New Hire Underperforming? Here’s What to Do

You were intrigued by their resume and impressed in the job interview. You extended an offer with high hopes. Now, a few months later, your bright new star is burning out. Deadlines are missed, work quality isn’t what you want, and their personality isn’t the best fit for the culture. What can you do? As one of the leading staffing agencies in Dade County, Future Force knows you should start by taking these steps:

Evaluate training and onboarding.

In many companies, new employees are expected to hit the ground running without a lot of support. So if your new hire was brought on with little to no training, then that might be a part of the problem. If you want to improve your new hire experience – and set them up for success at your company – you need to make certain thorough training and onboarding happens.

Consider your directives.

Have you met with your new employee since they’ve been hired? How many times? Did you give them clear tasks, goals and expectations during the process? If they’re confused in any way about what they’re supposed to be doing, then this could be why they’re failing. With all new hires, it’s important to meet regularly to talk about tasks and responsibilities, as well as offer feedback and guidance. If they’re unclear about anything, show them examples of what you expect.

Be patient.

If your new hire needs to learn a complex process or complicated equipment, it might take a while. So check to make sure your expectations for them are realistic. If past employees in the position have taken a while to get up and running, give your new hire that same opportunity.

Talk to your new employee.

If your new employee has been thoroughly trained and you’ve been clear on expectations, it’s time to have a talk with them. Explain your concerns and the impact the situation is having. Also, be honest about what you need them to do.

Then ask for their thoughts on the situation and listen with an open mind. Also, ask questions to make sure you understand where they’re coming from. At this point, you should be getting a better sense of whether the situation can be remedied, or whether your new hire truly isn’t a good fit for the job.

Make your move.

If you think your employee can make the improvements you need, then monitor them closely and follow up regularly. However, if they can’t, then they may need a performance improvement plan, or in the worst case scenario, you might need to part ways. It’s a difficult decision to make, but the situation will simply continue and escalate if you don’t take action.

Hiring is a challenge and mistakes can have serious implications. If you’d rather leave the work to the experts at Future Force, connect with our team today. As one of the leading staffing agencies in Dade County, we’ve helped thousands of clients overcome their HR and staffing hassles. And we can help you too! Contact Future Force today to learn more.