An employees first day
Things to do:
Greet your new employee
Don’t keep your new employee idling awkwardly in the waiting room. Make sure someone knows when that they are arriving and have someone there to act as the welcoming committee if you can’t make it in person. This small step can set the stage for the employee’s first day and potentially the rest of his or her time at the company.
Prepare a workspace
Have a work area set up for the employee before they arrives. Make the employee feel like there is already a place for him or her at the company, not like they’re an add-on or an inconvenience.
Get other members of the team involved
Don’t let your new employee be a surprise. Make sure that your current members of the team are prepared, and encourage them to introduce themselves to the new employee. If they’re being shy, initiate the introductions, especially with important co-workers. There’s nothing worse than feeling alienated from the people you work with.
Teach the basics
Think about what you would want to know on your first day on a job. Don’t make your new employee ask all the questions and end up feeling like a nuisance. Start with the work environment: Point out the bathroom, the kitchen, the printer and the supply closet — anything that will be important for the worker’s day. And then focus on the work. Go over the employee’s role in the company, but stick to the basics; you don’t want your employee to feel overwhelmed. The employee will learn the details later on. Today’s aim is just making him or her feel like they are part of the team.
Key points of contacts
Make sure the new employee has a full email directory, company phone list and so on and is directed to those persons who will be most helpful, such as a supervisor. Also, your new employee may feel like they will be a burden to co-workers by asking questions, so set him or her up with a co-worker with similar job responsibilities to help learn the ropes. If the new employee knows that this co-worker is there to help them throughout the day, they will feel more comfortable asking questions.
Join them for lunch
Do not let your employee eat lunch alone. Sit with him or her or make sure others members of the team are sitting with them. There may be nothing more damaging on a first day for your new employee than to be sitting alone at a completely empty table in a room full people he or she will have to see everyday.
Get feedback
Check in on the employee throughout the day. Ask questions, make sure everything is going well and that they have everything they need. This is the type of relationship you want to start with the employee from day one — open, comfortable and constructive.
With these ideas, you can turn an employee’s awkward, nerve-wracking first day into a pleasant experience that will get them excited about the new job. A comfortable employee is a productive employee, and nothing drives a company more than the hard work of those committed to it.
To discuss any of these points with one of our consultants, please contact us at
info@sixdegreesrecruitment.co.uk or 01228 812387