Change... When Big Swallows Small

Change is challenging and this is amplified when it involves two businesses coming together. There are many tales of two successful businesses combining where the outcome quickly becomes less than ideal.  One recent high profile example was the purchase of Hell’s Pizza by Restaurant Brands which ended in the original owners purchasing the business back at a discount; while on the surface there was a good match between the two companies from a product and market perspective, other more tangible mismatches caused the failure.

New Zealand is ultimately made up of small and medium sized business where the owner’s retirement is based around a sale to either a competitor or overseas investor, so getting the merger right is key to maximising that 2 year post performance payout.  Generally the focus is around keeping and managing the staff through the process, which is the right place to start, but what often gets forgotten is the management and integration of two company cultures and managing staff through this transition; destroying the company culture which has made it successful to date can be counterproductive to the end goal.

Consideration needs to be given to the following, especially if a larger business merges with a smaller counterpart:

·         Currently how much leeway do the managers and staff have over the business decision making?

·         What avenues are open for feedback and input into company strategy and how formal is this?

·         What access is available for the team to interact directly with their leaders and the businesses management?

·         What gives each team member that sense of belonging and wanting to stay?

·         What level of general ownership do the staff feel towards the business and current owners?

·         How are the staff rewarded and what do they value?

Care needs to be taken when undertaking any change and ensuring the needs of the people are met, along with preparing them for a cultural change.  Every business is special in its own right and this has to be honoured in the process and in doing so, this increases the chance of success for all involved.

^JY

The Honest Verbal Reference

Verbal references can be seen as just a tick in a box by many employers.  We have all been called by recruitment agents (or worse still, their junior!) where they are so keen to get off the phone during a reference call it barely lasts two minutes.  It could appear that the less time spent on the phone reduces the chances of them hearing something that may put their commission at risk.  Sometimes this approach also works really well for the referee as they get to avoid answering any in-depth questions that they may find embarrassing.

On the other hand, thorough verbal referencing with good technique usually puts the last piece in the jigsaw puzzle of the recruitment process, providing certainty around the candidate’s strengths, weakness and opportunities for development, and above all, the true fit for their new role and working environment.  Without this final piece, all the effort in gaining a new employee can be quickly lost; we’ve all heard the old adage “people are employed for what they know, but sacked for who they are”.  How many times have we seen this to be true if the recruitment process and referencing is not thorough and honest?

At Sonata the verbal reference process is fully documented and as a minimum takes 30 minutes to complete just the phone portion.  Great care is taken to ensure the reference has the time and privacy required to complete the call.  Along with standard questions, the reference is customised to probe further into any particular areas which the recruitment process has revealed may require further information to build a fuller picture of the candidate.  All verbatim comments along with any other notes and impressions are then forwarded to the prospective employer for review (with their approval of course!) and then a discussion takes place with the client to debrief what the reference has shown.  Only taking the required time, actively listening to the feedback and any hesitations, and probing deeper ensures the best results; there are no shortcuts to be had in this area.

In terms of being a referee, the reverse is also true and when giving a reference, a past employer is obligated to provide a balanced and fair view of a past employees ability and fit.  If this is not comfortable, then the fair thing to do is to turn down the invitation of being a referee in the first place.  It’s also important to remember that any issues or short comings you may have experienced with the employee may not necessarily be a factor in the new role, or if they are, it allows the new prospective employer to assess the candidate against the role and gives them access the options and the ability to go into the employment relationship with eyes wide open and provide the learning and development or support required.

As they say what goes around comes around.

^DB & JY

The Art Of Saying No

One of the more difficult parts of any recruitment process can be the bit where you have to say no.  In the recruitment world this is a daily occurrence and in the early stages of a process, as long as you handle it in a timely and respectful manner, that is usually all that is required.  The more challenging part is when you’ve been working closely with a candidate for a period of time and there have been lots of hoops (multiple interviews, phone conversations, skills or psychometric testing, medical checks... the list goes on!) and then for whatever reason the final outcome is not in the candidates favour.

I often find that through-out the recruitment process I build up a strong relationship with candidates and in the process get to find out a lot of personal information about people as they entrust you with their confidence that you are working to find them a role that works for them as much as for your client.  This is a double-edged sword.  On the one hand, it makes that deep breathe I take before I pick up the phone to say “no” be accompanied by a little flutter in my stomach – as I have a sense of how important this news is to them, what their response might be, and the implications for them professionally and personally. On the other hand, if you have built this trust with them it can make the feedback more palatable for them, knowing that you have the best possible outcome for both parties at heart.

In any recruitment process I am a part of, I want candidates that deal with me to have a great experience and take some learning’s and useful feedback away from it – no matter whether the final outcome is in their favour or not.  Part of this requires being brutally honest with specific feedback.  Is this easy? No. Our overly-PC environment does not help.  Do I get it right 100% of the time? No – I am often working with people during a very vulnerable time.  How many times are candidates brushed off with “you were over-qualified” or “there was another candidate with more ‘xyz’ experience”?.  When a candidate has jumped through the many hoops that have been put in front of them and invested their time and energy into a process, isn’t the least we can do to give them the honour of some specific on-target feedback that will help them in their future applications?  Things like: what is the area that they need to get more experience in and why wasn’t the experience they had enough? How might they go about getting it? And more importantly, if the reason was something else, tell them.  If the business felt that the culture fit wasn’t right, tell them about the differences that were observed.  Yes, giving diplomatic, specific, compassionate feedback is an art – but I believe it is one that all those involved in recruitment need to develop.

^JY