How to Spot and Save the Disillusioned Hire | 2-Minute Video

New hires are usually excited to start, learn and succeed.

Then their visions of what should happen don’t line up with what actually happens — and they become disillusioned hires.

For instance, they thought they’d have more autonomy and find out there’s a mentor, a boss, a teammate and six check-ins a week. Or they were told they’d be responsible for producing results in a week, and they’re still in training three weeks later. Or maybe, they’d like more direction and no one has the time to give it to them.

Realigning the Disillusioned Hire

Simply put, disillusioned hires end up disappointed or unhappy with the job because it wasn’t what they expected or they weren’t the right fit for it. The shift shock often is too much for them to take, so they quit within the first few months.

But if you can align expectations and reality early, you will more likely avoid having disillusioned hires. Plus, extra initial support can help keep the situation in line and in check.

What’s Up in This Episode

In this episode of HRMorning’s 3-Point, my colleague and hiring expert, Successfuel’s Colin Drummond, walks us through one of his best hiring practices. And the most important part of it is how he handles getting new employees through the potential disillusioned hire stage.

Click, watch and listen for more details on how you can hire better and avoid early-stage turnover.

Transcript (edited for clarity):

Your new hire might walk out.

About 30% of new employees quit within three months, according to research from Jobvite.

Why? They’re often disillusioned. Simply put, the job wasn’t everything they expected.

But you can prevent that turnover if you accept what happens with new hires.

I’ll let one of my Successfuel colleagues explain.

Colin Drummond: “At some point, everyone, whether you’re just an hourly employee or you’re an executive, you’re gonna hit what’s called an enthusiastic beginner and slide down to what’s called a disillusioned learner. And so what managers have to do is they have to be on top of that and catch people either right before they hit disillusioned learner or at least somewhere around that period of time when they do it, because everyone’s going to hit. And with help and some resilience from the employee, they can begin to bring their enthusiasm level back up again to what’s called a cautious performer.”

Since Colin said EVERYONE will hit the disillusioned wall, you can almost always see it happen. Some warning signs: they don’t make eye contact. They show up late or leave early. They don’t connect with other employees. Or they say flat out, “This isn’t what I signed up for.”

Those are all cues to step in.

Drummond: “So the best way to stop it from happening or not hurting them as much in terms of making that turn into a cautious performer is having what we call frequent ‘Checkups from the Neck Up’ and asking them questions about how things going, are their expectations being met, what is most surprising about the job so far, what do they like about the job, what do they not like so much about the job, how can we help, things of that nature.” 

So there you have it – you can save disillusioned new hires. The keys:

• Accept it. Everyone becomes disillusioned about their new jobs. You will have to address it.
• Identify it. Watch and listen for the warning signs they’ve hit disillusionment and be ready to intervene.
• Check it. As Colin said, have frequent Checkups from the Neck Up.

You don’t have to suffer from early-stage turnover. Now you can save the disillusioned new hire.