First days are stressful, for both the employee and the employer. As an employer, you have the upper hand by already being in a space that you are comfortable in. For the employee, they are entering a space they don’t know, and they may be anxious about what the first day will bring. To ensure your new hire leaves their first day feeling good about their decision to join your team, try to do these five simple things.
Be there to welcome them
If you interviewed them or gave the final job offer, it’s you who should be there to greet them when they arrive. Likely, they will be completely lost, even if their workspace was shown to them on their interview day, and seeing a face they are familiar with will help ease those nerves. If you have a meeting every morning at 9 am, consider having the new hire start their first day at 10 am so they don’t spend an hour wondering what to do or feeling lost.
Set up their space
Whether they will be in an office, in a cubicle or in a shared working space, having it set up and ready to go for them is important. If your company provides computers, have that working and ready for them to log in with their information. It may be a nice touch to provide a company notepad, a pen or other materials to help them start their day. Even if you don’t provide any of these items, at least ensure the space is clean and open.
Introduce them to other team members
They may have met other members of the team during the interview process, but today is the day to introduce them to everyone else. You want to ensure they feel like they a part of your community and if you let them fend for themselves when it comes to meeting people, it can cause an added stress that will hinder their day-to-day. Even if you only have a few minutes to spare, take the time to show them around the office and introduce them to as many people as you can.
Give Easier Tasks
Unless your new hire is coming in as a big boss or executive, it may be wise to give them a smaller task that they can easily complete. If you give them something a bit too difficult, it could overwhelm them, and if you don’t give them a task at all, they will spend the day twiddling their thumbs. Avoid both of these by having a few tasks, or training periods, ready to go to fill the day so you can get on with your own workload.
Check in throughout the day
So you welcomed them in, showed them around and gave them a task. That doesn’t mean your job is over! Be sure to check in a few times throughout the day to make sure they have everything they need. It can be daunting to interrupt someone to ask a question when you’re new since it’s hard to understand the office protocol early on. So avoid making them worry by checking in. A simple “how’s it going?” is all it takes to put your new hire at ease.
If you are looking for new hires, or an employee looking for a new job, contact The Goodkind Group to see how we can help. You can reach us at 212-378-0700 or visit our website to learn more about our services.
