Making room for people to learn after the offer is accepted
I have been reading about Arizona’s search for skilled workers, and what keeps drawing my attention is the work being done to help people move into careers they may never have considered before. For leaders thinking about workplace culture strategy, there is something worth paying attention to in that effort, because opening a door to a new employee also creates a responsibility to help that person learn what happens on the other side.
In an October 1 report, Arizona State University described its equipment technician training program with TSMC Arizona, which brought together high school graduates, career changers, and job seekers. Many participants in the first two groups had full-time job offers by the time they completed the program. ABC15 has also reported on TSMC‘s efforts to connect veterans’ military experience with civilian roles, including maintenance, logistics, and technical work.
Those stories leave me thinking about a question that applies well beyond manufacturing: when an organization sees potential in someone, how does it make room for that potential to develop?
What Happens After We Find Someone With Potential?
My understanding of this issue is that hiring for potential requires leaders to be specific about what a person already knows, what they will need to learn, and who will help them learn it. Someone can bring years of experience from another field and still need an explanation of the language, systems, and expectations that everyone else in the organization takes for granted.
That is where workplace culture strategy becomes very practical. A new employee needs to know who to ask when instructions are unclear, how to raise a concern, and what good work looks like while they are still learning. The manager needs enough time to explain those things, and the experienced employee helping them needs to know that teaching is part of the work they are being asked to do.
What Are We Asking Experienced Employees to Carry?
As I reflect on the local effort to develop talent, I keep coming back to the people already inside the organization. If a leader wants an experienced employee to train someone, it is worth asking which other responsibility will move, how much time the training will take, and how that contribution will be recognized.
A calendar filled with deadlines can leave very little room for someone to walk through a decision, explain a mistake, or let a new colleague practice a task with supervision. Leaders can look at that calendar directly and decide where learning belongs, including the time needed for questions that experienced employees can answer almost without thinking.
I would also want to know how current employees can access development themselves. An organization recruiting people into new opportunities has a reason to look at the employees who are already there and ask what they want to learn next.
How Can Leaders Make Learning Part of the Work?
A useful place to begin is one role that has been difficult to fill. Look at the requirements and identify which skills a person must bring on the first day, which can be taught, and which experiences from another field might prepare someone for the work. That conversation should include the people who actually do the job, since they can explain where judgment, practice, and support are needed.
Then put a learning plan alongside the hiring plan, with a named person responsible for guidance, time set aside for coaching, and clear expectations for the first month. During check-ins, ask what is still confusing, whether the employee knows where to get help, and whether the person providing that help has enough time to do it well.
ABC15’s reporting describes an onboarding buddy and a veteran employee resource group at TSMC. Those are specific examples of how an employer can create points of connection, and leaders can consider what would make sense in their own organization without assuming that one program will meet every employee’s needs.
What Will Our Workplace Culture Strategy Make Possible?
The local stories are encouraging because they show people getting an opportunity to bring their experience into new work. What I would want leaders to carry forward is the responsibility that comes with that opportunity, from the way expectations are explained to the way time for teaching is protected.
When we look at our next hire, it is worth asking whether we have made room for that person to become capable, connected, and confident in the work we are bringing them in to do.
An Invitation
I created a short, free Culture Pulse for people who want to take a closer look at what is happening in their workplace. You are invited to take the three-minute questionnaire and see what you discover.