Relax and be yourself when on probation

(The author is an Organisational Development Practitioner)

‘Why do I have to be subjected to a probation period when I have gone through three interview processes and have been confirmed as the best person to take up this job?’, Onesmus wondered as he approached the end of his first week at the audit firm. He had been through a written interview and 2 oral sessions in which he had competed with a total of 65 people. Only 5 of the 65 candidates had been considered for the jobs and were all now serving their probation period.

The probation period is a requirement in most of the labour laws. It is provided as the opportunity that the employer and the employee have to ‘test and taste’ each other before making the final determination on whether the right choice had been made. The employer takes the time to gauge the appropriateness of the hired candidate. This is critical since at the hiring moment, the employer relies a lot on what is indicated on the CV and the oral presentation by the candidate. It is then necessary for the employer to observe the hired candidate at work, and make the final decision on the capacities and potential of the candidate.

For the new employee, the probation period is critical. As much as many people indicate that they would pursue just any job that presents itself, the probation period provides one with an opportunity to scrutinise the real expectations of the job vis a vis personal interests and dreams. It is worth noting that during the recruitment process, many potential employees only rely on the job advert and the scanty information provided at the interview for their appreciation of the expectations of the job. The probation period hence provides one with a hands-on experience on the real tasks and the pressure associated with the job.

The fact that either the employer or the employee can cancel the contract within a relatively short notice during the probation period is however a key concern that many people have. Both employers and employees fear any eventuality and this causes anxiety in both should any decide to terminate the contract. The fear is more pronounced on the part of the new hire. Many of them engage with the new workplace with a lot of caution that they barely perform. They are careful not to make any significant decisions that relate to their roles for fear of having the decisions backfire on them.

On other occasions, they fear over involving themselves with the processes and systems lest they over step their mandate. This is understandable although it leads to leading a relatively plastic life. In such cases, I advise persons going through probation to throw a part of the caution to the wind and be themselves. Remember that you are being observed and if you project yourself as an indecisive staff, it could just be taken that is who you are. Remember that your colleagues, and especially your supervisor is interacting with you for the first time and hence need to study as much as they can about you. Your decision to hide a part of yourself could hence be counterproductive.

Be free; interact with people and clients as though you have been around for long. To be safe, seek for clarification on issues that are not clear before making any grand decisions.

Can you supervise yourself?

Words by Francis Kahihu

One of the increasingly common phrases on many job adverts is the requirement for candidates who are able to work under minimal supervision. This is a subtle way of hinting on the need for workers who are able to supervise themselves. This concern comes from the realization by the employers that supervision is costly and adds little value since it wastes a lot of the company’s time and human resources.

Remember the behavior of the students in school when the teachers were away or the kids at home when the parents we not watching. Just observe our roads and get mesmerized at the behavior of the drivers when there are no traffic cops. We all like the freedom that comes with lack of supervision only that few have the capacity to manage such freedom. Many people mess up their lives whenever there is no one watching over them. Since we can never have people watching over us at all times, self supervision then is a soft skill we need to develop if we are to achieve our purpose for living.

At the workplace, many people have been unable to manage their freedom hence have to be supervised. You only need to check out a workplace when the boss is away on leave or on a trip. Workers exhibit a total lack of focus leading to great losses for the company. This implies that many people perform best when under supervision, yet that is never a guarantee. If you cannot perform well under self supervision, the truth could be you would never perform optimally even with outside supervision. The who you are when no one is watching is the who you really are.

I have interacted with numerous resumes and one common feature is the indication that many of us can work under minimum supervision. This has been used as a bait for employers to hire yet has not been a reflection of the reality on the ground. The same people who indicated can work with minimum supervision have to be herded at work for them to produce positive results. This then means that a mere phrase on the resume that you can work under minimum supervision may not necessarily guarantee you a job. The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

Many times we fail to perform to our optimal capacity when we fail to value our work. When we do not derive satisfaction from our engagements at work, we tend to require constant push for us to perform. The motivation is not inherent but has to be acquired from outside of us. This is a risky practice as you tend to move through life under pressure from other people. You only move when pushed. Believe it or not, you will not have pushers available every time. Unless we develop the capacity and desire to supervise ourselves, we shall eventually get stranded in life as the steam to make us move will eventually fade away.

Setting personal goals and targets and working towards achieving them is one way of seeking for self motivation. When we own the targets and develop an inner zeal to work towards achieving them, we do not wait to be supervised by external factors. The supervisor in this case will be found within us. We will push ourselves hard enough to achieve our goals. This experience provides great satisfaction as we see ourselves attaining levels of excellence we set for ourselves.

I have heard a few people indicate that the reason why they relax when their bosses are away is because they are usually overworked by their supervisors. The absence of their superiors signals an opportunity to relax ad recover overused energy. This may sound a justifiable excuse yet the truth is that you will be seeking for revenge. Unfortunately, such are the experiences that easily lead to burn out at work since staff tend to have little or no motivation to deliver on their work. They fail to withdraw energy from within hence leaving great potential lying unutilized thinking they are punishing the bosses.

Working under minimum supervision is an experience we go through to evaluate our levels of maturity. Only mature people can remain faithful to themselves and the expectations of their environments even when no one is watching them. In case you find your self having to seek out for supervision in order to perform, I would suggest that you need personalised support to enhance your maturity. Mature people know what needs to be done and do it regardless of who is around. A professional counselor might be a handy resource in this case.

In search of internships

(The author is an Organisational Development Practitioner)

As the pressure for employment mounts, many young people are being encouraged to consider the value that internships add to the job search process. This is especially important as they realize the demand for work related experience whenever they approach a potential employer. However, not many young people have learned the art of seeking for internships. Many do not take the process seriously due to the imagination that they are seeking to provide free services. There is always the assumption that they are going to the workplace to only give services for free with little or no reward at all. The motivation to search for internships professionally is hence minimal.

It is important for you to note that internships are valuable opportunities just as it is important for the potential employers. Internships provide opportunities for on job training that helps the intern relate the theories they are exposed to in school with the realities of the workplace. This helps them appreciate how to customize theory to the requirements and needs of the workplace.

Persons who take internships seriously also realize that they are great opportunities for networking. During the internship period, you will want to closely engage with both staff and clients at your place of duty since you never know who among the hundreds of people you interact with will provide you with a future employment opportunity. Serve at your workplace as though you are on full time employment. Do not let the attitude of short term engagements affect your performance. The internship period is your ‘employment’ period hence give all your best to the tasks provided. Remember, you are being watched and successful implementation of tasks could just be the indicator that you could be considered for a longer assignment.

Internships also help you make an almost final determination with regard to your career choice. It is an opportunity for you to have a feel of the real world of work in your area of choice. As you engage with the expectations of the job, you would most likely determine whether you naturally flow in that career. Some people have actually made dramatic career changes during internships while others have had a stamp placed on their choice as they served as interns.

I would however wish to mention that for you to land an internship that adds value, you must be strategic. It is not just about getting an opportunity to work as part of the academic requirements. You will need to critically consider where you would want to intern. Once you are clear on what you are looking for, talk to friends and relatives and let them know your passion and the kind of experience you are interested in gaining. They could advise on possible companies or organizations to consider. If for instance you are interested in pursuing a career in humanitarian aid, you will want to seek for internships with organizations such as the Red Cross or World Vision.

In making this determination, you will have to source for as much information as possible on the possible placement opportunities. Visit their websites, read through their annual reports and strategic plans and consider the kind of jobs they advertise for. This clarifies what the organization is involved in and helps you make the decision on whom to approach.

Balancing the needs of clients and staff

The craze in on and the competition stiff. Employers are out to impress and get through to the hearts of clients as the pressure for performance and profits picks up. Surveys and polls are being facilitated to provide up-to-date market information to employers on the best practices that will ensure effective mobilization of a bigger, wider and deeper client base. As a result, new products are being introduced into the market, companies are pushing for longer working hours and new office and operational units are being set up.

This scenario has over time placed the employers and employees at logger heads. The employers are strongly driven by the need to maximize on profits at the expense of the staff needs and interests. Staff are being forced to work for longer hours at the same terms and conditions. Extra working days are being introduced as employers seek to move above the rest gradually squeezing in personal spaces that employees have previously planned for. This forces the employees to regularly adjust their lives in order to accommodate the changing demands.

Let us for instance consider the life of Joe who works for a local bank. He joined the banking industry 4 years ago after searching for a stable job for more than a year. The experience has been exciting until a couple of months ago. In response to the competition, the bank management decided to open up more branches upcountry and with the deployment, Joe was transferred to a remote town in Nyanza Province.

At the stroke of his supervisor’s pen, Joe had to defer studies he was undertaking at the local university since he could no longer make time for the lectures. He has since deferred through two semesters and fears he may have to terminate his studies unless a miracle happens within the next one month. The bank has over the last month made other changes with regard to the working hours. The staff have to report to work 30 minutes earlier and leave 30 minutes later. In other words, Joe has to work for an extra hour every day.

As much as the desire to compete is understandable, we need to sit back and debate on who ought to bear the cost of these changes.  How much should an employer push the employee to achieve the ever rising targets and at what point should the employee stand up and demand audience with the employer. Employees ought to be considered as stakeholders and involved in the making of decisions that affect them. It is necessary for the human resources practitioners mandated with the duty of managing people at these organizations and companies to appreciate the fact that today’s employees are more informed of their rights than was the case awhile back.

It is therefore recommended that employers consider the effects of the changes in the working hours, days and other conditions of work on the staff social, economic, spiritual and academic lives. Would it for instance serve the purposes of both the employer and the employee if the changes also come with reviews of terms of service? It is not fair play when an employer expects the staff to perform better, spend more time at work and travel longer distances with no commensurate compensation. To say the least, this is a perfect recipe for staff turnovers. Staff at this point start working out their exit strategies and before long, the employer has to contend either with a de-motivated workforce or with staff exits.

Are you an annoying co-worker?

Friends...I came across this article and considered it a great reflection piece 

Kahihu.

Quiz adopted from www.cnn.com/2005/US/Careers/07/28/annoying/ 

Quiz: Are you an annoying co-worker?

How many of these statements describe you?

1. You make provocative statements to "foster dialogue" or needle others.
2. You often find yourself delivering a discourse consisting solely of buzzwords and catch phrases.
3. You make up nicknames for all of your co-workers and refer to them only by these names (e.g., "Good job, Chachi!" or "I'm going to have to disagree with you there, T-bone!").
4. Your office is completely decorated in your children's pictures and artwork.
5. You have plastered your cubicle with photos of yourself taken with famous people.
6. It is your trademark to recite rhyming or other cutesy messages as your voice-mail greeting.
7. The questions you ask at meetings are preceded by long monologues of your views and accomplishments.
8. You routinely eat odoriferous lunches at your desk.
9. You bring in dishes that you tried to cook but didn't turn out quite right as "special treats" for your co-workers.
10. People seem tense -- even panic-stricken -- when they see you coming their way.
11. Others back away from you as you speak.
12. You send flurries of e-mails to the rest of the company telling them what you are doing (e.g., "If anyone needs me, I'll be in the bathroom.").
13. You vigorously chew or pop your gum.
14. You wear strong perfume or cologne.
15. You assume your co-workers are fascinated by your personal problems and exploits.
16. You interrupt others while they are speaking or are deep in conversation.
17. You are moody and don't care who knows it.
18. You often give others assignments as they're walking out the door for lunch or to catch the train home.
19. You borrow staplers, scissors and tape from others' desks and forget to return them.
20. Your dialogue with others often end with the other person shouting, "You are so annoying!"

If you counted only one or two, not to worry, you can quickly make changes before you're labeled a pest.

If your actions match three to five of these statements, take heed. You are on your way to becoming the source of many an eye roll.

If you do six or more of these on a regular basis, chances are you are already on the office watch list and have been anointed by your co-workers as annoying. It's time to do a reality check and make some changes.

Could it be kakorrhaphiophobia?

Words by Francis Kahihu: kahihucareers@gmail.com/www.kahihu.blogspot.com

(The author is an Organisational Development Practitioner)

The article on what motivates people to work has drawn a lot of excitement among the readers. There was an acknowledgement of the fact that many people are driven by various factors to work. This week, I want to dwell on a rather common drive factor for many people. As much as many workers are driven by positive forces, there are those who are driven by negative pressure. One such factor is kakorrhaphiophobia.

According to www.healthmad.com, kakorrhaphiophobia is an intense, irrational fear of failure or defeat. The person coping with this phobia may fear failure in every single aspect of their life and may feel that they must constantly prove themselves as being better, more able and more competent than others. A kakorrhaphiophobic individual may aggressively compete with peers, family members, co-workers and may obsessively seek acknowledgment of their achievements. This morbid fear of failure can consume the phobic person’s every thought.

The fear of defeat far out matches the drive for success. In every engagement, a person suffering from this condition exerts pressure on himself as they seek not to fail. They are very keen on their relationships with other people and are always on the lookout for possible sabotage by the other workmates. The fear of failure is so deeply rooted that they read malice in most cases when a coworker fails to deliver results as expected. This makes them very strict in their management of people and resources since they would rather lose people than lose the project goals.

Working with people driven by the fear of failure can a strenuous task. It becomes almost impossible to please them. The achievement of results has to be beyond average. Average performance is categorized as failure hence it is never enough until full targets are met as initially prescribed. A kakorrhaphiophobic staff exerts undue pressure not only on themselves but on others. They seek to work for longer hours, not for their love of their job but for fear of not attaining certain marks. To this end, they subconsciously vilify staff who leave the office promptly as they label such practice as a deliberate attempt to sabotage their efforts especially if they are in positions of supervision and management.

There is intense competition for recognition and fight for space by staff being accelerated by fear of failure. They increasingly consider the success of other people as an indication of their own failure. They hence find it difficult to celebrate the success of other people and are quick to find fault with every excellent performance of other people. This makes other staff perceive them as negativists and pessimists. The competition can get so intense that if not well managed, it can generate into a physical fight.

On the flip side, persons who harbor such a fear could on occasions propagate failure for other staff so that their star shines. To such people, if they have to fail, they have to be in the company of other people. It is not acceptable to fail alone. They have to drag other people into the failure picture when they realize it is inevitable. This leads to strained relations at the office as blame is passed to persons who least played a role in the failure of a project. 

What Motivates You to Work?

Words by Francis Kahihu 

It is 4.00am and Peter’s alarm has just gone off. He has over the years perfected the schedule in the morning and without much thought, gets through the preparation for the day ahead. He takes a shower, dresses up, takes his quick breakfast and off he gets at 5 to the nearest bus stage. He has to pick a bus to the city centre by latest 5.30am otherwise he will have to contend with traffic jam for the following 3 hours. He has realized that by leaving his house by 5.00am, he spends atmost one hour to work and reports to work a less stressed worker as opposed to if he were to leave 15 minutes later. In the evening, he spends almost 2 hours through the traffic and gets home a truly fatigued person, ready to take a break in preparation for the following day.

Peter’s case can easily pass for most workers in the urban centers in the developing world. With the persistent traffic snarl-up and the unpredictable public transport, many people have to make with relatively difficult work conditions. But just what drives Peter and others like him to wake up that early, struggle through traffic and survive through the rigours of the workplace? What motivates him to look forward to the following day even when he knows so well that the day will be as strenuous as the previous one? The following could be the reason.

1: Socialisation: Many of us are people persons. We love being around people and would do anything within our limits to ensure we are as close to other people as possible. We cross barriers and overcome odds to present us to an environment where other people are. To many people, the workplace is the ideal opportunity to be with people. For such people, being away from work could be a cause of internal fears. They want to nurture the relationships with people around them and would hence overlook any challenges along the path.

2: Opportunities to lead: Other people are driven by passion for leadership. They are wired to be in charge. They generate heightened internal peace when they are in charge of projects, programs, organizations and companies and seek to fully undertake difficult tasks. Such people are always seeking for challenging opportunities to prove their leadership capacities. They find pleasure in delegating certain tasks and are buried in ‘everlasting’ joy when the project succeeds. To such a person, waking up at 4.00am is a pleasant opportunity as it allows him to get to work earlier to engage in the dream tasks.

3: Fear of losing the job: The third category of workers is that which is driven by fear of loss. Such people wake up early to work, not because they really want to leave the house but since they realize the negative consequences for not reporting early. To such people, leaving for work is one among the various things they would rather not do given an opportunity. This fear can be so much that they start planning for the evening events even before they report to work. The day’s engagement is one big interruption in their life only that they have to undertake the tasks for them to earn their livelihood.

4: Finally, there are those who are driven by the desire to serve society. To such people, rising to provide helpful service to others adds extra years to their life. The joy of the society become their joy and hence would circumvent all odds to be available to other people.