As more or less anyone who’s ever had a job will testify, joining a new company can be a very daunting experience. The first day tends to be the scariest, but even with that hurdle out of the way, it can still take weeks or even months for a newcomer to really settle in and become integrated with the rest of the team.
Of course, as an employer, it’s very much in your best interest to get each new recruit into the swing of things ASAP. Here are a few tips for helping a new employee to get comfortable with their role and fit in with everyone else:
- Give them a proper welcome. If you’re constantly very busy (as most business owners are), it can sometimes be difficult to find time for a new arrival – many bosses simply tell their new recruits to get stuck right in, possibly asking another staff member to show them the ropes as they go. But it’s better for everyone if you make time to sit down with the new employee on their first day and give them a full briefing: welcome them to the company, explain their role in detail, go over what they will be expected to do during an average day, and encourage them to ask questions if they’re unsure of anything.
- Introduce them to their new colleagues. Don’t just point at everyone and reel off a list of names – call a staff meeting and make sure the newcomer knows who everybody is and understands each person’s role within the organisation. Equally, you’ll want to ensure that your old hands know who the new individual is and what they’re doing here too. This meeting should be held as soon as possible – you may even wish to gather everyone around on the Friday afternoon before the new recruit officially starts work.
- Make yourself available. Your new employee is bound to have a lot of questions on their first day, and more questions will likely arise as they get to grips with the tasks you assign. Make sure you’re around to answer them, or the newcomer will quickly feel disconnected and uncertain about their new role.
- Get them up to speed with any systems you already have in place. This could be anything from an ISO 9001-certified quality management system to the system for taking your lunch break. Any systems, processes or protocols – no matter how informal or self-explanatory they might seem to you – should be explained right away to help the newcomer feel like they’re truly in the loop. Of course, if you do have a formal management system in place, it’s doubly crucial to ensure that the new person is working in the same way and to the same standards as everyone else!
Image by Kanban Tool
