Making the right decision when it comes to hiring staff is no easy task. A company’s staff strength and experience define the company and dictate its capabilities.
I like to define a probationary period as a trial period for newly recruited workers. It commonly lasts for three months, six months, or a year, and it is a period when the employment relationship is tested by all parties involved.
I wish there were a corporate crystal ball to look into and tell how an employee would behave in the future, but there are none such luxuries.
In the absence of one, a vital strategic resource available to employers to evaluate their choice of hire is to take the hired staff through a probationary period.
It’s usually a fixed period at the beginning of an employment relationship when the new employee gets tested for suitability and capability, in line with expectations of the position.
Related Post: How To Build Staff Loyalty
The probationary period otherwise called the review and evaluation period, varies from one employee to the other, depending on many factors, including the maturity level of the company.
This article gives an in-depth view of how to get the best of the probationary period.
On the part of the employee, there is no other time better to impress your bosses than the probationary period.
It is a period when the staff is allowed to make honest mistakes, learn, and show the boss that they made the right hiring decision.
During the probationary period, both the employee and the employer or supervisor should consider and evaluate the suitability of the placement.
Supervisors are encouraged to use this period to review and discuss progress or otherwise with the employee as related to the deliverable of his or her position and in adapting to the work environment as a whole —source: Harvard Information For Employees.
It should, however, be noted that when starting a new position, you are subject to more scrutiny than ever. Your early behaviors have far-reaching impacts on your future in the company. It is, therefore, imperative that you be at your best at your new post.
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Why Do Some Employees Fail Probationary Periods?
A profound study by LeadershipIQ found that almost half of new hires don’t work out within the first 18 months. As a matter of fact, most new hires do not make it past their probationary period not because they do not have the right skills, in fact most of them are above the mark in terms of required technical skills needed on the job.
The main reasons most new hires fail their probationary period are:
- Inability to manage up – Manage the bosses
- Poor interpersonal skills
- An unwillingness to accept feedback
- Inability to adequately manage their emotions
- A lack of motivation mostly due to the culture of their new organization
- Having the wrong temperament for the job.
Specifically, the study found that 26% of new hires fail because they can’t accept feedback, 23% because they’re unable to understand and manage emotions, 17% because they lack the necessary motivation to excel, 15% because they have the wrong temperament for the job, and only 11% because they lack the necessary technical skills.
With a result such as this, employers and employees are usually frustrated. The good news, however, is that with the right skills for the job, all other factors come down to emotional intelligence, and Emotional Intelligence can be improved upon with the right attitude and determination.
Below Are Ten Actions To Help You Pass Your 3 Months Probation Period
As a newly employed staff who must undergo a probationary period, it is essential that you understand the tasks ahead of you.
Those first 90 days will determine how the course of your life would be laid out for the next few years, at least for as long as you remain in the employment of your current boss.
Prepare For The Big Day
It is often said that preparation is the key to success. Preparing for the beginning of your probation period is, therefore, very essential to your overall success during your probation.
It is essential that you get the right clothing, the right mindset, and get yourself fully prepared for the tasks ahead. Conduct the necessary research and acquaint yourself with as much information as possible on your new employers. Trust me, your level of preparedness in this regard would be seen by experienced managers, and what a lovely first impression you would leave.
Wake Up Early
Waking up early on your first day is essential. To achieve that, you must be sure to get to bed early. Your resumption eve is not the time to go celebrating, rather it is a time to prepare adequately and ensure to have adequate rest to help your mental alertness.
Ensure to get to your office a little earlier than expected of you. You would want to be careful here; there is no sense in getting to work at 6 am for an expected resumption time of 9 am.
Make A Very good First Impression
Think of ways to genuinely impress your boss while not giving out the wrong impressions. You do not want to come off as being overly ambitious, disrespectful, and by all means, avoid office politics.
It is best to show your new employers that they made the right hire. Try as much as possible to take the initiative as much as possible. Do not wait until you are sought after.
It’s common to feel overlooked or as if you’re not really needed as it’s figured out where you fit in. Once you’ve completed certain duties, don’t hide in your cubicle until someone tells you what to do next. Instead, seek out your boss, tell him or her you’ve completed the assigned task, and ask what you can do next. When extra duties come up and you don’t have a full plate, raise your hand and volunteer to do them. Source: Salary.com
Ask Questions
Asking the right questions during your probationary period is the best way to prove to your colleagues and boss that you are teachable and willing to learn.
This is not the period to stay aloof and hope for the best, rather, it is the period to go all out and act. Do not be afraid to make honest mistakes, make them, learn from them and move on as fast as possible.
Network With Co-workers
The need to network with the existing staff of your employers cannot be overemphasized. It is important that you pick a friend and learn the ropes from your new friend.
While networking and being sociable, you should ensure to avoid the many politics that go on within the walls of your office.
Avoid Office Politics
Do not do it. Never get entangled in taking sides about things that do not concern you directly in the office environment; very often, doing so has inevitable consequences. It is easy to find yourself jumping into discussions and taking sides without realizing it.
When it comes to office politics, your position as a staff under probation should be completely neutral on all issues.
While it is easy to use such topics to open up conversations with people, it is best to keep off politics, gender, religion, or any other controversial issues that may draw unwanted attention to you.
Most often, you, at that point, do not know who is on the good or the bad books of management. Do not get entangled in such an unnecessary and avoidable web.
Know Your Organisation
Your probationary period is the best time to begin to acquire relevant knowledge about your organization, and the acquisition of knowledge is the best way to make yourself relevant.Â
By gaining more insight into your organization, you invariably set yourself on the path of self-discovery on your mission in your new organization.Â
As an employee, your mission is not just to be the best at what you do, but to understand the Difference You Make in the Lives Of People through your roles in the organization.
Know the Company Culture
Before your skills get considered during the hiring process, most experienced companies first put into consideration all factors that spell out to them that you fit into their operational culture. That is because people are more likely to remain in a company whose culture supports their values and professional success.
So as a new employee, it is, therefore, in your best interest to understand the culture of your new organization and how you fit in.
Understanding your new company’s culture is not an easy feat. It is also not something that you could ask any of the existing staff and get answers. Though as essential as it is, a lot of them may not know, because often, when people are at work daily, many of the manifestations of company culture become almost invisible to them, yet they go along with it.
Understand Your Direct Boss
Your ability to manage up is nowhere more important than during your probationary period as an employee. Your relationship with your direct superior is most likely the most critical official relationship you should have, and the direction of such relationships is oftentimes dictated by you, the new hire.
It is essential that you know the following about your direct boss:
1. What does your boss do?
2. What are your boss’s strengths and weaknesses?
3. Who does your boss answer to?
4. What are his/her deliverables?
5. What are his/her objectives? How does your role help them fulfill their
objectives?
6. What are their wider concerns beyond your work in your role?
Set Expectations
Of all the actions you must take to ensure that you present your best self to your new employers, the most important of them all is to set expectations. By setting expectations both for yourself and employer, you would have put yourself ahead of the inevitable end of probation evaluation.
Take your time to understand your job description and the organization’s probation policy, thoroughly.Â
Then, once understood, you set and, if possible, clarify with your direct boss what is expected of you during the probation period. Then, sit down with your boss or HR manager and set yourself some SMART  goals.
Your smart goals will help you to focus on the expectations that you need to meet. Be proactive and remember to deliver way more than is expected of you.
Seek feedback at every milestone met, and you would have set yourself on a path of success and at becoming your employers’ beautiful team player. Your development, and jot down the challenges that you face and your achievements. This will enable you to keep track of your progress and pull evidence together to show your manager at your end-of-probation review.Â
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