4 signs that a new hire is not working out

By Rick Shore, Vice President. ctc TrainCanada

Thursday, March 5th, 2015

 

At times, it may be worth it to take a step back and wonder if a new employee is a positive force within your company.

Sure, a recent hire might have a wealth of IT certifications under his or her belt and possess the know-how required to exercise the capabilities of every solution your company uses, but it doesn’t matter if he or she doesn’t know how to put his or her nose to the grindstone and get stuff done.
Generally, there are four signs that the new kid on the block may not be all that his or her resume cracked him or her up to be.

1. They complain 
   Sure, every employee is going to have an exceptionally crummy day from time to time, especially if a disaster recovery plan or software deployment keeps encountering unnecessary hiccups, for example. However, when a new worker is finding anything and everything to complain about, his or her attitude is likely detrimentally affecting the flow of his or her colleagues.
2. They don’t take responsibility 
   It’s one thing to ask a database administrator to configure a network in a data center, it’s another to ask that same DBA to create a link between SQL Server and a customer relationship management program through an application programming interface. Inc. contributor Jeff Haden noted that when an employee is asked to do something that doesn’t fit his or her immediate job description, he or she should do so willingly unless an immoral, unethical or illegal factor is associated with the act.
3. They’re unpleasant 
   No, a job description may not require a person to be spritely at all times, but if your team is citing instances of “unbridled negativity,” as InformationWeek’s Jeff Bertolucci noted, then it may be time for you to sit down with the new hire. Again, frustrations are bound to pop up in any responsibility, even if it doesn’t have anything to do with IT. However, morale is a factor that cannot be taken for granted in the industry.
4. They’re too “social” 
   It’s easy to waste precious time on social media, perusing LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or other platforms for the latest celebrity gossip or baby pictures. There’s a time and a place for that behavior, and it doesn’t belong in the workforce. Unless you’re working with an API that allows a piece of enterprise software to synchronize with the aforementioned platforms, there’s no reason why you should be on them.