Staff recruitment is an essential process that falls within the context of organizational leadership.
Sooner or later, the leader of an organization will have to take on new staff.
This is because employees retire and/or leave their job, and the organization they work for will have to hire new employees to replace those leaving.
Besides, an organization needs to be provided with fresh blood on a regular basis, in order to have access to a broader pool of talent, and take advantage of the introduction of innovative operating approaches and methods through the recruitment of new employees.
An ideal scenario for a new recruit
In a perfect world, it is possible for employees and organizations to make a perfect match by ideally combining the qualifications and needs of the former with the requirements and conditions prevailing in the latter.
In this scenario, the process of welcoming a new recruit can be a smooth, and even enjoyable, experience, since both the new recruit and the recruiting organization hiring them will benefit from the process.
There is no need to make each other’s life hard, and after the new recruit passes their tests with flying colors, they can be immediately assigned duties.
When a new recruit faces a hostile workplace
As opposed to the above ideal scenario, there can be a gap, in terms of what a new recruit expects things to be like in their new workplace, and what things are actually like in that workplace.
In extreme cases, this difference between expectations and reality can take the form of a hostile workplace.
In a hostile workplace, the nerves and patience of a new recruit are tested from day one.
Without any reason or excuse, when a new recruit finds themselves in a new workplace that is hostile to them, they are treated unfavorably and unfairly all the time.
Far from being their dream working environment, a hostile workplace can turn into a new recruit’s worst nightmare, making them wish to never have been hired by that company in the first place.
A leader’s role in introducing a new recruit to their new workplace
Although it goes without question that a leader should do his or her best to ensure that the process of introducing a new recruit to their new workplace is as smooth as possible, in practice, an ineffective leader can be more of an obstacle to that process.
On the other hand, a confident leader is, and should be, supportive to both new and existing employees, in order to make certain that the interests and needs of both categories and employees are best served at all times, and any possible friction and conflict between them is addressed and eliminated as soon as it is detected.
Therefore, a leader should act as a mediator who tries to protect a “new puppy” from the “old pack”, giving the former time to adapt to their new environment and develop and grow in it, and keeping any attacks against it at bay, at the same time.
Further reading:
A Guide to Onboarding New Hires (For First-Time Managers)
A People Leader’s Guide To Welcoming New Employees.