What if it isn’t the Hire?

You’ve read the first two blog posts about bad hires, think you have things locked down, make the hire of your dreams and then everything begins to go wrong.  Employees aren’t motivated, the work is beginning to suffer and what was once a well-oiled machine becomes something akin to the Titanic.

Time to follow up on the second post about what to do with a bad hire?  Maybe.  It could be the new person that you introduced into your tightly controlled world or, and I say this with all due respect: it could be you.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that a toxic environment can be created from the top down in an organization.  Here are just a few things that you should be aware of; consider them warning signs:

-          You’re sending out emails in all caps

-          Staff turnover is at an all-time high

-          Morale is at an all-time low

-          Emails at 3am are becoming common

-          Everyone shuts up when you walk into a room

-          Enjoying the job has become just surviving the job

A few of those get your heart racing a bit?  It’s o.k., I promise.  Just take a step back and realize that everything is correctable if you catch it in time. 

As HR professionals we recognize that even the greatest of hires can be tainted by a work environment that is, for lack of a better word, hostile.  If you find yourself inadvertently breeding one of those types of places, here are a few things that will help pull your hind parts out of the fire.

• Perform a Cultural Audit.  Translation: Now is the time to step back and evaluate the culture that you are creating.  Are you aiming for professional? Competent but relaxed?  Open?  Closed door, hush hush and all that?  You need to know what you want and be objective in reviewing what you see in your work environment.

• Ask your employees.  This one is a bit tricky because you’re putting yourself on the line and your employees on the spot.  Ensure that this can be done anonymously if they so choose.  Find out why they work there, what makes them tick, what they like and what they deplore…leave nothing in the shadows.

• Hire an outside HR rep for a consultation (hi!).  An objective third party is likely going to have an easier time looking at your organization and recognizing challenges that need to be addressed than you are.  Don’t be offended, it’s just the way of things.

In almost every case of it being “you and not them”,  I think you’ll find that your employees will actually relish the chance contribute to change and respect you even more for recognizing the need for it.  Be genuine in your actions. You’ll be that much closer to creating a workplace where people want to perform to the best of their ability.