Onboarding Part 2: The first day at work
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In a previous blog post, we focused on why you should commit to a good onboarding process and what preboarding is. Now, let’s tackle one of the most important times for a new hire: the first day at work.
The day has come. And it is big for everyone.
For the new employee, the first day of work is probably going to be fueled by anxiety. They are the ‘new guy/girl’, they will meet a lot of people in person, learn their way around the office, feel stern and uncomfortable around management… You want to do your best to make them feel comfortable and like they belong there. Here are a few ideas.
Introduce the whole team
You don’t have to immediately put them in the spotlight, but exchanging two-three sentences with everyone in the company can help the new employee with remembering their names, positions, where their office is, and they will generally feel welcome there.
Give them a clean and organized desk with a welcome sign
From my own experience, there is nothing worse than going to work the first day and your new employers didn’t even care to set up your own corner. Take care of their desk, locker, computer and all devices they might need beforehand. Give them an environment when they can immediately start working and be organized. That will save everyone a lot of time and questions.
Oh, and put a “Welcome” sign on their desk. It is a small, but memorable gesture.
Set up the login and give them a company email
Speaking of their devices, you want them to be able to immediately have access to all the servers, Drive, important databases, history, spreadsheets that help with management… Everything. Set them up a professional email and take care of all login info they can change afterward.
Take them out to lunch
Your new employee doesn’t really know anyone. They also probably don’t know where you eat or order from. You can take them out to lunch. It is a perfect opportunity for them to meet their teammates outside the office, shake off the anxiety and not feel like the uncool kid in a school cafeteria, having lunch alone.
Give them a company merch
This is not a ‘must’, but a tiny gesture can be a ‘wow’ factor for a new employee. It can be something small — a sticker pack, a tote bag, a mousepad, a T-shirt with the company logo. Still, they will remember that they got something on their first day of work.
Find a peer to mentor them
Give them a designated contact for all their questions and troubles. It is best if it’s one of their peers — someone in the same position in the team, to help them get around and organize better. Everything is easier when you have a buddy in the office.
The first few months are a ‘make or break’ period for most new employees. This transitioning period is ‘make or break’ most of the time. If they don’t feel like a good fit for your company, aren’t satisfied with what they do, or feel left out from the team, they will probably leave.
The numbers below are based on a study by process.st. They show the percentage of employees who leave in the first six months at a new job, and when exactly they decided to leave.
We will focus more on the steps you need to take to enable your new employees a proper environment to grow and fit in their position in the first months of their employment in the next part.
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