How can I get a struggling new hire more equipped to take over my previous role?
I have an assistant that was hired to replace me but she has no known business experience and wants to take over but does not want to do the work required. She always has an excuse for why she didn't do it and wants to argue about the way things are done. I don't want to fire her, but what can I do to get her more equipped for the role?
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Oct 6, 2020
I was the one that recruited her, when I did I honestly thought that she would be the best person for this job, since i first asked the question we have gone through a bit of a transformation because there were others trying to get me to let her go, we had a company meeting and i had made it clear that she is not going anywhere since then she has taken it upon herself to do research in order to take ovr, I know that who ever takes over is going to make the job their job and do things the way they see proper and fit i just wanted to see her reach her full potential without the feeling of being held back or stuffed in a job that she really dont want
Oct 6, 2020
Succession planning is an important aspect of organization design. Replacement training is often bundled under this broader umbrella. Too often replacement training responsibility falls directly to the person who is vacating a position. This dynamic can create an unnecessary conflict for both parties involved. This is due to the fact that the person leaving the position has a pre-determined understanding of how the position should be accomplished. Additionally, because that person also typically possesses a much comprehensive understanding of the unspoken aspects cultural dynamic/ team aspects of the role it can lead to confusion and outright resistance from the incoming team member.
My suggestion with replacement training is to include a third party in the process to establish clear objectives and key results for the role. I also believe it's important for the outgoing professional to remove the attachment to "how" the objectives are met. The new employee my not meet the tasks in the same manner but that doesn't necessarily mean they won't thrive in the role. It is incredibly important for new hires to be given clear guidelines for expectations, access to the tools necessary to perform the job, and agency to accomplish the requirements in the manner that allows them to most efficiently gain confidence in the role.
In order to help specifically respond to this question I have a few questions I'd want to better understand. Were you involved in the hiring process? Does the new hire have clear service level expectations? How is the new hire's performance being evaluated?
Aug 26, 2020
Are the step-by-step instructions for how she is to perform her tasks documented, and have you reviewed with her how and why each step is taken? It has been my experience with employees who are new to the seemingly mundane tasks of day-to-day work need to understand how and why each step is done so they comprehend their role in the bigger picture. For example, when a new client calls, our Department does X so that Department Y can do Z, etc. Explaining her place in the chain of events will help her feel value in the work she is doing. Offer her the opportunity to improve upon the methodology and efficiency of the task once she has performed it successfully for a certain period of time, and so long as the business goal is still met.
Not only help her understand her role in the bigger picture, but also help her understand how valuable her role is. Asking her how she might improve things is a great idea.
Suggest some resources, like some free online courses offered by universities, so she can improve her skills.