New job and too many weekly 1:1

14 Comments

1. AnonymousAugust 11,2023 at 1:35PM UTC

   Exactly how you stated it in your last sentence of your post. If they take offense and/or not understanding your learning process, I’d be concerned about their onboarding & management skills. Perhaps they don’t have a well thought-out onboarding plan for new employees.

2. AnonymousAugust 11,2023 at 6:52PM UTC

   Actually, it sounds to me like they have a thorough onboarding process designed to ensure the new employ is both welcome and knows everyone's roles. I suspect she's looking at through too myopic a lens-- her learning her role alone. But it sounds like its designed so she can understanding how the system works, not just her own role. I suggest she welcome this. She'll have plenty of time to learn by doing.

   It's also possible she's a "let me work by myself" person who just landed in a team-oriented environment. If that's the case, there are bigger issues ahead instead of just onboarding.

3. maria roseAugust 12,2023 at 8:19PM UTC

   I have to agree with this response by Anonymous. Being an introvert has nothing to do with learning your job position and this company is is covered all bases in making sure that the new employees get through detailed training and plenty of communication and feedback. Okay this person is not comfortable with being constantly in communication with others ( they probably are the type of person who works better solo than with others) BUT they are in the training phase of the job and should realize that point. And it wouldn’t be held against them for them to speak up and ask/say something about being given a little bit of leeway to do the job to test their performance. BUT they need to allow the feedback to learn the job as required by this company despite the “feeling “ of being bothered by the constant feedback, because eventually they will be expected to do the job as expected and then they can’t use the excuse that they were never trained enough for the specific tasks.

4. AnonymousAugust 13,2023 at 6:45PM UTC

   They’re well aware they are training. The problem lies in the pact of ACTUAL PRACTICE of THEIR PROCESS.

   Some people may ask deep questions constantly, and it seems the team is used to that; they’re not having to do the true work of onboard & training.

   And how do you figure that the OP can’t take feedback? It’s too far of a reach. It’s best we should answer the OP’s question rather than tearing them down.

5. maria roseAugust 13,2023 at 7:54PM UTC

   It would be helpful to know if one is responding to the author of the post or someone else who is responding with a comment on the discussion. I am responding to whoever found my comment to be negatively responding to the original post because it was understood as overreaching and non-sympathetic to to person who doesn’t ( I am going to use the term) like the constant need to have those daily conversations about the performance because they are not very verbal conversationalist and can’t understand the need to have those conversations rather than being allowed to just do the job.

   Not knowing what exact job this is and whether this person came to the job with experience or not, being exposed to constant feedback during training is to be expected and if this person finds expressing themselves verbally, there are alternatives to verbal conversation. And I don’t know why this person is not able to let their colleagues know that they prefer an alternative approach. I am getting impression that this individual who wrote this post doesn’t find conversation helpful and doesn’t know how to respond well to anyone who talks to them— as they are used to posting versus talking. That’s what I was suggesting for the individual who wrote this post to try doing different to communicate with the others who are working on developing this person’s training—giving them a email/ text message after the other has contacted them to review/discuss the day’s activity and try to express their thoughts, feelings and concerns about the situation that way, especially if talking is not their mode of expressing themselves. And it is perfectly okay to ask questions and make requests for a little bit of leeway to experience doing the job without feeling constantly watched.

6. Sarah BordersAugust 13,2023 at 7:29PM UTC

   I’d argue that being an introvert has everything to do with learning your job if all the learning happens via 1:1 meetings. There can be an expectation in meetings to think on your feet and ask questions in the moment, but oftentimes, the best questions only occur after the meeting is over. As long as OP’s team understand that and give them time to process new information, they should do fine.

7. AnonymousAugust 13,2023 at 6:40PM UTC

   Perhaps your over critical here, that’s a very judgmental take on the OP personality with no evidence.

   Clearly it looks like they booked a ton of meetings & not allowing her time to process & settle what was discussed from the last meeting. No time to meditate!

   It’s definitely on the manager to not allow the new employee to practice as they go along, because booking meetings back to back is not at all an efficient way to learn the ropes of their actual position.

8. AnonymousAugust 11,2023 at 2:04PM UTC

   If they are responsible for training you then why are you not looking at this through their lens? I think you could utilize that we providing an update on what you're working on. Like this is what I'm currently working on and who I've partnered with. Do you have any suggestions for changes or resources I could benefit from for this task? Ask them questions that move you forward in your training. Being anxious in a new position can be normal but the training cadence needs to be in place. Too many concerns on FGB are not enough training, and so I would say you're fortunate. Learn the processes and turn those calls around.

9. AnonymousAugust 13,2023 at 6:30PM UTC

   Not sure I agree with your approach on this. There are some in-depth questions that arise when the process is in practice.

   Think of when you buy a new product, usually it comes with a manual. Often the manual includes instructions, FAQs, Warnings, and other useful information.

   You wouldn’t know, let alone think, if your newly purchased product required a special screw that was not included until you read the instructions in the manual.

   I urge these new generation managers to get class-training on how to train others.

   Stop betting on everyone to ask a million questions so you only have to do the bare minimum as a “leader”.

   Remember, the best leaders have patience!

10. Sue Gordon- retired Career CoachAugust 11,2023 at 6:47PM UTC

    I am not sure I understand the scenario.
    If these meetings are all part of your onboarding, they may be for you to get to know the team, personally, and each persons role. If that's the case, just ask them about their job, how long they've been at the organization, etc. Learn about the person. What is their part of the process? Don't worry about technical questions about your job unless you have some.

    I will say that if a new employee told me they couldn't handle more than one meeting with a colleague on the same day, I would be very, very concerned.

    It's okay to tell them you learn by doing, but there is more to these meetings than learning your processes. I suspect it's about getting to know the organization, and them getting to know you.

11. Sarah BordersAugust 12,2023 at 1:17PM UTC

    Hello, fellow introvert! How long have you been on the job? How are these meetings initiated? Are you asking questions asynchronously, and instead of answering in the same, they’re scheduling meetings? Are their answers really complex?

    If these meetings are to help train you, I think it’s OK to let your colleagues know that you’re happy to meet with them 1:1, but *because* you’re in training, it would be helpful for you (and a better use of their time) if those meetings were spaced out a bit more so that you have time to process everything you’ve learned (and determine if you have follow-up questions) in between the meetings. Assuming you’re using Outlook, take advantage of the “Propose a New Time” option when they send you meeting invites; just make sure that the time you propose is available on their calendars, too.

    If the purpose of these meetings is to get to know your colleagues, their roles on the team, and how their work relates to what you’re doing, then it’s really just a part of team integration, and you don’t need to come with questions—or at least, you don’t need to come with *unique* questions. Ask each them who it’s important for you to connect with outside the team. Ask them what the one thing is they wish someone had told them before they started this work. Topics like that give you useful information, not just for yourself, but for better understanding your teammates.

12. AnonymousAugust 13,2023 at 1:36PM UTC

    I recently had this happen to me, I thought it was a bit different than my other experiences. However, I am remote, they are getting to know me and they want to provide time for me. Remote is traditionally harder to on board, depending on the position. Take it from someone that a managers and directors not present, when you start sucks. The 1:1 will die off and you might make small talk or ask more about the company. Also, go over what you learned, make sure your interpretation is what they want you to ingest. There are a lot of questions you can ask, the organization directions overall goals, products, volunteer initiatives, etc.

    Good luck.

13. AnonymousAugust 13,2023 at 5:44PM UTC

    I may not understand your situation completely, so I apologize if I'm off track. I would suggest you take careful notes when they answer your questions in the 1:1s, and then when you are trying to execute the process, if a question arises, jot it down so that you don't have to remember things off the cuff. Is it possible that someone could walk you through the process as you are doing it? If you are training remotely, it is possible to share your screen on Zoom or Teams, and they can walk you through it as you do it. This was how I did a remote onboarding for my current position.

14. AnonymousAugust 14,2023 at 7:35PM UTC

    OP-Sometimes It's the same day.the training calls are on different days It's also a company with a high turnover so I'm not sure if it's just to make sure that I'm comfortable but it gets overwhelming. I've come to realize now that I just need to voice what works for me