Motivate new Staff

[Anonymous]

My company is amazingly great. But we have some pretty strict rules during 90 day probation that can turn a new hire off.

What can I do to on board these new staff and get them to come to work every day happy?

First 90 days in person.

[Anonymous]

Come on, it’s not that strict. If you can’t handle 90 days in person without cheerleaders, then you’re probably a weakling who is not right for the job.

[Anonymous]

How much telework once they pass the 90 days?

For me, only money, flexibility, and telework are worthwhile motivators anymore (not in that order). I'm not looking for happy hours or pizza parties. If I can work fully from home after 90 days, I'll grin and bear it.

[Anonymous]

Presumably they knew about the 90 days in person when they took the job yes? So why do you have to motivate them. It’s a bad sign if they’re having to hype things up for new hires; they should be in the honeymoon period.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How much telework once they pass the 90 days?

For me, only money, flexibility, and telework are worthwhile motivators anymore (not in that order). I'm not looking for happy hours or pizza parties. If I can work fully from home after 90 days, I'll grin and bear it.

No one is. And management knows that.

[Anonymous]

You shouldn't have to motivate anyone in the first 90 days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How much telework once they pass the 90 days?

For me, only money, flexibility, and telework are worthwhile motivators anymore (not in that order). I'm not looking for happy hours or pizza parties. If I can work fully from home after 90 days, I'll grin and bear it.

+1.
OP, hopefully there's a good reason for this 90 day period, for example that you offer hands-on training, one on ones with various people, relevant site visits, etc. Make it make sense for them to be there.
And, hopefully there's a good job, good comp, and significant flexibility on the other side of these hoops. Otherwise people are already job hunting in those first months.

[Anonymous]

What are the strict rules?

How flexible are you on start times related to the difficulty of driving/parking/metroing in to your location.

I'm good with in person as long as a mandatory start time is not enforced.

Also make sure your new people are doing in-person things that require them to be on site. If they come in just to get on web meetings with work from home people that's going to look dumb.

If nothing else, schedule in-person 1:1 meet 'n' greets, lunches, coffee breaks, training classes each week. Ask others to come into the office to meet with them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are the strict rules?

How flexible are you on start times related to the difficulty of driving/parking/metroing in to your location.

I'm good with in person as long as a mandatory start time is not enforced.

Also make sure your new people are doing in-person things that require them to be on site. If they come in just to get on web meetings with work from home people that's going to look dumb.

If nothing else, schedule in-person 1:1 meet 'n' greets, lunches, coffee breaks, training classes each week. Ask others to come into the office to meet with them.

Agreed, but would hate to be one of the existing staff members who is forced to come on site to do these meetings and trainings, ie wasting my time when I could be working.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How much telework once they pass the 90 days?

For me, only money, flexibility, and telework are worthwhile motivators anymore (not in that order). I'm not looking for happy hours or pizza parties. If I can work fully from home after 90 days, I'll grin and bear it.

Which fields allow for 100% WFH? There will always be a section of clients ( the actual boss who ultimately dictates employees terms) who wants in person interaction.

[Anonymous]

What is the problem you are trying to solve? People taking the job or staying the 90 days? Are these professional positions? What are the rules?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How much telework once they pass the 90 days?

For me, only money, flexibility, and telework are worthwhile motivators anymore (not in that order). I'm not looking for happy hours or pizza parties. If I can work fully from home after 90 days, I'll grin and bear it.

Which fields allow for 100% WFH? There will always be a section of clients ( the actual boss who ultimately dictates employees terms) who wants in person interaction.

Any job done at a desk can be remote. Plenty of fed attorneys are full remote. Tech jobs. Accounting. Could be anything.

[Anonymous]

OP first 90 days is 100 percent in office. No home computer access allowed.

We have set start and end times. You have to punch in and punch out plus punch in and out lunch.

We also want no sick days, vacation days, personal days, lateness, leaving early in first 90 days.

After 90 days it is WFH two days a week.

And the rule is people you directly manage on probation you have to come in every day as well as staff training them. I am bringing in two so I am also blocked from WFH the next 90 days.

I can’t change HR rules but staff needs motivation.

I don’t want them to focus on anything but this is an amazing career opportunity. They literally could make 5x their salary if they put the 10-15 years of work in.

I know that sounds crazy, but we are like big 4 you work your way up and lower level people do grunt work. I was in big 4 and I moved from staff to Director and was hard but worth it. But I was motivated. That magic I want to recreate.

[Anonymous]

Dude, you can’t motivate people to replicate your life path for your satisfaction unless you give them what they want in life (money, flexibility, elephants) now. They’re not you; whatever motivated you won’t necessarily motivate them.

If you’re talking about how to recruit people, be clear and honest about your expectations and if you want share your story of why you think it’s a good opportunity. They can decide for themselves. If they think they want to give it a go, you don’t have to fuss yourself about their motivations; if they don’t, you still don’t have to worry about it. Stop considering your junior colleagues your dolls.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is the problem you are trying to solve? People taking the job or staying the 90 days? Are these professional positions? What are the rules?

Surviving the 90 days. These people I hired have MBAs and CPAs. But I am going to chain then to desk 90 days.

The professionals I hired won’t realize they are clocking in and out like a HS kid on camera till next week.

I warned them both twice in interviews about 90 day rule. After they clear probation HR approves WFH and they will pull time clock info and you won’t get it if you has issues.