202: How to Onboard New Hires & Address or Fire Problematic Ones with Cherie Ihnen
Is your onboarding process a smooth sailing experience for new people you bring into your company? You can get tripped up when hiring (or firing) someone and discover that you need the help of a professional.
My guest, Cherie Ihnen is a Human Resources consultant who works with different size businesses. She has approximately 20 years of experience in HR leadership, and she’s seen many of the mistakes CEOs make that lead to performance issues and ill-fitting team members who need to be let go.
In this episode of the She Thinks Big podcast, you’ll learn about the value of HR in businesses and the importance of effectively onboarding a newly hired person. Cherie will discuss common problems with the onboarding process and how to set clear expectations, how to categorize and address issues with anyone on your team, and how to protect yourself from legal and reputation risks when terminating employment.
What’s Covered in This Episode on How to Onboard New Hires
2:54 - Common problems people make with the onboarding process after a hire
8:29 - What a good onboarding process looks like in a nutshell
12:14 - One question to help you decide whether to hire an employee or contractor to fulfill a role
14:20 - Cherie’s bucket theory for handling issues with someone you’ve hired who you’re not happy with
20:13 - Guidelines on how to document progress made from addressing work or performance problems
24:06 - How to know when it’s really time to let go of someone you’ve hired
28:15 - Is your business too small to have professional HR support?
30:33 - Why you shouldn’t fear being exposed to bad word-of-mouth if you fire someone
Connect with Cherie Ihnen
Cherie Ihnen is a Human Resources consultant based in Indianapolis, IN. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Indiana University Bloomington and has a robust skill set that includes employee relations, onboarding, applicant tracking systems, benefits, administration, and more. She has also gained experience from current and previous roles at Better Bodies Inc., Ascent 121, VMS BioMarketing, and ResCare.
Mentioned In How to Onboard New Hires & Address or Fire Problematic Ones with Cherie Ihnen
Quotes from the Episode
“Do some fun things. I have found the littlest thing has made the greatest impact, like a ‘favorite sheet’ -- your favorite scent, where you like to eat lunch, [etc].” - Cherie Ihnen
“There are times when people are just truly not a fit. People who don’t love confrontation can still typically have a conversation.” - Cherie Ihnen
“If you’re doing everything correctly, then it’s probably hurting you more to keep the person than to let them go. Worrying about exposure is not a reason to keep someone.” - Andrea Liebross
Links to other episodes
195: Growth vs Scale: How to Decide When (& Who) to Hire in Your Business
184: Five Stages of Business and the Decisions to Make as You Grow
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