Starting a new job is one of the most nerve wracking times for anyone, including the employer!
As an employer you want to know that you’ve made the right decision and get the ‘newbie’ settled and productive as soon as possible.
The sooner the new employee understands and embraces the company culture the sooner they will become happy, settled and productive in their new role.
At Coburg Banks we recommend 5 steps and a range of tactics to not only help employees settle but also enhance the working environment for all employees, increase output and ultimately organisational growth.
And there’s no better way to start than to make your new hires feel welcome.
1. The official welcome
Assign a current employee to spend the first day with the new starter; it’s best to use either a manager or someone in the team.
They need to spend the day with them to show them where things are, introduce them to staff and make sure they understand how the business is run.
Useful information would include lunch times, how to dress, find the bathroom and what is expected from them on both a professional and social level.
2. First day lunch
If your new starter will be part of a team organise a team lunch for their first day.
In a relaxed atmosphere it gives an opportunity for business relationships to develop more quickly and the personalities to shine, and reminds everyone that they were all new once.
If the employee will be working on their own organise a lunch with the people in the organisation who they will be interacting with the most.
3. Departmental induction programme
For all new employees they will not know what the different departments are or how the systems work. Put together an induction programme so they can spend time in each department, finding out what they do and the roles of the people within it.
This way, when there are any issues, the new person will be able to identify quickly who they need to deal with.
4. End of week review
At the end of the first week the line manager should sit with the new employee for a meeting to reflect on how they have settled in.
This meeting should be seen as an opportunity to iron out any worries or problems that may be occurring, and identify how the induction week has worked.
5. Social time
If one doesn’t already exist introduce a monthly social club. This doesn’t have to be a big outing once a month, but can be meeting for an hour after work at the local coffee shop, going to restaurants or even bowling.
These activities enable everyone to relax and get to know each other better, build relationships and lead to better teamwork in the office.
The workplace is very different now to how it was even 20 years ago, and successful organisations have moved with the times by providing benefits to working for them.
Employees want to work where they feel welcomed and valued, and as such they are more likely to make a valuable contribution to the business which will help it to grow and develop.
