A 30-day check-in with new employees is a great way to learn more about their performance and their feelings on the job at hand. This review is also a great time to evaluate your onboarding process and make any changes as needed.
Doing the check-in at the 30-day mark is a great time to formally connect with the new employee after they have has some time to adjust to the position.
Continue reading to learn what a 30 day review is and why they are important, how to conduct the check-in, and some open-ended questions to ask your new employee.
Key Takeaways:
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The 30-day check-in a way to assess their goals and evaluate their initiative and motivation.
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Make sure you set time aside in a private environment and know what you want to get out of the review before going in.
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Ask open-ended questions and keep the conversation open to allow them to answer freely and provide feedback comfortably.
What A 30-Day Review Is and Why They Are Important
A 30-day review, or check-in, usually happens during their onboarding process. This meeting is a way for the manager to ensure that the new employee is meeting quotas, quality requirements, and overall enjoying the position and company. This meeting can usually be a one-on-one meeting, but can sometimes involve a small group or review board.
Doing these reviews are important because a company invests time and money into training a new employee. The review is a way to show that the investment is providing a return. These reviews allow you to:
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Assess employees goals. They might not have thought about their long-term goals, but they should have some short-term goals in mind. The check-in allows for these goals to be reviewed after acclimating to their new role a bit.
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Gauge the effectiveness of your onboarding process. The review is a great way to get feedback on the onboarding process and what can be improved. It is also a good time to answer any questions that they may have about the company and position.
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Understand what the employee thinks of the company and position. It’s important to know and understand how your employees feel about the company. They may have ideas on how to improve some processes or change anything for the better.
How To Conduct A Proper 30-Day Check-In
Here are some tips to help you conduct a proper 30-day check-in:
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Put time aside. 30 days in any business can pass by in no time at all. One minute it’s the first of the month and before you know it you’re preparing for month-end. But for a new employee it can feel like an eternity if they haven’t received regular feedback.
You should check in regularly with every new staff member in the first few weeks. But you should definitely set a specific time aside for their 30-day check-in. It’s even worth scheduling it in both your calendars from day one. That way it won’t get overlooked.
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Know what you want to get out of the review. If there’s a meeting scheduled, you can be assured that your new team member will be preparing for the conversation. So in order to avoid an “everything cool?” scenario, spend a few minutes preparing your part of the 30-day check-in too.
In terms of your ‘success expectations’, what specific and measurable outcomes had you defined for your newbie by the 30-day mark? Without these having been clearly spelled out, your new team member won’t have anything to go by when listening to your feedback – either positive or constructive.
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Find a good meeting place. Needless to say a moving elevator isn’t the most appropriate forum for the 30-day check-in. Neither is a cab on the way to or from a meeting. Nor is just sitting down on the corner of your new team member’s desk with a beer for a chat on a Friday afternoon.
You want your employee to feel valued, so make sure the meeting place is in a private environment away from other employees. Book out the conference room or even take them out to lunch to conduct the meeting.
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Keep the conversation open. Remember that the 30-day check-in isn’t just your chance to provide your feedback. Of course you will have your chance to speak, but you should let them kick off the conversation.
Make sure to ask open-ended questions and make sure that they feel comfortable adding any thoughts and answering questions truthfully.
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Listen carefully. Just as you did in your initial interview with them, during the 30-day check-in you should listen twice as much as you speak. Take notes, and ensure you are engaged and not distracted.
Of course when you are providing your feedback, whilst you might have a few general observations, where possible try to relate the conversation back to your specific success expectations.
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Encourage them. For the most part, 30 days is too early to make any drastic decisions. Whether it’s a free flowing conversation or there are a few awkward silences or unexpected pieces of difficult feedback, where appropriate let them know that you are on their side and will do all you can to help them meet their objectives.
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Follow up. Believe it or not this is one of the most important steps – even though it happens beyond the actual 30-day check-in. If you have agreed to make some changes, investigate something, speak to another team member, or come back to your new team member with a response to a particular question, make sure that you do so. And if possible commit to doing so in a relatively short period of time.
Questions To Ask During A 30-Day Check-In
Asking the right questions during the 30-day check-in is important to do an effective review. Here are some open-ended questions to ask and to help keep the conversation open:
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Has the company met your expectations?
This is a great question to ask to understand your employee’s expectations and perception of the company. Before really starting the company, the employee only have information about the position and the hiring process. This is a great questions to see if they have any questions of their own.
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Can you tell me about any challenges that you have has in for first 30-days?
This question will help you understand if there are any issues with your onboarding process and if there are any difficulties with the position itself. Knowing how they overcame the difficulties can also tell you about the kind of worker that they are.
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What do you like about the position?
It’s important to focus on the positive aspects of the employees experience. Ask what they enjoy about the parts of the job that are their favorite and if there is anything specific about the company that they love.
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Is there anything you don’t understand about your position?
Making sure they understand their position and everything they are supposed to do is crucial for them doing the job right. Make sure they are comfortable enough to answer truthfully incase they don’t understand something.
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Do you have any specific feedback that you have for me?
Getting feedback is a great way to establish a good relationship with the employee. Asking for their thoughts shows that you respect them and can provide professional advice from a new perspective.
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Do you feel that your position allows for a good work-life balance?
Making sure your employees have a proper work-life balance is important to keep them from being stressed out and leading to burnout. This also shows them that you care about their lives outside of work. It can also gauge an employees overall satisfaction with the job and if it allows them to enjoy their life outside of work.
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Are you feeling welcomed by the team?
Making sure that they are being welcomed by their coworkers is a great way to set everyone up for success. If they are not feeling welcomed by their coworkers, you can work with supervisors to ensure the team goes above and beyond to help them feel like apart of the team.
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Do you find it easy to communicate with your team?
Effective communication is the only way the team will succeed. They may be a little timid to communicate in a group environment while they are still new. You can help give them insight on the best way to communicate and possibly come up with a new way for the team to communicate.
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Have you reached your 30-day goals?
This question will help assess the employees initiative and their motivation. This can also be the time that you review their 60 and 90 day goals with them and adjust them if necessary.
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What do you think about the company culture?
Making sure they feel comfortable and fit in with the company culture during the check-in is a great way to help make them feel valued. Not everyone is able to work the same way so knowing if there are any changes that need to be made will help at this point.
Author
Taylor Berman
Taylor is a freelance writer from Pennsylvania. Taylor got into writing because she enjoys writing articles that help people and loves creating stories that inspire. She earned a bachelor's degree in journalism and public relations with an interest in communications media from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
