When you bring new hires to your team, it often brings tension that affects the productivity of the whole department. Your current team has already grown accustomed to working with each other. They know the ins and outs of the dynamics of the team. They have already gone through so many sleepless nights and tension-filled mornings. They know each other’s nuances. It’s hard to just insert a new team member there and expect them to warm up to your new hire immediately.
This is why you have to look into M&A integration consulting when you merged with or acquired employees from another company. You cannot expect them to work with nary a hiccup. People have different personalities. They will go about their work differently. Hiring new people or acquiring team members from a merger doesn’t necessarily mean that the issues are all ironed out.
Remember that these people came from a different company. They have a different culture. They follow a different kind of leadership. This can affect the team’s collaboration and effectiveness. The following are the steps that you need to take to improve this situation:
Be Transparent
The first thing that you need to know about integrating new employees is to be as honest as possible with your team. If you realize that you need to hire a new team member to cover some tasks, tell them about it. Don’t try to cover it up. If you do, your current team will feel that they are not important enough to divulge your plans to. They will feel inadequate. Why will you feel the need to hire someone new if they are doing good? This is what you are trying to avoid from happening.
At the same time, the new hires should be aware that they are going to join a team whose members have been together for years. They should know what to expect. They should be up to the challenge of impressing the team and making themselves part of it.
Meet with the Old Team
Before you integrate this new team member to your current crop of employees, make a brief introduction during a meeting or through an email. You can communicate the new hire’s experiences and skills. Tell your current team where this new hire can help in terms of the tasks given to them. Give your current team time to get used to the idea that there’s new blood among them. Soon, they will find commonalities and shared interests with this new team member.
Onboard the New Hire Effectively
Effective onboarding of a new team member will work wonders for any company. Research says that more than 70% of new employees who have undergone great onboarding and a training program usually stay with the organization for three or more years. During the training, the new hire will be better acclimated to the organizational processes. This will give them a better understanding of how they can help the team be better.
Bringing people together and making them work for the benefit of your company takes a lot of work. You should be an active participant in the process. With you at the helm, your employees will fall in line and follow your lead.
