#270 HR Theory Part 2 | Case Studies on Effective Interviews: How to Resolve New Employee Concerns
As mentioned above, I am involved in HR work, and one area I am particularly focusing on is conducting interviews!
I'm doing quite a lot of interviews lately. I'm the Interview Guy.Fighting Spirit! Interview Guy—that's the vibe, but I think I might be leaving the readers behind, haha.
With that said, I conduct many interviews, but today let's focus on "New Employee Interviews."
What are new employee interviews?
As I introduced in my previous post, we conduct these interviews for employees who have been with the company for one, two, and three months.
For both new graduates and mid-career hires, the content is designed to resolve issues early on, such as "Is there a gap between your expectations before joining and the actual work?" "Are you under any stress?" "Is communication with colleagues going smoothly?"
In a good case, the one-month interview involves 30 minutes of talking about various things, the two-month interview takes about 20 minutes to confirm that previous concerns have been resolved, and by the three-month interview, there are almost no problems, so it ends in about 10 minutes.
This is a good case, a Good Case.
On the other hand, what kind of things are new employees worried about?
Let's introduce some "concerns" actually heard during interviews and their solutions.
Case of Person A
Concern: Communication
It's been a few days since I joined, but everyone is busy and doesn't talk to me much,
so there is no communication with team members at all, and I feel lonely.
I only get the bare minimum explanation regarding work, so I don't know who to ask questions to.
Answer: Listen to them no matter what → Make the issue explicit
I'll say this in advance...
This applies to all patterns, but there is no single clear answer. Because I don't know what kind of situation "everyone not talking to me" actually is, I can't judge it based solely on the interview with Person A.
However, since Person A is worried about it, it is necessary to clarify the issue.
And the interviewer must be someone who can listen and then provide options. This is important.
If Person A is worried about communication regarding a specific task, you should mentally organize who is knowledgeable about that task and instantly provide that information to Person A.
It would be even better if you could instantly provide information about employees close to Person A in age, from the same background, or with shared hobbies.
And, just like providing information, it is also important to make them feel a Positive Mental Attitude (P.M.A.).
"I think what you're feeling is normal. And the reason everyone isn't talking to you is just because they're shy and embarrassed, so why don't you try talking to them proactively? They'll be happy. I think everyone wants to talk to you."
Sometimes, just these words are enough to solve the case.
Anyway, it's P.M.A. Wow Wow Wow.
Case of Person B
Concern: The gap between pre-employment expectations and post-employment reality
The work I'm assigned now is different from what I was told before joining the company?
I can't see what will happen to me in the future...
Response: Clarify the situation -> Escalate to relevant departments
The interviewer's mission is to listen and think of the best possible solution, but they cannot solve the problem on the spot (though there may be cases where they can).
Therefore, justorganize the factsfirst.
As you listen, various issues will come to light, but it is better for the interviewer, who is from the HR team in a different department, not to provide the answers, so maintain a stance of just listening.
Then, convey that information to the interviewer's superior.
However!
The important thing here is consent.
Is it okay if I tell your supervisor, Mr./Ms. **, what I just heard?You must obtain this consent.
If you escalate without this, the employee will think, 'Oh, they just go and tell people without asking,' so you must be thorough here.
Case of Person C
Concern: Difficulty communicating due to remote work
Even if I have various things I want to ask, it's hard to consult about work because it's remote.
It's also difficult to communicate.
Response: You have no choice but to create opportunities for communication
Remote work has become standard since COVID-19.
I think everyone who changed jobs after COVID-19 has faced this concern.
Our company also recommends remote work and has a stance where each department decides which days to come into the office, but basically, we recommend that new employees actively come to the office separately from that.
However, I often hear concerns that it's hard to consult because supervisors and seniors are working remotely... and so on.
For this, virtual offices and the like are effective.
oViceandMetalifeare recommended.
Since you can work virtually and have fun, it is important for supervisors to first understand these tools and work with their subordinates to use them, and it is better for subordinates to plead with their supervisors, saying,I want to be able to communicate constantly using something like this.If that's hard to say, we in HR will say it, so first, let's communicate with the HR representative!
Summary
New employees have various other concerns as well. However, in most cases, the cause does not lie with the new employee, but rather with
issues in the mindset of team members or supervisors—so let's be flexible in how we handle those situations.
Also, just by "talking," they can often vent quite a bit.
Therefore, your stance should strictly be that of a listener! It is ideal not to say too much one way or the other.
And so, interviews with new employees are profound and important, so I hope you find this helpful!