Overview: This tool equips managers with questions to “jump-start” more meaningful discussion during their
check-in meetings with new employees at the end of their first week of employment at their new site. These
discussions should help managers and employees develop a positive working relationship and provide an
opportunity for managers to identify and address ongoing on-boarding problems. New employee feedback
collected during these conversations should also be aggregated, analyzed, and used to improve unit and hospital
on-boarding processes.
Additional Documents for conversation: What Matters Most – From Love Em or Lose Em
Initial (First week) Check-In
1. Which team members have you met this week?
Have you been introduced to [assistant manager], [charge nurse], [secretary], and [peer buddy]? 2. What have our team members done to make you feel welcome?
3. If you had questions, was someone always available to answer them? Who has helped you the most?
4. What was the best part of your first week? Why did you enjoy that activity/experience?
If no answer to initial question, ask, “What activity did you find most interesting?” 5. What was the most challenging thing you had to deal with this week?
How could we have made that challenge easier to manage?
6. Is there anything that you think we should change to help new staff during their first week on the job here? Can you tell me more about why we should make that change?
7. Is there anything that we haven’t explained fully? 30 day Check-In
Find out from new employees what motivates them and what will make them stay on the job.
Tell me what has motivated you in past work? What has not motivated you in past work? What gets your “engine” going? What’s exciting to you about work? What will keep you excited here?
Get to know new employees as individuals.
Tell me about yourself? What do you like to do outside of work? What are your hobbies or interests? Ask questions about their interests/skills and why they accepted the position.
What do you think is interesting and exciting about your new job? How will it be a match for your interests? Your skills?
Ask them to tell you the work they feel they are best at, what they most enjoy doing, what they value, what they need to learn to work at their best, and the results they feel they can be expected to deliver.
What are your greatest strengths? How can we utilize your strengths on the job? What is going to be important for you to learn in the orientation and training process? What personal goals, if any, do you have for your new job? Show respect for their previous experiences and encourage them to provide insight and suggestions from a fresh
perspective.
How can we utilize your past experiences on the job? We also want to leverage your experiences from other jobs. This will be valuable as we continue to seek new ways to build our business.
31
Suggested Activity #1 Title: Expectations Exchange
Objective: To ensure that expectations between the manager and employee are clear and to provide a forum for discussing issues/concerns regarding expectations, as well as job satisfiers. Materials: Information regarding expectations including: job descriptions, competencies, job bands, performance planning tools, or goals/objectives to aid in clarifying expectations. Timing: 30 – 45 minutes depending on the amount of discussion.
1. Explain the benefits of this "Expectations Exchange" discussion with your employee.
2. Clearly define what you expect from your employee, and ask what he/she expects from you and the team. 3. Use appropriate tools such as: job descriptions, competencies, job bands, performance planning tools, or
goals/objectives to aid in clarifying expectations.
4. Clarify what you expect them to be doing more of. . . less of. . .
5. Trade places and have the employee give you the same information from his/her point of view.
Close: Let the employee know that this type of expectation exchange is important and may require discussions periodically as assignments, tasks, and changes occur. Communicate that you are available to talk as questions and concerns arise. 60 day Check-In
New employees need all the support you and others can give them. Get them off to a good start by supplying direction, introductions, and orientation. As they progress on the job, keep checking back to see if all is going well. Demonstrate that, if you had to do it all over again, you’d still hire them. If new employees do not have an informative orientation, what can go wrong? They can have a major disconnect, that's what. They can disconnect with:
You or their co-workers. The job itself.
The organization (work environment, norms or values).
You can prevent all three types of disconnects by taking a few preventive steps. You'll notice that each step requires chatting with the new employee often, asking powerful questions and providing support in every way you can.
Connect to You and to Co-workers: There is no better way to predict retention and engagement than to assess the links that new hires establish with their manager and colleagues. Ask in early, ongoing conversations:
How are you getting along with your other team members? Are there introductions to other colleagues you'd like me to make?
So far, what leads you to believe that you've made the right choice in accepting this job? Is there anything that might lead you to question your choice?
What will it take to keep your energy? What do you need to stay interested and involved in the team? What do you need me to do more of, less of? How can I support you as you get acclimated?
Connect to the Job: Ask questions like these to be sure your new talent is doing the work they love:
How does the job measure up to what we promised so far? Where are we on or off track? How might we course correct?
What other interests would you like to explore, either now or over time?
What do you find most challenging about the job? What is not challenging enough about it? How can I help you fine tune this job over time?
Connect to the Organization (environment, norms, values): Now they're on board. One month into the job, they're wondering who or what they joined. Are their values and yours compatible? Ask questions early on like these:
What have you learned about our organization that surprises you (either good, or not so good)? How does the work pace and schedule work for you? Is there anything we need to adjust?
How is our organization the same or different from your last employer? What do you miss most? Least? How can I help you get more of what you want from this workplace? We want you to be happy here!