We added new people, but productivity dropped. Why?
Onboarding and coordination loadNew capacity initially requires orientation, support, and integration with existing work. Adjust the forecast and reduce avoidable coordination rather than treating headcount as immediate throughput.
What to do now
- Identify onboarding and mentoring demand
- Assign bounded starter work
- Provide clear access and working agreements
- Measure usable contribution as the team stabilizes
When to escalate
Escalate when
The staffing change makes a critical commitment less achievable.
Who decides
The team lead and appropriate line manager
Example
A new analyst shadows one workflow before taking responsibility for a defined requirements package.
Mistake to avoid
Counting new hires as fully productive from their first day.
Prevent a repeat
Review whether working agreements improve delivery and raise people concerns through the appropriate channels.
Suggested ApprovedFlow setup
- Tasks
- Resources
- Documents
Make agreed responsibilities and follow-up tasks visible while keeping sensitive people matters in the authorized confidential process. See the platform
Related cases
- The team is working evenings every week. How do I respond?Unsustainable delivery load
- Two team members are in constant conflict. How should I intervene?Unresolved working conflict
- AI ranks team members by productivity. Is that a good project metric?High-impact inference from incomplete work data
- New employees cannot get access without contacting the old project team. What is missing?Incomplete access-service transition