How to successfully complete the Probation Period?

At some point or another, many of us had to be on a probation period when first hired. After all the hard work and high stress of looking for a job, developing our resumes, preparing ourselves for interviews, and follow all the protocol of the recruiting process, we think that every thing will be over when getting the job.

Well, no.. There is the “probation period” that all companies, small and large, have in place for all new hires. During this trial period, the employer will be assessing and evaluating the employee’s knowledge, skills and work ethics to determine if he or she is suitable for a long term employment with the organization.

If you want to be successful in completing this probation period and securing the job, there are a few tips that you should consider:

Be Punctual – Show up for work on time (better yet, a few minutes early!)

Dependability – There is nothing worse than having an employee who is chronically late, who takes frequent unscheduled breaks, who leaves early, and who procrastinates in getting work done. Employers need to be sure that their employees will take their jobs seriously.

Look and Act Professional – How you dress and act is a direct reflection of your employer’s image, therefore employers care about how you dress and act. Check the dress code of you the company, if they don’t have one and you are not sure what to wear, ask your supervisor.

Be a Team Player! – Employers expect you to respect and work cooperatively with your colleagues. If your co-workers don’t feel that they can work well with you, you will be jeopardizing your stay in the company.

Go Above and Beyond – do not wait to be asked what to do, take initiative and offer help where needed. Often, these are the employees that get promoted and move up the career ladder the fastest.

Offer Solutions! –If you have identified a problem at your job, try to come up with possible solutions before bringing up the problem to your supervisor.

Keep the lines of communication open -The more you talk with an employer, the more likely you are to understand his or her needs.

Be open to feedback! – remember that you will be constantly assessed and your employer may be doing informal feedbacks during your probation period. You should be open to learning and receiving feedback which can help you to do better at your job.

 Be Enthusiastic and Have a Positive Attitude! – These qualities can help you to be more productive and are qualities that other people – including employers and employees – like to be around. If you are working in a field you enjoy and are good at you are more likely to be enthusiastic and maintain a positive attitude.

 Don’t give up if you reach a roadblock – From time to time, you might encounter a roadblock as you try to meet your employer’s expectations. This may result from the fact that you lack the time, resources, or information necessary to achieve the desired result. If such a situation occurs, the important thing is to not become discouraged. Realize that achieving goals takes patience and time. Just because you don’t succeed the first time around, it doesn’t mean that you won’t succeed the second or third time around. By maintaining a positive outlook, you are more likely to eventually achieve the outcome you’re seeking.

What should I expect from my new Employer?

 Employment Agreement – this document contents important information in regards to the conditions of the employment relationship with the employer. If a probation period is part of the conditions of employment, this document should specify the length of the period. Note that during the probation period, employees may not be entitled to company benefits or vacation time off.

Job Description – It will set the functions and responsibilities of the positions. It will list the expectations and objectives of the role and position.

Employee Orientation – It will introduce the individual to the organization by providing information on the general rules and practices of the organization, as well as safety information. During the employee orientation, the new hire will have the opportunity to be introduced to the rest of the employees and team members. It is important to take advantage of the orientation process and ask questions about company expectations.

Counselling – It is your employer’s responsibility to take all reasonable steps to help you through your probation period, to provide any and all training, mentoring and encouragement that you need. Once again, remember that they too are on probation.

Performance Review/Feedback – the new employee will be monitored very closely during the probation period. Informal reviews will be conducted throughout this period in order to determine how well the new employee is meeting the expectations of the position and the company. Before the end of the probation period, the employer may perform a formal review.

By Claudia D’Jesus (President of VaXa HR Group)

A “Tip” for Those Looking for a Job

 

 

 

 

If you are currently looking for a new job, you will find that now days many employers are taking advantage of phone interviews to filter applications before inviting applicants to a face-to-face interview…let’s just say that they want to save some time. Believe it or not, there is also a protocol prior to the phone screen…. Here are a few tips…

·Receiving the call – If you are currently employed, make sure you can take this call at home or in a closed office or conference room. we recommend that you do not use a cell phone; you want to be sure the connection is strong and that the call is not dropped.

·Prior to the call – The phone screen is like an open book exam. The employer cannot see you so make sure you have materials readily available (resume, job description, company notes). Review the job description and think about the questions that may be asked. Then practice how you will answer these questions based on your work experience , skills and education.

·During the call – Do not interrupt the interviewer, listen to the entire question, and ask for clarification if needed. Make sure you sound as professional as possible, try to avoid ahhhs or ummms to break the silence when you are thinking. Take your time and think through answers so you come across as very professional and articulate. Avoid speaking too fast or too loud, and obviously do not chew gum or smoke during the call.

·End the call – when the employer thanks you for your time, make sure to express your continued interest in the position  (but don’t sound desperate!) and inquire about the next steps in the hiring process.

·After the call – If you have the contact information of the interviewer, send an email or letter thanking him or her for the call and reiterate how you can help the employer

Good luck!!, you are going to be a great hire.

 

By Claudia D’Jesus (President of VaXa HR Group)

Outsourcing The HR Functions – A New Era for the Human Resources Field

 

 

 

 

HR outsourcing is huge, it is a $16 billion market globally. It has been said that  outsourcing the functions of Human Resources management was a good fit for companies with 100 employees or less. The true is that organizations, regardless of their size, have started to see the advantage of utilizing third party service providers in the field of Human Resources. Latest studies show that some 85 per cent of US companies outsource at least one component of their HR function – payroll, benefits administration, education and training, hiring and recruiting and health & safety are top targets.

The human resources departments are considered part of overhead cost for many companies and even though there are many benefits of having such cost in-house, companies are calculating their numbers and concluding that this cost can be reduced tremendously if the functions of HR are outsourced.

Why are companies starting to outsource their Human Resources functions?

•  Rather than having to spend time and money advertising and interviewing people whenever they want to recruit, they could simply pick up the phone and say, “I need to increase the staff by five to 10 people, can you get them?”
• Outsourcing also allows companies to get and pay for specialist expertise as they need it, rather than hiring one person and expecting them to master everything, or paying for several employees to be experts in different areas that they may only need for a few weeks out of the year.
• Trying to find their ideal HR manager with all the necessary skills sometimes is too difficult task for a small and medium size company. If they find the right candidate, what would be the cost to attract and retain him/her?
• Outsourcing definitely helps companies to avoid big legal employment responsibilities that they don’t have to worry about if their HR personnel leave the company.
• Leaders of the company can focus on what they know best and look for better ways of increasing sales and productivity.
• We all know that the Human Resources functions are responsible for managing most of the confidential information of the company and by outsourcing companies will have the peace of mind that this information will be kept confidential and handled in a professional manner.
• Managing human resources conflicts and sensitive situations will be better and more objectively handled by an outside firm than internal personnel who has direct interaction with the personnel and may be bias in their investigations and recommendations.
• The most critical functions of Human Resources are project based so why paying for a permanent position if these major projects can have a single cost.
• Apart from the financial benefits associated, another reason why companies outsource the HR functions is to have projects and processes delivered by teams that have operational expertise in other similar operations within the same market or industry. Outsourcing gives companies access to industry-class capabilities and infrastructure in the human resources functions.

Industry watchers predict HR outsourcing to be a business practice. Those companies that are offering outsourcing services in this field are moving up the value chain to include a range of services that require greater skills, support and expertise. It is not difficult to see why outsourcing the Human Resources activities are a great benefit for companies of any size.

By Claudia D’Jesus (President of VaXa HR Group)

Basic Expectations of Managers / Supervisors

Sometimes we forget how important the function of Human Resources Management are for supervisors and managers, nowadays where most of these functions are being outsourced by many organizations, the day-to-day management of their human resources is being performed by the people who is responsible for organizing, coordinating, directing and monitoring the work of employees; Managers and Supervisors.

Ensuring production quotes and quality services are not the only priority for managers and supervisors anymore. Even if there is an internal Human Resources Department, managers and supervisors are still accountable for the productivity of their staff.

These are just a few of many commands on how to successfully manage your human resources on a daily basis.

• Treat staff members as you would like to be treated – as valued and respected individuals.
• Treat people fairly, not necessarily equally – they all have different needs that you need to understand and deal with accordingly.
• Tell staff members when they do a good job and tell them regularly.
• Be a coach, counselor, and facilitator.
• Remember that you are working for your reports, not the other way around.
• Create an environment in which staff members have every opportunity to succeed.
• When you have to correct an individual’s behavior, make certain that you criticize the act and not the person.
• Manage performance to make not-so-good staff into good ones.
• Ask yourself if you enjoy working with people
• Fix problems – or bring them to your superior to get the problem corrected together.
• Deal with rumors honestly and candidly. If you don’t know what the truth is, seek information.
• Always hire the best person available for new positions. If the best person available is not good enough, don’t hire him/her. Start hunting again and keep at it until you find the right person for the job.
• Be accountable. Regularly keep your people informed about their performance. Keep good records on their performance. Start progressive discipline when appropriate. It is possible to remove nonproductive people from the workplace when you do your homework.

And remember, the key of the success when managing the human resources is consistency. If you consistently apply and enforce your work expectations, you will have a higher probability of building a high productive and happy team.

By Claudia D’Jesus (President of VaXa HR Group)