You can’t spend too much time setting expectations
I recently employed two different people in the same contract job.
I followed the same orientation process with both young women. I spent a couple of days orienting them to their new job and to their new surroundings. I shadowed them for the first few days making sure I was available for questions and then I let them run with their new roles.
One employee was beyond our expectations. She did everything she was asked and more. If she thought something should be done, she did it. If she had a suggestion, she made it. When her term was over we knew we missed her but it took a few weeks before we realized how much she added. She was the perfect employee for us and honestly I was lucky.
The other employee was also good. She did mostly what she was asked and yet did it well. She didn't do much extra. We had a few issues, nothing major but each time we had to have one of "those" conversations. We liked her and certainly missed her after she left. After all she did her job and she was a lovely young girl. She made less of an impact. I was not as lucky.
Our third contract employee is coming next week. I have learned from the first two the importance of setting expectations both on the expected job duties and on how we want the nature of employment relationship to be. You cannot leave this to chance. When you do, it forces many more negative conversations then are necessary and those conversations are not fun for either party.
This year I have added to my orientation process. I have put my expectations clearly in writing.(People who know me will be shocked by the detail. I hate process and detail. So when I take the time to be detailed, it is because I think it is really important!)
Our new employee will now have a document to refer to when she is unsure. I will also have something to refer back to so there is no confusion if we need to have a tough conversation.
(By the way, I will not just hand her the document. We will sit down over a leisurely coffee and go through it together discussing details and clarifying all points.)
I used my experiences from the first two contract positions to build this written document. I have been refining it over the past week or so. I am happy that is clear on duties and on the nature of the relationship. The nature of the relationship is important because it tells her things like "we like initiative" or "we expect you to become part of our team". Understanding both the duties and the nature of the relationship helps her better understand how to approach her role.
I will let you know how it goes but I am convinced that spending the extra time on writing out my expectations will mean that our third contract employee will start more effectively than she would have without the extra work. I am determined to rely less on luck this time. I think she will also appreciate the clarity. After all, new jobs are tough sometimes.
