Benefits of New Hire Evaluations:



It is surprising how few companies track the progress of new hires. According to an article published by HRMetrics.org, less than 20% of all companies evaluate new hires, which have decreased from 30% in 2003. While this task can be overwhelming at first, it provides a wealth of information you can use when recruiting, tracking employee progress, and evaluating recruitment methods.

There are numerous benefits to tracking new hires. You will be able to track the following:



--> Time it takes for a new hire to become acclimated to their new position


--> Get a better understanding of what managers are looking for in new hires


--> Evaluate personality/work performance


--> Determine if new hires were given an honest depiction of what they would be doing


--> Gain a better understanding of the work environment


By gathering this data through questionnaires, interviews, and observation, you will be able to use the information when recruiting. For example, if a new hire was not given an accurate job description, then you will need to change this information is presented. This is a small fix that may prevent the hiring of those who are not qualified for a position.



When to Conduct New Hire Evaluations:



This is perhaps the trickiest part of measuring new hire performance. You may need to ask managers how long they expect new hires to take until they are able to perform all duties required. This can be anywhere from 30 to 90 days. Companies that track new hires usually have a ninety day evaluation period. This is usually enough time for new hires to become comfortable in their new working environment.

There are many issues that can affect employee performance including:



--> Work environment

--> Managerial style

--> Work commute

--> Personal issues

--> Employee conflict


While you cannot control these issues from affecting employee performance, you can take them into consideration and try to not allow them to taint your research. Waiting longer than three months to perform a new hire evaluation will allow the work environment to affect your data. If the work environment is hostile and the new hire finds themselves isolated, their work will begin to suffer. It is unfair to judge the performance of the new hire when they are under additional stress.

Each new hire will go through a ‘honeymoon’ period where they are learning about the inner workings of the workplace, meeting people, and learning how to perform their jobs. Usually after a ninety-day period, employees have made a few friends, understand what is expected of them, and should be performing job duties effectively.