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Do you get the first-day-on-the-job jitters? You’re not alone…But what is your new employer doing to help you through those early days? In today’s article, author Michelle Sklar writes about how companies are helping new hires circumvent first-day awkwardness and fit right in.
You met the criteria of the job description in spades, won over the hiring-manager-as-gate-keeper and wowed your prospective boss with your skills and experiences throughout your interviews. Now it’s the night before you start your new job – and the excitement, combined with anxiety is starting to mount as you wonder:
“What’s my first day going to be like?”
Although most organizations have a company policy binder or code of conduct for new hires to review, more progressive companies are ditching the staid HR Department model for People + Culture hubs, with the hope of demonstrating that real people, not anonymous human resources, are the heart and soul of their organizations.
But what do most companies do to on-board new employees? (I once worked for a company whose obsession with Nerf gun salutes became a right of passage for the first initial walk through the office). To get more insight, I asked some of my peers to share their first-day experiences.
Can you give me an example of the best on-boarding process you have experienced?
“Having Wednesday as the start day for the first day, allowing the team that is going to be doing the training and introductions to get through some of their regular tasks on Monday and Tuesday, and clear time for the new hire for the remainder of the week. Also it is a less daunting first week if it only has three days. Organizations that have a really social culture, a Friday afternoon “meet and greet”, or ‘beers and cheers’ have been a bonus.”
Can you give me an example of the worst?
“Being told to “figure it out for yourself” for everything, including my boss and everyone on my team being out of the office for the first three days when I started!”
“My boss just pointed me to my desk where I spent the next three days with online training modules and virtually no interaction with my other team members”.
Can you list the top three things that helped you the most to settle into a new job?
“Everyone stopping by to introduce themselves and inviting me on a coffee run, group lunches in the office, and knowing how to use the coffee maker.”
More progressive companies are ditching the staid HR Department model for People + Culture hubs, with the hope of demonstrating that real people, not anonymous human resources, are the heart and soul of their organizations.
“Having a ‘pal’ to show me around and being available to ask questions; time to settle into my new desk and make it my very own; shadowing a superior on all different types of meetings to help understand the full scope of the company.”
Can you list of the top three things you make sure to include when onboarding a new hire?
“Office tour and basic unspoken rules (as in, headphones on means Do Not Disturb), lunch with the immediate team to make the new person feel welcome, basic overview of all teams and how we all work together, in general, HR stuff that new hires wonder about.”
“For our downtown location we give people a map of where all the amenities in the neighborhood are located, and a welcome basket with cheeky items to help them settle in, such as Advil, Kleenex, chocolate and a stress ball.”
What is one thing you would love to include in an on-boarding process if time and resources weren’t barriers?
“Team retreat within the first year.”
“A two-week period of having informational interviews with each team lead to get a better understanding of their role and how they contribute to the end goal. This would also help get to know them as a person instead of someone on the other side of an email thread.”
Michelle Sklar is a digital media maven. As President of Digital Alberta, she supported Alberta’s thriving digital media community with education, networking events, mentorship and the Digital Alberta Awards program. Now back in Vancouver, she is the Co-Founder of Bgenerus, on the Steering Committee for Net2Van and a volunteer for Client Services with Beauty Night Society.
What are some of your memorable on-boarding experiences? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.