Making the Most of the Probation Period

By Virtual Human Resources
September 7, 2011                           

A probation period or minimum qualifying period exists so that employers can determine if the new employee really is the right person for the job. Many job candidates exaggerate their abilities in order to impress the interviewer and gain an advantage over other applicants. While most people only claim moderate levels of greater ability there are some applicants who just blatantly lie. Even experienced interviewers can get caught out by a highly skilled liar.

It is also true that job applicants rarely include referees who dislike them or have been critical of their performance. How does a person calling referees even know they are speaking to a Production Manager and not a mate from down the road? Referees are only useful for double checking information on a resume to see if the applicant’s claims can be verified. Often people neglect to inform their referees of their exaggerations.

While many job applicants are honest and are able to perform the job well; some are not.
Even those who have worked in the same position in another company may not be able to perform at the level expected in their new position. For example some employees possess the title manager but have never really had the responsibilities of a manager. The title was simply a courtesy title or one incorrectly applied.

For all these reasons it makes sense to view the probation period as an extension of the recruitment process. The job is effectively a temporary position until the qualifying period is completed. Towards the end of the qualifying period management has to determine whether the new employee is capable of doing the job to the standards expected in that company.

To be fair to the new employees, this situation should be clearly stated during the final round of interviews. Even though employees are used to seeing a probation clause in an employment contract, few companies put it into practice. A lack of disclosure prior to them resigning from their previous position, can unnecessary distress the terminated employee.

While a probation period is a useful way to determine if a person is a good fit for a company, it should never be used as a substitute for effective interviewing and assessment methods. It is important not to overuse the opportunity as it can have a negative impact on company morale if people are being regularly dismissed. However if you have a new employee who you suspect is going to be a future nightmare; dismiss them while you still have the opportunity.

It is important to be aware that even though the minimum qualifying period means the dismissed employee cannot make an unfair dismissal claim, they still have some legal recourse through the FairWork adverse action clause as well as unlawful dismissal. This means that even during the qualifying period employers should ensure there are no breaches of anti-discrimination legislations; no victimisation of employees who are seeking to make use of any workplace rights or entitlements, and that all OHS requirements are met.

Why are job descriptions important?

A job description is a basic management tool that will help increase individual and organisational effectiveness.

For employees, a good job description will help all staff understand:
1. Their duties and responsibilities
2. The relative importance of their duties
3. How their position contributes to the mission, goals and objectives of the organisation

Job descriptions are also the foundation for most management activities and required to ensure other management tasks are completed effectively.

Recruitment
Job descriptions that clearly articulate the duties to be performed and qualifications required to conduct a position is essential when recruiting. Interview questions, hiring criteria and the screening process should all be based on the duties and qualification outlined in the job description

Induction / Orientation
The job description helps the employee see how their position relates to other positions in the organization and what's expected of them, helping them to settle in to a new role.

Training
The job description can be used to identify areas where the employee does not adequately meet the needs of the position and requires training. It can also be used when looking to promote internally and employees understand what is required in a higher level role.

Supervision / Management
The job description should be used by the employee and management to help establish a regular work plan as well as agreed outcomes or performance measurements which can then be used for feedback and review purposes.

Compensation
Job descriptions can be used to develop a salary structure, which is based on the duties, responsibility and qualifications of each position in the organisation.

Performance Management
The job description and the work plan should be used to monitor and review performance against agreed measurements or targets.

So, if you haven't got job descriptions in place, or they need review, hop to it!

Making Tough Decisions

Recent events have made me question the ability of managers to make tough decisions in business, especially when it involves people. This statement is not made to offend or alienate, but more to question what is required to make those decisions. Let me explain.

I have been involved with a company that to be successful, requires the development of a high performance environment and where people management is critical. Talent is hard to find and the key issue is retaining the current talent pool, whilst developing and nurturing the up and coming talented individuals.

To do this, the manager requires exceptional communication and leadership skills, with an ability to lead and manage highly competitive, energetic and motivated individuals.

The culture needs to be one that enables individuals to achieve their goals, feeling supported with two-way feedback and open and transparent communication to minimise the risk of losing the talent.

Instead, the current manager has created a culture that is truly ineffective by managing through fear and intimidation, creating systems and processes that lack transparency and levels of communication which are almost non-existent.

Individuals within this business have raised the issues with the manager in an attempt to bring about change and “fix” the culture. The result was disastrous and the individuals were subject to recrimination for raising the issues.

The senior management responsible for this organisation are aware of the problem, concerned about it and aware of the impact it is having on everyone involved—but are unwilling or deliberately choosing not to do anything about it.

So, when did it become hard to make a decision and take action that will ultimately affect your bottom line? Right now, this business has a group of people that lack motivation, are unproductive and not engaged.

Here are my tips for managers that need to make tough decisions:

1) Have courage! Nobody said management was easy and although you may have some short term pain, the long term gain will be worth it.

2) Plan and Prepare. You need to know what the effect of your decision will be and how you are going to handle the fall out.

3) Make the decision. Not making a decision is far worse that making one you think is bad. Not making a decision reflects on your leadership ability.

4) Have alternatives. So you made the decision and it didn’t turn out exactly as you planned. Be flexible and have alternatives to address further issues.

The best piece of advice is that when making a hard decision, think of it like a band-aid. As our mothers always said, it was less painful if ripped off quickly.

Office Politics - Survival Guide

Office politics are an unavoidable part of our working lives, but truly destructive or negative politics can destroy an organisation through decreased productivity and continued staff issues such as turnover and absenteeism.

“Playing politics” can and will impact the career paths of individuals in organisations everywhere. So, how can you deal with office politics, and remain professional and engaged. Here are some tips:

Number 1: Don’t choose sides!

Ensure you remain professional, pleasant and courteous to everyone. Asset yourself when you need to and don’t involve yourself in other peoples issues. Remain engaged in the business of doing your job and don’t become aligned or involved with other employees who are hell bent on tearing other employees down.

Number 2: Be trustworthy – keep confidences!

What is worse than sharing a secret? Being caught out of course!

Keep your own counsel at all times. If you have been told something in confidence – then keep it that way. People have a way of finding things out, and your Manager will not be pleased if he or she cannot trust you. Trust is built over a long period of time – and lost far more quickly.

Number 3: Build loyalty

Helping others when you can will build relationships and respect. Obviously, it’s important that you make sure your work is completed and your level of productivity is not affected – but take time for others.

Number 4: Keep your nose clean

Gossip – you can either be the person in it – or the person that spreads it. Either way, becoming the brunt of office gossip or passing it on in the kitchen over coffee is not an effective use of your time nor will it build solid working relationships.

Stay out of it!

Shift conversation onto different topic or walk away claiming you have just remembered a deadline you have to meet. Whatever you do – just don’t get in the middle of it.

Number 5: Never “bag” the Company or a Manager

So, you have had a horrible day. You’re not feeling particularly engaged at the moment! So what do you do?

What you don’t do is start bagging anyone out – or get involved in conversations where others are behaving this way. You never know who is listening or can hear you. Save your venting for when you get home and can do this safely in the walls of your own private space.

Number 6: Managers – Walk the Talk

Your actions do speak louder than words and you will be keenly observed by all your employees and others who will determine if they want to work with and for you.

Encourage and empower your team. Remember that knowledge should be shared and hanging on to it is just plain selfish.

Be honest at all times – but be sensitive. Communicate often and seek feedback and ideas.

Involve your team as much as possible. Limit the opportunity for gossip and politics by being open, honest and transparent.

Finally – set expectations and then ensure they are met.

Wise Words for Workers

The following advice, provides an effective "reality check" for all of us. If only we could pass this on to all newcomers in the business world.

The list has been incorrectly attributed to Bill Gates, but in fact, it came from a book authored by Carles J. Sykes in 1996.

Enjoy!

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it

Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $40,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping -- they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you are. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parents' generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life has not. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

Micro Biz Week

Whew.... if you didn't make it to this morning's event you missed out :-).

We didn't have a huge number of guests, which was a shame. On the plus side those that attended were treated to a workshop atmosphere.

First up was Stefan Sojka of Cyrius Media, who spoke for half an hour on the rudiments of running a business from home. Stefan is an enthusiastic and knowledgeable presenter; speaking with nearly twenty years of experience in running a micro business from his home, he informed the group on how to attain a professional atmosphere. Everything from signage to fire alarms to work/life balance physically in your house and mentally in your thought space was covered. Yes, you can work in your trakkydaks should you wish; but make sure of your diary entries!

Vince Galletto from the City of Ryde covered what you need to tell Council about your home business - and what you don't. We recommend you visit the City of Ryde's website for expert information, but essentially you can run a micro business from home without undergoing development application approval if it's only family members involved and not outside employees.

Okay, so you've got a business, or you're starting one. What do you need? A business plan! Greg Jenkins of TinCan Learning started off his interactive workshop by telling guests about the plan he'd been encouraged to start several years ago. It ran to 60 pages. He completed it and never revisited it. Too much hard work? You betcha! Greg introduced an innovative one-page business plan that people will want to work with, and want to update. It's simple but covers everything you need for a micro business or SME. Or even a larger organisation! Remember a business plan is a living document; you need to WANT to revisit it to keep it alive.

I was last cab on the rank and called my presentation Getting Connected. My original thought was to cover only business associations and how being a member can grow your business. But Stefan told me he wasn't going to cover internet marketing so I added that to my presentation. I covered websites and the care and feeding of; blogs and social media; and of course being part of a business association. Not every RBF member is aware of what my own company Arion Productions actually does, nor that 60% of my current active client list comes from the RBF member base. 60%! Wow - who wouldn't want that!? Most of you know me only as the RBF person, and it's taken hard marketing among interested members to make you aware of my business communications arm. I hope I gave our guests an inspiring overview of how they can connect with others in their business community.

So what's next in the free workshops arena? Keep an eye out for our Small Business September workshops, when Sarah O'Reilly will teach you how to network successfully, Kathie Melocco and Vivienne Storey will present Social Media Boot Camp and Phil Lee will take your marketing plan and strategy to the next level.

Cheers, Sabrina

How to Create a Positive Work Culture in an Organisation

A positive, effective work culture in any organisation forms the foundation of its success. This is because when employees understand and enjoy the dynamics of the environment in which they work, they perform to their optimum level.

So how do we define the workplace culture? It provides a shared and common view of the environment among employees, answering questions like, “what is expected around here, what do we do and why do we do it”.

Here are a few suggestions for how a business can create their desired work culture, and embed it within all its employees.

1. Promote the mission and goals of the organisation and clarify how each employee’s role impacts on the achievement of those goals.

2. Ensure you offer clear, objective feedback to all employees through a structured and transparent performance management system. Your employees will learn more quickly and appreciate the feedback.

3. Ensure all employees are provided with positive reinforcement, delivered in a timely and sincere manner. A manager that notices when an employee has performed well, and recognises this performance is demonstrating effective leadership skills which enable the development of a positive workplace culture.

4. When people join the company, have a very deliberate process of induction and socialisation, where the new employees can learn about the culture. Having senior managers present to new staff in the early days sends a very powerful message.

5. Ensure that in your learning and development programs you are consistently promoting the culture.

Finally, remember that leaders who bring people together talk about 'us' more than 'I'. They re-tell stories of history and present stories that create a sense of togetherness. They create objectives for the organisation and structure the team to ensure that they work together effectively.

So if you want your culture to be positive, then it does not happen by wishing. You have to take deliberate action where the longer-term benefits will far outweigh any costs.