When you’re hiring a new employee, you (ideally) have specific expectations of them. You do your best to put these expectations into the job post and then into the contract. Most managers think this is your agreement with the employee going forward. Not exactly. The real agreement is the feedback you give the new employee during the trial period. During this period, the new team member will see firsthand how real life differs from the pompous words in the job description.

If your job ads say that you expect leadership and responsibility, but in reality you don’t allow newcomers to make decisions, they will quickly learn that they just need to go with the flow and let others decide. If you ask for innovation, but don’t tolerate risk or mistakes, then the norm will become keeping your head down and putting in the minimum effort required to appear innovative. If the new hire is serious about the conditions they signed up for, they will notice the difference and leave. If not, they’ll simply adapt to the new norm and forget the original expectations.

Here are few rules I follow when running a trial period:

  1. Set specific goals and agree on deliverables. Stick to the plan even if priorities change, otherwise you risk pulling the newcomer from one task to another without clear direction.
  2. Plan weekly check-ins to assess progress.
  3. Give regular positive and corrective feedback. People are not mind readers, and you don’t want them guessing what is considered good or bad in your team.
  4. Clearly state when the newcomer does not meet expectations and give them time to correct their behaviour. Don’t make it a surprise on the last day.