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Master of Project Management

In Innovation and Entrepreneurship

New Hire Evolution

Case study

By

Youssef Daoud

Supervised by

Dr. Amr Osman

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Acknowledgments

********************************

This "New Hire Evolution" Report would not have been possible without

the support of many people.

I wish to express my most sincere gratitude to my supervisor;

Dr. Amr Osman, who was abundantly helpful and offered invaluable

assistance, guidance and infinite support,

Deepest gratitude is also due to the members of the Faculty;

Dr. Hegazy Zaher, Dr. Emmanuel Chéné, Dr. Henri Samier, Dr. Asmaa

AlSharif, Dr. Imen Dardour and Dr. Hany Nasreldin,

Without whose knowledge and assistance this Report would not have been

successful.

Special thanks to the juries committee;

Dr. Gamal Darwish, Dr. Yves Perraudeau, Dr. Heba Abdel Wahab and Dr.

Nader Albert.

Finally I wish to express my love and gratitude to my beloved family and

friends; for their understanding & encouragement through the duration of

my studies.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgements………………………………………………………...….

INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………. 4

1- BACKGROUND ABOUT TERADATA………………………………… 6

2- DEFINITION AND PHASES OF A NEW HIRE ………………………… 7

2.1. DEFINITION OF A NEW HIRE…………………………………………… 7

2.2. NEW PHASES OF A NEW HIRE………………………………………… 7

3- CHALLENGES TO TRANSFORMING A NEW HIRE TO FULLY

FUNCTIONING EMPLOYEE ………………………………………………. 12

3.1. PROFESSIONAL CHALLENGES………………………………………. 12

3.2. PERSONAL CHALLENGES……………………………………………… 14

3.3. WORK ENVIRONMENT…………………………………………………. 18

4. NEW TRANSFORMATION METHODOLOGY …….………………… 23

4.1. AS-IS PRACTICE………………………………………………………….. 23

4.2. TO-BE PRACTICE………………………………………………………… 29

5- RESULTS…………………………………………………………………… 37

6. CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………….. 39

7. ANNEX …………………………………………………………………….. 41

8. BIBLIOGRAPHY 50

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INTRODUCTION

New hires evolution is basically a process for the simplest way to transform

someone who is called a “new hire” to a fully functioning employee. The most efficient and

easiest way to do it will be to follow a transformation program based on simple steps where

each step requires an amount of time that can only be determined by his direct manager and

his team members.

One of the key processes that will help companies meet their talent goals is

“onboarding.” Onboarding programs have two major benefits: they decrease the time it

takes a new employee to become fully productive; and, even more importantly, these

programs create a strong sense of pride and commitment among new workers as they feel

welcomed and valued from their first day at work.

This report will provide a plan to study the best and fastest way to transform a new

hire into an employee. It is about diagnosing the key weaknesses improvement areas in

the process of handling new hires carried out by Teradata and exploring possible

solutions while providing technical insights and tools that may be required.

I chose this particular project “A new hire evolution” because as I passed by the

new hire experience in my company it took me over 6 months to become a fully

functioning employee with the ability to resolve issues for customers without asking or

taking the opinion of one of my older colleagues.

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After one year of working, I was still called one of the “New Hires”, a “Newbie” is

the word to best describe my situation and any newcomer.

After doing some searches and some personal tests with a new hire that came a year

after I was employed I discovered a way to make him an employee in less than my 6

months and it worked, also as soon as I introduced the idea to some of the newcomer at my

company they liked it so much.

Why treat the integration stage for new hires:

The most simple and efficient answer to that question would be to avoid turnover.

Neglected integration can lead to resignations.

The direct cost of breaking is like the 4 or 5 hours of total time spent in the

recruitment stage is lost in case of unexpected failure as the 1 to 2 hours minimum to

organize the emergency replacement

The indirect cost of breaking is like the time spent by the coaching staff on

recruitment or replacement on short notice cannot be spent on other equally important

functions such as team management, quality monitoring and the development of the

activity.

Allow the new hire to find its place.

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About the author

Youssef Daoud graduated from the French university of Egypt faculty of business

and information system with a master M1 degree in information system, works as a

technical support specialist in Database analysis in TERADATA EGYPT with a

background in sales and marketing experience.

1- BACKGROUND ABOUT TERADATA

Teradata is one of the major companies in data warehousing, it creates the biggest

databases for clients such as banks and hardware companies for example Apple and HSBC

and others.

Teradata Corporation is an American computer company that sells database

software for data warehouses and analytic applications, including Big data.

Its products are meant to consolidate data from different sources and make the data

available for analysis.

Formerly a division of NCR Corporation, Teradata was incorporated in 1979 and

separated from NCR in October 2007.

Teradata is led by Mike Koehler, the former senior vice president of NCR.

Teradata's headquarters is located in Miamisburg, Ohio. I work as a technical support

specialist in Database analysis.

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2- DEFINITION AND PHASES OF ANY NEW HIRE:

2.1. Definition of a new hire:

A new hire refers to a new employee hired into an organization. It can be a new

graduate with little work experience or a senior level employee with many years of work

experience. They are "new" with respect to the company that they are joining. 1

In most of the companies, a new hire is still called so until he finishes at least one

year at his position.

2.2. Phases of any new hire

Any new hire will face tough situations when changing jobs; the toughest things

about changing jobs from company to another.

For the most part, these changes will be good for him even the ones that are forced

upon him, between the time he know that he’ll be leaving his old job until he starts working

in his new job, he will be in transition.

There are several situations that he will face before and after getting employed.

1 http://www.idiomquest.com/learn/idiom/a-new-hire/

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2.2.1. Before getting employed:

According to William Bridges, an American author, speaker, and organizational

consultant, there are 3 phases for a new hire before getting employed: a) the endings phase,

b) the neutral zone and c) the new beginnings.

a) The Ending phase: when one leave a job for whatever reason he loses several

things such as:

i. Relationships with individuals and groups.

ii. Structure and routines.

iii. Sense of security.

iv. Feeling of being valued.

v. A sense of place and location.

vi. Recognition.

However, it is worthy to mention that he must recognize that these losses are

temporary and the quicker he accepts the reality, the quicker he can move on to something

better.

b) The Neutral Zone phase: This is the most difficult phase of being in transition

because he is dealing with the unknown about himself and his future. Recognize however

that he will go through many transitions in his career and he must learn to deal with them

by doing the following:

i. Understand that this process is normal.

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ii. Communicate with the others that he is going through a transition. The

chances are that they have experienced a similar situation as well.

iii. Strengthen connections with old friends and support groups.

iv. Use his time creatively to plan a future and learn new things.

The most exciting thing about a Neutral Zone is that it ends and that end is called

the beginning.

c) The New beginnings phase: In the beginning of a new job either in a new

company or not, he will find:

i. New people.

ii. New beliefs.

iii. New responsibilities

iv. New ways of doing things.

Recognize that these changes are also normal they allow him to share what he has

learned in his prior experiences and to grow professionally and personally new experiences.

What he should have here is the right attitude; successful professionals accept life changes

and seize new opportunities.2

2 http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/bridges-transition-model.htm

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2.2.2. After getting employed:

According to a new employee-training program there are five-steps for a new hire after

getting employed:

a- Observe:

When a new hire starts, he first spends time observing other employees performing

the same duties he will be expected to master. He will listen to multiple employee make calls,

watch them, take notes on how they interact with their customers, and evaluate which

communication techniques seem to be most effective in meeting customers' needs.

b- Learn:

Only once the new hire has studied the job being performed in its entirety is he taught

the details of the job. In this phase, he learns the products—in specific and meaningful ways.

A new hire is taught about the materials, fabrication, and sizing. Old employees demonstrate

the products for him, and then ask him to spend time using them.

They also ask him to generate questions about the products, so he can feel

comfortable speaking about. Then he is taught how customers use the products. Only when

he has mastered these specifics through repeated memorization exercises, game playing, and

testing is he deemed ready to move on to the next step.

c- Practice

In stage three, the new hire spends time practicing what he has learned. He is asked to

enter written orders to master the company’s computer system. He takes fake role-play style

orders over the phone—read to him by other employees who make sure that he experiences

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how real customers may say things or actual questions he may encounter. Any errors are

recorded and discussed at the end of each session, and then re-tested in a similar circumstance

the following day.

d- Shadow

When the new hire is ready, he moves into the shadow stage. Here he will follow

older employees on each of their calls, and attempt to do the without making mistakes on his

own computer. After each shadow session, he compares his way to the older employee's way.

After getting perfect scores on multiple back-to-back tasks, the rookie graduates from the

shadow stage.

e- Prove:

The new hire is now given the opportunity to talk to real customers, with an older

employee shadowing him. When actual customers call in, they are offered the option to allow

a new hire to take their task, knowing that an older employee will be taking the task

simultaneously to be sure the task is error free.

The customers generally like to participate in the training programs because they

receive free shipping in exchange—and they get a peek at the new hires they might one day

choose to work with. Only when the new hire proves he is able to handle the job in real

customer interactions does he become a full-fledged member of team.

This process can be shorter or longer depending on the experience and skills the new

recruit brings to the table, but the vision always remains the same. New hires must be shown

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what they are going to learn, and then given the chance to learn it. Once they demonstrate in-

depth product knowledge, they must be tested to see how they apply it.3

3- CHALLENGES TO TRANSFORMING A NEW HIRE TO

FULLY FUNCTIONING EMPLOYEE:

3.1 Professional challenges:

The interview process is basically a series of questions and answers, and by asking

the right questions he can get information he needs to match his qualifications to the job as

well as all the information he can use to determine if he really wants the job anyway.

The questions should cover five distinct points:

1. The position responsibilities:

a. He must ask what the major responsibilities of the job are, what task need to

be accomplished and in what time frame.

b. It’s always a good idea to ask about what needs immediate attention.

c. Ask about the career path with someone in the position as well.

2. Resources available to accomplish the job responsibilities:

a. He doesn’t take for granted that the resources needed to successfully

complete a job are always provided, he should meet some people who work

in the company.

3 http://www.inc.com/vanessa-nornberg/new-employee-training-program-five-steps.html

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b. Ask if the company provides training and the needed tools to accomplish the

job. For example if he will work for sales, ask how the company reimburses

him for travel entertainment expenses.

3. Level of authority:

a. The key question to ask here is the sufficient authority that exists for him to

act on his responsibilities.

b. Find out about his authorities to direct staff or use needed company

resources.

c. Be sure he’ll understand all the relationships including his boss, peers and if

appropriate his subordinates. For example if his work needs support from an

administrative assistant or an analyst, does he have the authority to tell that

person what to do?

4. Performance Measurement:

a. This is the question most often neglected by job candidates; in order for him

to succeed he needs to know how he will be measured and evaluated.

b. Ask how the job appraisal works. For example if he is responsible about the

completing of 5 particular monthly reports, determine how their completion

relates to his evaluation.

5. Company Culture:

Getting things done is different in each company, he should ask if

communication is formal or informal, if decision making is centralized or

decentralized and if management is really collaborative. For example if he is

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a person who operates with the minimum of supervision, he may not want to

work for a company that requires him to report his progress on a daily basis.

Always remember that this is his life’s work and asking questions is his

responsibility and his questions will be respected by interviewers in really good companies.

3.2. Personal challenges:

Early in his career, employers are searching for a talent to help them build

momentum and facilitate changes, however no matter how many years he works, his

employer will always want these attributes and the top 10 characteristics of new hires in

order of importance are:

1. Communication skills:

a. These still save time, reduce conflicts, minimize mistakes and facilitate

change.

b. The better he was able to communicate both writing and verbally the more

successful he’ll be.

2. Honesty and Integrity:

His ability to have people to trust him will be a magnet of all sorts of

opportunities.

3. Teamwork skills:

His success will be largely based on his ability to work with others.

4. Interpersonal skills:

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His ability to work with other people is the key to success, so he should be

open-minded and flexible.

5. Motivation Initiative:

Taking positive action especially when others are slower to do so,

demonstrates leadership.

6. Strong Work Ethic:

It’s really much more a manner of attitude than energy.

7. Analytical Skills:

The ability to logically approach a problem is via to the solution and it’s

attributing in getting hired and advancing.

8. Flexibility/Adaptability:

It’s always about his ability to work well with other people; we are social

animals so he needs to work on a continuous basis to improve in this critical

skill area.

9. Computer Skills:

This skill reflects the basic business desktop communication environment.

So using a laptop with Microsoft word and excel at a minimum as well as

functioning in a wireless environment is the way business gets done today.

10. Self-Confidence:

His opinion will be respected more if his project confidence that he really

know what he is talking about.

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These ten attributes that employers say they want from new hires is exactly what

they want from all their employees and rightfully so.

Moreover a new hire should remember that and interview is a give and take conversation

with a new person, so respect the interviewer but be himself.

1. Arrive early:

a. Take the pressure of yourself by leaving home early in case of traffic or

transit delays, it also gives you time to review your notes or company

materials and see what’s happening in the reception area, after all arriving

one hour early is always better than arriving five minutes late.

2. Know about the position:

a. Companies don’t often do the best job in describing the requirements of a

job, so before you go into details about your background ask if they can

confirm or discuss the position and its expectations, this will give you a

good idea of where to focus your discussion.

3. Listen carefully to questions:

a. Make sure you understand each question before you answer; your

understanding is often a major part of their evaluation process, if you don’t

understand though it’s really smart to ask.

4. Always be positive:

a. If you want to blow an interview, be negative; you should always answer a

question in a positive manner, even when discussing a difficult situation

always express the positive side of what you learned from that experience.

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5. Tailor your resume:

a. Adjust your positioning statement and highlights of your previous jobs to the

needs of the position.

b. This will give the interviewer an idea of what you did that matches their

needs.

6. Delay salary discussions:

a. In the early stages of an interview process you should be 100% focused on

the job itself, if asked about the salary always answer with “I’m open to

what’s fair compensation for the position” in case they persist to know then

state either your salary history or future first job at a college where you

understand what the market is.

7. Make the interview a conversation:

a. The best interviews have happened when you and the interviewer each talk

the same amount of time.

b. To assure this happens, answer each question directly and don’t ramble and

then follow up with a question of your own and listen real closely to the

answers you’ll get.

8. Know what the next steps are after the interview:

a. If it’s not clear what the next steps are, ask, using questions such as “What

are the next steps?” or “What is your time frame for filling the position?”

then keep quiet and let the interviewer do the talking.

b. These questions indicates your interest, also don’t forget to thank the

interviewer for his time.

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9. Complete your notes:

a. After the interview make notes covering what you learned about the job

expectations, the company and the people you’ve met.

b. These information will be vital if the process continues or on future

interviews for similar positions.

10. Always send a follow-up letter:

a. Sending a brief follow up letter within 24 hours thanking each interviewer

demonstrate interest and professionalism.

b. It’s always a good idea to draft those letters before the interview so you

won’t forget.

c. A quick response will always be remembered, so remember that your goal is

to be remembered.

3.3. Work environment:

3.3.1. The relation with the boss:

I spent most of my time focused on what I had to accomplish on a daily basis and

very little on the success of my company and building a relationship with my boss.

This is because I didn’t appreciate the value of that relationship and because I didn’t

really know how to build it. What I have learned after reading many reports written by

executives is the importance of that relationship and how to build it.

First a new hire must learn the strategy:

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He needs to look at his boss as a human with both strengths and weaknesses,

because his goal is build a collaborative relationship with his boss.

Understand that in order to succeed he needs his support and his boss needs his, of

all the relationships he will have in his career, this one is the most critical.

A new hire needs 6 things to know and understand about his boss:

1. His skills:

a. Know what skills his boss possesses and those he does not have or the things

the boss hates to do.

b. Learn from his skills and recognize that the things he hates to do, are great

opportunities for him to fill in the gap and build that relationship.

2. His motivations:

Know the goals and challenges the boss faces and find ways to help him

meet those goals and challenges.

3. His blind spots:

What weakness does the boss possesses that cause organizational difficulties

for him. For example: If he has problems organizing his presentations, find

ways to make that process more organized for him.

4. His communication style:

a. How does the boss prefer to receive information, just in time or with a long

lead time; regularly or on a need to know basis; does he like information on

a big picture or does he like complete details.

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b. If he is not sure, he need to ask him.

5. His decision making style:

What decision does the boss needs to make and what decision he expects

him to make, what information does the boss needs from him to make those

decisions. For example: What data reports and formats does the boss need

from the new hire and when.

6. His work style:

a. Is your boss a morning or a night person.

b. Is he comfortable in chaos or does he prefer complete structure and order.

The only way to find out this information is to meet regularly with his boss and

discuss these things.

“Regular communications is the key to any good working relationship.”

A new hire has to understand five principles that will guide him in managing his

relationship with his boss:

1. Clarify roles and expectations:

a. It is essential that the new hire and his boss clearly express what are

expected to produce and which priorities comes first.

b. He should discuss needed resources, time frames and challenges for him and

his boss.

c. Roles and expectations should be constant and regularly scheduled

discussions.

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2. Get constant feedback:

a. A new hire need to know how he is being measured and how he is doing

against those measurements

b. A new hire should set frequent meetings to discuss how he is doing and do

not accept vague answers.

c. Ask questions and develop a format of specific content for all of these

meetings.

3. Keep the boss in the loop:

a. Don’t be a lone ranger and go on big projects or large initiatives without

letting the boss know about it.

b. Don’t embarrass the boss by leading a project out from a third party in the

company.

c. This does not mean that he can’t act independently, but just make sure that

he let his boss know what he is doing and allow for his feedback to come

before others and make sure he uses the communication method that he

prefers.

4. Earn his trust:

a. Know what the boss’s priorities are.

b. Know what pressures he has.

c. Make himself available in a manner which is convenient to him.

d. It’s always a good idea to spend some none work one on one time to let him

share his work concerns beyond his relationship, this will give him an idea

of other ways that he can help the boss.

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5. Don’t waste boss’s time:

a. Be an asset to the boss, not a burden.

b. Play time together in a manner that will make his time most productive, this

will demonstrate respect and professionalism.

All relationships take time and effort from both parties, but in managing the boss, a

new hire should take the lead.

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4. NEW TRANSFORMATION METHODOLOGY:

4.1. As is practice

One of the key processes that will help companies meet their talent goals is

“onboarding.” Bersins and Associate: The latest in enterprise learning and talent

management Research Bulletin, 2008 Vol 3 No 1.

Onboarding programs have two major benefits: They decrease the time it takes a

new employee to become fully productive; and, even more importantly, they create a strong

sense of pride and commitment among new workers as they feel welcomed and valued

from their first day at work.4

There are many ways to define onboarding. Bersin and Associates defines it as, “…

the process of hiring, orienting and immersing new employees into their roles and into the

organization’s culture.” Other definitions include the following.

• “The process of integrating new employees into the organization, of preparing

them to succeed at their job, and to become fully engaged, productive members of the

organization. “Successful Onboarding: How to Get Your New Employees Started Off Right,”

SilkRoad Technology, David Lee. Source.5

• ORC Worldwide’s director of talent management consulting defines it as,

“Bringing employees into a company, making sure they know what’s expected of them,

making sure they know how they’re going to add value, making sure they understand how

4 http://mms.gpstrategies.com/pdf/010408_RB_Onboarding_KL_Final.pdf 5 http://www.silkroadtech.com/documents/White_Papers/index.htm

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they fit. “Faster Isn’t Always Better for Onboarding,” Talent Management Magazine / Lisa

Rummler, March 2007.

Onboarding is all about ensuring new employees feel welcomed, are acclimated,

and are provided with all of the essential resources to get them up to speed quickly and

enable them to do their jobs most productively.

As with many talent management programs today, the onboarding process has been

defined into three distinct phases that include:

• New employee orientation;

• Onboarding; and

• Strategic onboarding.

4.1.1. New Employee Orientation

A new employee orientation, often spearheaded by a meeting with the Human

Resources department, and generally contains information about safety, work environment,

new job description, benefits and eligibility, company culture, company history, the

organization chart and anything else relevant to working in the new company. New

employee orientation often includes an introduction to each department in the company and

training on-the-job. New employee orientation frequently includes spending time doing the

jobs in each department to understand the flow of the product or service through the

organization.

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In addition, new employees are given access to the appropriate internal systems, and

are assigned user names and passwords. This orientation process is managed by HR and has

no real impact on the business. The sole purpose is to give new employees the tools they

need to turn on their computers and begin their work.

Usually four stages of development occur to a new employee in a typical new

position.

1- Orientation (hire date to three months): The first three months of work, Stage 1, is

called "orientation." The new employee is exposed to how work is done and how to fit in

and begins to see what the new job is all about. Dependence on others for information,

direction, and decision making is typical. A shared understanding of expectations and job

goals is critical.

2- Reality (three to six months): Once the new employee finds his or her way around and

the job is learned, the reality of the new job begins to dawn on the employee. The new

employee's prior expectations about the new job have been confirmed or altered. The new

employee has discovered how things really work and has a clear grasp of "this is my work

and here's how it's done." Interpersonal conflict and disagreements are not unusual.

Clarifying responsibilities, work rules, limits, and rewards is critical to become productive.

3- Open Exchange (six to nine months): The new employee has gained skills and can

work productively most of the time. It is appropriate at this stage to expect the new

employee to offer suggestions, still make mistakes, and need training and coaching to work

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productively. The new employee fits into the work group and usually enjoys feeling a part

of the group.

4- Productivity (nine to twelve months): The new employee has usually learned and

participated in all work cycles and has been trained to be a productive member of the team.

The manager and co-workers expect full participation from the new employee, who is

rarely referred to as "new" any more. Job tasks are well-defined, and there is usually a high

commitment to work activity.

Don't expect to proceed too rapidly through these stages. It often takes a full year to

become independently productive in a new job. By then, you've seen all the cycles in your

job, your team, and your department. If you become stuck or feel you are progressing too

slowly, request help from your manager or a senior co-worker. John E. Jones, Model of

Group Development. In J.E. Jones & J.W. Pfeiffer (Eds.), The 1973 Annual Handbook for

Group Facilitators (pp. 127-129). San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer

4.1. 2. Onboarding

Whereas new employee orientation is an HR function, onboarding has evolved into

the form of a “training” solution. Its primary purpose is to help new employees learn about

the company and its culture. At this maturity level, new hires are formally introduced to

their new work team and, in some cases, to other peers and superiors who they need to

know to do their jobs effectively.

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Some technology may be used to support the onboarding process, for example, in

the form of an online course about the history and culture of the company.

4.1.3. Strategic Onboarding

Strategic onboarding is different and more business-focused in that this process is

integrated with the hiring or talent acquisition function. It serves as the “bridge” between

the staffing process and enabling a new employee to become fully productive.

Companies that implement “strategic onboarding” help individuals to create

relationships and networks that will ultimately enable the new employee to be productive

and maneuver through an organization.

Organizations at this stage are also more likely to take advantage of technology, as

compared with other levels of maturity. This can occur through automated forms, online

courses and new hire portals – as well as a tracking mechanism for ensuring the proper

steps for getting new hires up to speed are followed. Onboarding technology also serves as

a means for increasing communications between the recruitment and staffing function, and

the hiring managers.

Onboarding is about integrating new employees to the point at which they are fully

accepted into the workforce by peers and others – and at which they are successful in their

roles. Strategic onboarding enables this transition to occur smoothly and swiftly, and will:

• Help employees become quickly acculturated, as well as being impactful,

to the business;

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• Provide a consistent experience for new employees;

• Help employees utilize corporate resources, and business-specific

methodologies and approaches; and,

• Make sure employees feel welcomed and valued.

Strategic onboarding will also enable organizations to achieve the following

business goals, as well:

• Reduce the time to productivity for new employees;

• Increase employee retention;

• Improve employee engagement;

• Provide consistent information about the organization (i.e., culture);

• Provide relevant information for all employees (i.e., benefits);

• Understand new employee expectations; and,

• Complete required induction paperwork.

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4.2. To be practice

4.2.1. Life skills development

In order to get better in a job, a new hire will need to develop “life skills” to be

more productive and more valuable to people. Life skills are things you do which make you

better, more productive and more valuable to people around you.

Here are the seven most important life skills that you will need to get better

fast in your career:

1. Be as organized as possible:

a. If you want to be successful, it helps a lot to be organized, especially if you

are not normally an organized person.

b. Set up basic files, address books and a to-do list.

i. Using Microsoft outlook is very good place to start.

2. Help others and give back to society:

a. It gives you a much better perspective to deal with all types of people in

challenges situations; in addition it gives you great overall exposure.

3. Be open to learning new things:

a. Your life should be a constant learning experience

b. The more knowledge and experiences you have the greater your capacity to

contribute and advance in your organization.

4. Practice good time management:

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a. Everyone has 24 hours a day to accomplish things; learn to manage your

time wisely.

b. You must have a schedule to manage your daily and weekly activities.

5. Develop communication and presentation skills:

a. Since your success will require you to convey ideas and results to people

you should constantly work on your writing skills, your speaking and your

presentation skills.

b. Focus on conveying organized and logical messages, and always show

respect to the people with whom you communicate to.

6. Be an independent thinker:

a. If you want to add value, don’t just agree, especially when you are

uncomfortable with another person’s conclusion.

b. A thoughtful respectful debate will always be appreciated.

7. Do “The right thing” all the time:

a. This world includes many people who carelessly do the wrong thing and

bring other innocent people down with them.

b. If you refuse to participate in an unethical behavior, in the long run you will

win.

c. If you do participate in something that you feel is wrong, it could absolutely

kill you career.

No matter what job you have, good life skills will aid you greatly

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4.2.2. A transformation methodology consists of:

Transform any new hire to a fully functioning employee in less than 3 months.

Create the fastest, easiest and simplest way to transform a new hire to an employee.

Methodology’s Values:

Seeking to create a great work environment for the employees and regularly motivating

them to perform with excellence and to evolve faster in their job

Consistently seeking new and innovative ideas to accelerate the transformation process.

The key success factors are based on:

1. Having the experience of applying the process on one of the new hires in my company.

2. Passing by the new hire experience when I first start working at my company, which makes

it easier in putting me in the place on some occasions for some tests.

3. Having lots of friends and colleagues who passed by these phases and supports my idea and

wanting to help.

While writing this report, I faced some difficulties and in order for me to be

able to overcome them:

I had to explain my project in details and being always ready for any questions of

any kinds concerning the process. Adjusting the process in a way that can make it

virtual to be worked from home to stay away of danger and not waste time. Having

more test subject before publishing the process

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I had to clarify to the new hire before starting the process, that he should have the

right education and background for the job he is about to start and make sure that he

empties the required amount of time in order for the process to be complete and

correctly followed up.

Because most of the companies do not allow having tests on their new hires, as they

are passing through a critical phase in their working life, this can be tried on only one new

hire in several companies to give me a chance to study more than one environment.

After talking for a while with some of the new hires in my company and after

studying some reports that I found online, I realize that most of the reports I read were

about how to get a better relationship with the boss and how to handle interviews and the

most important part is almost forgotten which is the relationship with the team members.

Another part that seemed a little bit forgotten is how to handle the job changing

phases. Accordingly a new hire before starting his new job has to know some important

attributes such as:

Communication skills because these reduce conflicts, minimize mistakes and

facilitate change. The better a new hire is able to communicate both writing and verbally

the more successful he will be. Moreover, his ability to have people to trust will be a

magnet of all sorts of opportunities.

Teamwork skills since his success will be largely based on his ability to work with

others so it has to be opened minded and flexible. Moreover, a new hire must possess

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motivation initiative since taking positive action especially when others are slower to do so,

demonstrates leadership. He must have the ability to logically approach a problem.

Computer skills reflect the basic business desktop communication environment. So

using a laptop with Microsoft word and excel at a minimum as well as functioning in a

wireless environment is the way business gets done today.

On the other hand it is important for a new hire to be cautious about his weaknesses

and how to compensate for them as well as to know how to best use his strength and don’t

over utilize it. A new hire must have a very good idea how others see him knowing his

strengths and weaknesses styles and personal characteristics is critical for his ability to

advance in organizations.

4.2.3. The process steps

The first and most important step is for the new hire to get to know all of his team

members and his boss on a professional level and also on a personal level.

Step 1:

His team members are his teachers, he will learn everything from them starting from

scratch, if he can’t trust them and depend on them in lots of situations, he does not belong

in their team as he will always be considered an outsider to the team.

A welcome meeting with all the team members in it to make him feel that he is welcomed

in the team and to make him realize that one day someone in this team will depend on him

so he have to gain their trust.

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The most important part in this team meeting is that it should not be conducted at the

company, it should be held in a café or a restaurant. This will certainly break the ice, make

them relax and open to each other.

That way the new hire can understand and know his limits with his new team, everything

else like the company’s history, his job preferences, the salary, the overtime, the working

hours, the vacations…etc. will automatically come later.

Step 2:

The new hire must get to know everything about his company’s history, because if he got

asked by some of his friends about his company and he couldn’t answer, he will feel

embarrassed that he doesn’t know his company’s background and also it gives to the others

a bad image about the company itself, that one of its employee do not have an idea about

the company where he works.

Knowing the history of your company is one of the biggest parts of the job of any new hire,

instead of wasting the time for every new hire to search the internet and ask his friends

about the company’s history, it can be presented to him on his very first day at work.

Step 3:

Know your boss; try to become friends with your boss, but not too friendly cause it might

be take in a wrong way.

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Step 4: Done by the company itself.

Welcoming the new hire in the company:

The reception of the new hires is a milestone in his loyalty, whether he was new to the

career or professionally trained.

In a context of shortage occupations, it is very important that the newcomer gets a quick

and a good image of the company, organization, communication with colleagues, etc..

You can facilitate his integration by giving him comprehensive information on the types of

operations the company is running; and also by allowing him to quickly become

operational on the job.

1. Preparing for the arrival of the new hire:

a. Know the objectives and modalities of the host in the company (establishing

its terms of reference with its hierarchy)

b. Provide a welcome booklet form or documentation to the employee.

c. Check the physical aspects of the company (clothing, tools ...)

2. Allow the employee

a. Talk with him about his career

b. Presenting the company's expectations and those of customers: objectives,

deadlines, quality…etc.

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Locate the roles in the organization of work: define the relationship within the team (along

with other daily) and between teams from one site (if the employee changes teams) Locate

activity the employee in the company

Explain the safety and comment on the content of the home book

Introduce the team (explain what each one does) and help the new employee to attend

Arrange a tour of the company and its various services.

Finally, companies need to:

• Reassess their recruiting and talent acquisition processes;

• Look at the techniques they are currently using to welcome and immerse new employees

into their culture; and,

• Consider building opportunities for new employees to immediately begin networking and

building key strategic relationships.

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5- RESULTS

During the last months I was consistently seeking new and innovative ideas to

accelerate the transformation process and succeed to transform a new hire to a fully

functioning employee in less than 6 months.

Passing by the new hire experience when I first start working at my company,

makes it easier in putting me in the place on some occasions for some tests.

I have tried to let him overcome the difficulties I met when I get involved as a new

hire. It was of utmost importance to create a good work environment to give the new hire

self-confidence and to give him sensation that he is now appreciated in his new company.

I regularly motivated him and showed him the shorter and easiest way to perform

his task with excellence and to evolve faster in his job.

By facilitating his relationship with the boss and introduced him in the team work I

got quicker results.

It is worth to mention that by following the “Four C’s level” the new hire assimilate

easier and faster, so applying the first level

Compliance is very important in the evolution of a new hire since it includes

teaching him the basic legal and policy-related rules and regulations in the company which

allow him to understand what he needs from the company and what the company needs

from him. By following the second level Clarification makes the new hire understand his

new jobs and all related expectations. Applying the third level Culture provides him with a

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sense of organizational norms—both formal and informal. Finally the fourth level

Connection which refers to the vital interpersonal relationships and information networks

that new employee must establish. Bradt, G., & Vonnegut, M. (2009). Onboarding: How to get

your new employees up to speed in half the time. NY: John Wiley.

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6- CONCLUSION:

According to research and conventional wisdom it could be concluded that the

maximization of a new hire evolution is based on steps regarding the company as well as

the new hire itself. The company has to apply an Onboarding strategy based on the

relationships between the new hire and his boss as well as the team workers to create an

environment in which new employees feel welcomed and engaged. The faster new hires

feel welcome and prepared for their jobs, the faster they will be able to successfully

contribute to the firm’s mission.

A new hire has to maximize his strength doing what he is good at by building self-

esteem, confidence and allows himself to apply leadership in group situations.

He should learn to be cautious about his weaknesses and how to compensate for

them, this will help him know when to let others lead the way.

He should take a personal or a professional assessment, there are many assessment

tools to help him better understand himself, most of the good assessment will cost money,

but they are really worthy investment in him, however what is most important is that he has

a strong awareness of his five strongest strengths and that he is honest with himself about

his weaknesses.

Know how to best use his strength and don’t over utilize them, be careful not to

have his strength dominate groups that he is working with, for example if he is a great

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communicator or a great public speaker let others speak too, and if he is quick at problem

solving don’t forget to let others get involved.

Be mindful of his “Caution Areas” and work on improving them, we all have

weaknesses and he should be aware of what they are, more importantly he must be able to

recognize when these weaknesses are likely to surface and work on ways to improving

those areas.

Knows what excites him, what he’s good at, and what role suits him best, it is

essential to do work that excites him and work that he is good at. It’s also important to

know that roles and responsibilities which he is best suited for. The assessments discussed

above will easily help him determine the role that’s most suitable for him.

Know how others perceive him, working with people is critical for long time

success, he needs to have a very good idea how others see him, knowing his strengths and

weaknesses styles and personal characteristics is critical for his ability to advance in

organizations.

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7- ANNEX

7.1. Policies

Probationary period

The first three months of employment with the Employer will be regarded as a probationary

period. During the probationary period the Employee's performance and suitability for

continued employment will be monitored from time to time.

Working Hours

According to Egyptian labor law and Teradata applicable policies.

Holidays

The Employee is entitled to paid annual leave according to Egyptian Labor Law and

Teradata leave policy.

Teradata Egypt encourages all employees to use up full annual entitlement during the

relevant year.

Execution of the Contract

The Employee is expected to perform to the best of his abilities all duties which may be

required in his role, take all reasonable care in the execution of his tasks, comply with all

reasonable directions received and observe all the policies, procedures and rules of the

Employer as may be introduced and/or amended from time to time. The Employee shall

immediately inform the Employer of all material circumstances, such as but not limited to

the condition of his health and any otherwise private matters which may affect his ability to

perform his duties to the Employer in an adequate manner.

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During the normal working hours the Employee shall devote the whole of his time,

attention, skill and abilities to the performance of his duties sand shall act in the best

interests of the Employer. During the course of employment the Employees shall not

undertake any work or employment, other than for the Employer. The Employee has a

fiduciary duty of loyalty to Teradata and shall not engage in any activity which will or

could, in any way, cause prejudice to the business interests, or reputation of Teradata.

Conflicts of Interest

The Employee will not either directly or indirectly be engaged in any other trade,

profession or business that could in any way represent a conflict of interests with those of

the Employer. Where there is any uncertainty or possibility that a conflict of interest, might

arise, the prior written approval of the Employer must be obtained before any such activity

is entered into.

Non -competition

During the course of employment the Employee will not engage in any other business

activity or deal with in any way with the Employer's products or any similar products,

except in the normal and proper course of employment. During the employment the

Employee shall not work for, assist in, participate in, carry out research for, give advice to,

or render service to any company or enterprise which manufactures, trades in, or sells

products or services, or provides advice similar to those products or services manufactured

by, traded in, or sold, or advice provided by the Employer or a business organization related

to the Employer; or any legal or physical person.

Intellectual Property Rights

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The Employee hereby assigns, without other compensation than is required by mandatory

law, to Teradata all patents, copyrights, design rights or other intellectual property rights,

which are developed in connection with the Employee's employment with Teradata.

Teradata will, when a work is made public, endeavor to have the Employee named to the

extent and in the way required by generally accepted standards.

Confidentiality

During the term of employment as well as thereafter The Employee shall regard and

preserve as strictly confidential all information in whatever form, written or otherwise,

pertaining to machinery, inventions, patents, drawings, contracts, organization, suppliers,

clients, strategic plans and all other affairs relating to the Employer's business, the

proprietary nature of which can reasonably be expected to be known to him/her.

Prior consent must be given to the Employee by the Employer for any statements or

publications made by the Employee which might have a bearing on the Employer's interest.

Such consent, however, will only be refused on reasonable grounds related to these

interests.

The Employee shall not have or keep in his private possession any documents or

correspondence or copies thereof in any manner whatsoever that are available to him as a

result of the Employment, except in so far as and as long as the same shall be required for

the performance of his duties. All material that the Employee gets access to during the

employment is the property of Teradata.

Upon termination of the Contract, the Employee shall, without request, return to Teradata

all material, software and notes that he had been entrusted with, has created or in any other

44

way has had access to in the course of employment have come into his possession because

or on the occasion of the execution of the contract. The Employee is not entitled to keep

copies or transcripts of the material or parts of the material.

The Employee shall be held liable to the Employer in damages for all consequences of

either an intentional or unintentional disclosure of the Employer's confidential information

to any third Parties, made without the prior approval of the Employer.

Code of Conduct

As part of the orientation to Teradata, all employees, including senior management, are

required to complete a 60 minute web-based training and certification module on the

Teradata Code of Conduct. This module is designed to familiarize all employees with the

global standard of business conduct required for a U.S. based corporation. While we

recognize there are local laws and regulations that must also be followed, it is important

that all employees understand and adhere to our global standard of business conduct.

Directions for accessing the Teradata training will be provided via email upon

commencement with Teradata. Completion of the Teradata Code of Conduct training

demonstrates the Employee's personal commitment to conducting business legally and

ethically. This training must be completed within 30 days of the date of hire.

Data Protection & Monitoring

The Company may from time to time in the course of administering its business need to

process both personal data (including information from which the Employee may be

identified) and sensitive personal data (including information relating to health) in relation

to the Employee. These records will be maintained solely for business purposes, including,

45

but not limited to, payroll and compensation processing, performance appraisals,

identifying the Employee's business location, departmental unit, work assignments and any

other data necessary for administration of personnel-related functions. Personal data will be

processed and maintained in accordance with the applicable data protection legislation. The

Employee shall be entitled to have access to all documentation held by the Employer

concerning his/her Employment status.

The Employee hereby agrees that all personal data related to his Employment may be

processed and maintained by the Employer and disclosed within the Employer's Corporate

Group.

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7.2. Process map

6

6 http://www.sharedhr.com/marketing/Attachments/MDLProcMapNewHire.pdf

47

48

7.3. Diagrams

Evolution of Onboarding Bersin & Associates, 2008.

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50

8. Bibliography

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/bridges-transition-model.htm

http://www.inc.com/vanessa-nornberg/new-employee-training-program-five-steps.html

Bersins and Associate: The latest in enterprise learning and talent management Research

Bulletin, 2008 Vol 3 No 1.

http://mms.gpstrategies.com/pdf/010408_RB_Onboarding_KL_Final.pdf

“Successful Onboarding: How to Get Your New Employees Started Off Right,” SilkRoad

Technology, David Lee. Source:

http://www.silkroadtech.com/documents/White_Papers/index.htm..”1

“Faster Isn’t Always Better for Onboarding,” Talent Management Magazine / Lisa

Rummler, March 2007.

John E. Jones, Model of Group Development. In J.E. Jones & J.W. Pfeiffer (Eds.), The

1973 Annual Handbook for Group Facilitators (pp. 127-129). San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer

Bradt, G., & Vonnegut, M. (2009). Onboarding: How to get your new employees up to

speed in half the time. NY: John Wiley

http://www.sharedhr.com/marketing/Attachments/MDLProcMapNewHire.pdf