Stop Making Employee Onboarding so Difficult: First Day

Stop Making Employee Onboarding so Difficult: First Day

I hear it all the time; I made another bad hiring decision and it's so hard to find engaged employees.When you hire someone, you need to be committed to them, and it is your job to make sure they are successful.  What if I told you that it wasn't the employee's fault that they are struggling but a problem with the on boarding process starting from their first day of employment?

Take a moment and visualize a few of your first days in previous positions.  How many of us have just been given a desk, a phone and a "let me know if you need anything."  You want to scream-yes I need a lot and please don't just leave me!  As you sit there in your cubicle, people walk by and smile or worse ignore you all together because they have no idea who you are. You start to wonder, where is my boss and when will I meet this mythological creature that everyone tells me I am lucky to be working for?  Sharing one of my own favorite first day experiences,  I was dropped off at my desk and the receptionist said "if you need help logging into your computer just call IT", here is the funny part, you had to log into your computer to access the employee directory!  So now you have a brand new excited employee who is afraid to keep bothering people so they sit there wasting time trying to figure out how to do it.

You have just set the expectation that your employee should figure things out on their own even if it means wasting time.  

An employee's first day should be exciting and set the tone for their employment at your organization.  As a leader, it is your job to set aside an acceptable amount of time first thing in the morning to meet your new excited hire. Have a plan for the day and tell them what to expect.  Let's start with how to properly introduce your new hire.  When it comes to introductions, there is a way to do this correctly and it isn't by walking them around just saying their names! Previous to the new hire starting, send an email out to the staff letting everyone know when the new hire will be starting, and have them prepare a few things about who they are.  Introduce your employee with a few of their strengths so you can start to build connections-this will engage the new hire immediately!

Utilize your team! Each one of your team members have a different strength so have a training schedule ready for your new hire based of your own assessment of your team. This will immediately lay the ground work for a cohesive team that is engaged and excited about having another team member.   When you give your current employees a chance to train, it will increase morale because it is seen as a reward or appreciation to your current staff.  You are setting the expectation that you expect the new hire to jump right in to projects and you are also building a strong work ethic from day one.

When you allow an employee to have too much down time in the beginning, you are essentially sending a message that it is acceptable to waste time and enforcing a poor work ethic.

Finally, don't let your new hire feel like a burden or an after thought!  This is your chance to make an impact on your new hire, schedule an hour to have lunch with your new employee and get to really know what makes them tick.  Spend the hour letting the new hire know what your vision is for the organization and where they fit in.  When an employee feels as though they have a place in the organization, then they will have a sense of accountability to you, and the organization.

Check back soon for:

Stop Making Onboarding so Difficult: Measuring Fit in the First Week

Do you need help with your onboarding?  We create customized onboarding that includes all compliance trainings, which can be done on ground or virtual, sales training, and follow-up modules.

Let us take care of your hiring needs and manage their onboarding schedule!
Give us a call at 724-493-9333 or email nconn@quincunxconsulting.org

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