At this month’s Integrity Team meeting, we continued discussing one of the most important topics an organization can address: Hiring and contracting processes and practices.
Background
During 2023, a big part of our work was to determine the plan for accomplishing our mission in the remaining 3 years of our 10-year mission. That plan is now done, and we are taking the steps to turn “planning” into “reality.”
Some of those steps include hiring and contracting with folks to get the work done. Before we can do that, though, we will need to design a process for doing so. A process that fits with our values. A process that is guided by Catalytic Thinking. A process that is not only equitable and inclusive, but joyful!
We began that discussion at our February meeting, where we talked about everyone who might be affected by our devising that process, and then talked about what is important about the conversation overall.
During our March meeting, we started dissecting every aspect of the hiring process, asking the high-potential question: What would good look like for this part of the process? What could this aspect of hiring make possible for all those individuals who will be affected? We skipped our April meeting, continuing the discussion in May, when we addressed issues related to attracting a broad and diverse pool of applicants, and began homing in on the overall qualities we would be seeking in candidates for any and every position at Creating the Future.
At our June meeting, we began moving from “hiring” to “onboarding” – the process of helping someone feel part of the team as quickly as possible. You can watch that June meeting at this link. A summary of the discussion follows here:
What does the onboarding process make possible for the employee?
- It is not just the first day on the job for the new employee, it is also the first day of the new employee for the existing staff, who will be involved in helping the new employee learn about the job and what the existing staff does. It is about integrating the employee into what already exists and acquainting them with people in the workplace beyond just one point of contact. How does the organization fit together?
- It is also about not making the new person the “new Joe” and recognizing them for who they are and what they bring.
- The outcome is that someone can learn about the organization first before getting to the work they will need to do. There is also a backlog of work that the new person will need to address because the other person left. So there needs to be an intentional plan to address the backlog as they get on board, so they are not immediately overwhelmed.
- We need to help them feel like they belong (be socialized) and like being a part of the group as well as being there to do work. We need to encourage support, develop them from the beginning, and help them see that they are collaborating with people who have values and ideas that match their values and ideas.
- Answer the question for them, “What have I gotten myself into?” How do we help them feel they are valued amidst the chaos of the transition? Do I have support here and is this a good place to be? First impressions matter.
- Have an operating manual for the new hire. “This is what works for me. This is how I operate at my best.”
- Take them to lunch to get to know one another. A 30-day check-in is too far out. Build rapport and see them regularly to see how they are doing and get and give feedback.
- How do we accept and address the cognitive dissonance that goes with being in this unfamiliar environment? Everyone feels a little disconnected. How do we lubricate the process, so we begin to mesh?
- We need to give them enough space to think about and sort through all the input they are receiving and to give them time to sort out what needs to be done and how to prioritize the coming work. Create a safe space, take a walk, have lunch alone occasionally.
- So much of the work process is skewed toward extroverts and the social battery can be overwhelmed quickly. It is not one size fits all.
- Give the new employee a coach/mentor to give them someone to bounce things off. Ask this person to give feedback to the employer to help them make this a better experience for the new hire. Be sure you have the right person for this task so that this is not just another task for the coach, but this is something that they enjoy and grow through. Everyone in the organization may not want this role so we need to be aware because if you appoint the wrong person we can lose the new hire.
- Create some kind of apprenticeship to create experiences that go beyond the job description to help explore the work and to discover the hidden talents of the new hire and the secret practices of the workplace.
- They need to feel safe, they feel supported, they feel welcome, the job is what they are looking for and this is the organization they want to be a part of.
- Give the new employee an opportunity to express what they would like to do during this period as well, so they also take ownership and responsibility for this process.
What does the onboarding process do for the employer?
- Hiring is an expensive business and has a high-risk. A good onboarding process can help lower the risk. Investing more time in this process up front may pay off later.
- What is an onboarding period? Is this a 30 to 90-day period? One size may not fit all. What will work best for the organization and the new hire? Can we give them more time? Can we schedule regular check-ins and get feedback? How frequently? Does the 90-day probation period define the onboarding period? In the grieving process following the death of a loved one, hospice grief support allows for 13 months, so that we get through all the anniversaries in that first year. In onboarding we should ensure people go through a full annual cycle or two because there are things that take place at various times in the business life cycle that we will not experience in the first 30 or 90 days.
- What happens when a new person joins the group or when we introduce a new process? Will we need to adjust? Who will be most impacted and how are we going to support them through the process? Who can I talk to about this process change so that I can avoid being frustrated or confused?
- Do we just hand them a packet and get them to sign off and call that onboarding? How many new hires have read the employee handbook before they sign off? Do they really know what is there and what it means?
- Are there outside resources that the new hire might be able to turn to for support and help?
- We want our staff to be fiduciaries (integrity partners) for the organization and for them to have the confidence to give favorable and unfavorable feedback especially regarding value and culture in the areas where there are points of strong alignment and where there are points of misalignment.
What then does the onboarding process make possible for all the other employees?
- Will this hire help with my workload? Will this add more work to the work I already have?
- How has my boss been impacted by interviewing for the new hire? Am I going to have to add interviewing to my workload?
- Are they going to need to shadow me, or will I need to help the new person get up to speed? Do I feel overloaded now? What am I going to do to address my challenges from this hire? How do I feel about sharing my work product with others?
- How do we avoid the “Usual Error” of thinking that you are thinking what I am thinking, or, of believing that you are feeling what I am feeling?
- People feel like they have a constructive partner.
- This new hire will remind us about our mission and help us bring forward the mission. This can help us as a reminder of why we are here, and this is what we do it for. We take time to nurture people in onboarding and we need to ask/remember that we need to nurture people throughout their tenure.
- We get a chance to think about whether this is still where I want to be. Is this a time to reconsider if I still feel this is the place to be?
- Give the team the opportunity to together address the back of work that comes with the transition.
- This new hire shows the team the commitment of the manager to bring in more people to help with the work.
- We need to safeguard against letting the onboarding be an opportunity to hold on to the way things are rather than ask ourselves if we want to see this as a chance or a challenge to look at a new direction/way forward? Onboarding can give us new and fresh ideas and ways to work for the team and the organization.
- Do we need to ask why we hired this person?
What does the onboarding process of a new employee make possible for the community?
- We need to include meeting the community in the onboarding process to ensure they get to know one another. Rather than just having someone show up for an event to meet the community the organization can better prepare the new hire as representatives of the organization and brief them on our expectations of them at the event. Make this a comfortable opportunity where they feel safe to be learning about the community.
- Make sure the new hire knows how important the community is for the organization and shows them respect and how this can reenergize the mission.
- Gives the community a chance to express their ideas and priorities so the new hire can integrate the community into their thinking and development.
- Get a perspective on the culture of the community and begin the process of integrating our ideas with their ideas!
REFLECTIONS
• We need to move away from a culture that says people work for the economy, to a position where the economy works for the people.
• We can do things differently. Doing things that preserve our humanity and enhances people’s dignity.
• There is an obligation for the organization to meet the new hire rather than require the person to conform to the organization. There should be mutual growth.
• Looking at the result of successful onboarding processes, I identified the things that those people did that set people up for success and allowed the new employee to work with people they liked (and still like even though they do not still work there)
• It is an ongoing process. Every time we have a new person or add a new line of business we will have to go through this process again. We cannot abandon the process.
• Be aware of how adding a new person into the community is not simple. It requires a family lens to address the complexity of these new relationships.
• Excited to be putting together a human-centered process through a lens of possibility rather than from the place of protecting the organization and not the people.