The Onboarding Illusion
The journey into a new company often begins with a meticulously planned onboarding process. You are presented with organisational charts, detailed process documents, and a clear set of standard operating procedures. The company, on paper, is a well-oiled
machine. Yet, within days, you discover the reality is far more complex. The official process for expense reports is ignored by everyone in favour of an unwritten workaround. The project management software, so central to the interview presentation, is barely used, with teams relying on a chaotic mix of emails and informal chats. This disconnect isn't necessarily a sign of a bad company; it's a common organisational phenomenon. It highlights the natural tension between the structured, idealised world of 'process'—a defined series of steps to achieve a result—and the fluid, adaptive reality of 'practice'—how people actually perform their tasks day-to-day.
Why The Gap Exists
The chasm between process and practice opens up for several reasons. Often, documented processes are simply outdated. They were created for a system or team structure that no longer exists. In a fast-moving business environment, updating documentation is frequently a low-priority task. More significantly, practice is shaped by human ingenuity and the path of least resistance. Employees discover quicker, more efficient ways to get things done and share these 'tribal knowledge' shortcuts with colleagues. These unwritten rules become the real workflow. Furthermore, formal processes can be rigid and unable to account for every real-world scenario. Practice, by its nature, is flexible and adaptable. A chef might have a recipe (a process), but true expertise (practice) is knowing how to adapt that recipe when an ingredient is missing or a customer has an allergy. In the workplace, this means navigating situations the official handbook never anticipated.
The New Employee's Challenge
For a new hire, this gap is a minefield. The initial 30 days are a critical period of adaptation, but it's hard to adapt when you're not sure what you should be adapting to. Do you follow the official process you were taught, potentially annoying your new colleagues by being inefficient? Or do you try to adopt the unwritten practices, risking a mistake because you don't understand the hidden context? This can lead to feeling overwhelmed and hesitant to ask questions. The fear of looking incompetent often prevents new employees from seeking clarity on these discrepancies. This is a crucial window; research shows that a significant percentage of turnover occurs within the first 45 days, often due to a poor onboarding experience that fails to integrate the employee into the company's actual culture and workflows.
A Manager's Crucial Role
Managers are often the key to bridging this gap, but they can also be blind to it. A manager might assume the processes they helped design are being followed, unaware that their team has developed a completely different method for executing tasks. Effective leadership requires acknowledging that the best-laid plans often need to be adjusted in practice. The first month is an invaluable opportunity for managers to learn from a new hire's fresh perspective. Instead of simply testing the new employee, managers should actively solicit feedback: 'Does the process we showed you make sense? What are you seeing on the ground?' This not only helps the new hire acclimate but also provides the manager with crucial, unfiltered insights into how work is actually being done. This feedback loop is essential for continuous improvement.
How to Bridge the Divide
Successfully navigating the first month requires a proactive approach from both the employee and the organisation. For the new hire, the mantra should be: observe, ask, and connect. Spend time listening and watching how experienced colleagues operate. When you notice a discrepancy, frame your question constructively: 'The manual says to do X, but I notice you do Y. Could you help me understand the context?' This shows a willingness to learn, not a challenge to authority. Finding a 'work buddy' can also provide a safe channel for asking these types of questions. For companies, the solution lies in building a better onboarding experience that is treated as an ongoing process, not a one-day event. It should pair formal training with mentorship and create explicit opportunities for new hires to share their observations. The goal is to create a culture where processes are seen as living documents, constantly refined by the practices of the people who use them.
