This week? A little word about those taking on new employees. What followed was a conversation that really took me aback, for a really good reason. I was speaking to what turned out to be a quite brilliant human being by the name of Stacy. We only nattered for five or ten minutes or so, even accounting for my waffletastic answers. But then she asked her final question. “If we take this candidate on”, she said, “what in your view can we do to make sure they are happy here?” The more I think about it, the more I think they should. Eventually, recovering my composure and winning professional demeanour, I asked Stacy about it. She seemed puzzled I was puzzled. “We want [Candidate] to be successful and happy here”, she told me. It seemed entirely natural to her to ask this question, and that thrilled me even more than being asked it. Starting any job comes with some degree of nerves, or worry, or trepidation. I do wonder if the approach of Stacy might just offset that somewhat. Because flipping the coin, recruiting people isn’t easy, and few things cause more hassle, stress and unhappiness in a workplace than someone who’s not fitting in the right place, or isn’t suitable for the job. A simple question at the start of the process may just do something to mitigate that. Thank you, as always, for reading.
