the emergency room to the NICU and is eager to learn how to function efficiently in this new unit. Or the recent TM 40 411220_SPECTRUM.indd HR Pulse Spring 2009 1 12/4/08 11:29:34 AM http://www.ddiworld.com/healthcare http://www.spectrumhr.com
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