Reminiscing back to the time when you first started your very first job and where you just started venturing out your way into the business industry, it was pretty overwhelming and you might even have the sense of blood-curdling running through your veins when entering the office knowing in your mind that you actually have a position lying in the palm of your hands. We’ve all been there before at some point in our lives, not just on our very first job, but every single time we are given the chance to get hired for new opportunities in different kinds of organizations. Be it a senior or junior role, whatever type of position it may be, it does not change or depict the fact that suddenly shifting to a new environment can be a little bit unsettling and be of a twister.
It might have been a nerve-wracking experience with a dash of excitement when you suddenly get hired for a position, but sometimes some individuals would feel like they were that silver needle that was put in the haystack somewhere or that black sheep in the herd full of white sheep. Elaborating and getting more into depth on that, what I mean is that they have felt left out and somehow feels indifferent. They have the utmost sense of inferiority when it comes to their colleagues. You can’t blame them at all, just imagine that they are entering a new environment and the people there basically know each other and have worked with one another already on numerous projects for a long time. Established bonds were already formed beforehand.
There’s this emerging pressure that you’re the new guy. HR managers or leaders as a whole should know that the onboarding process or integrating the new employee to the organization is as important as the interview process. It might even decide how productive or how long they will be working with you.
I know it’s a matter of adapting to the workplace environment gradually and slowly making progress with time, forming better relationships through experience, and the matter of having interests and goals lying on the same plane, but how you welcome a new hire can seriously impact how well he or she will adjust to the new organization.
With that in mind, here are some tips in making the new hire feel welcome in your organization:
Show them that you have been Expecting them
When the new hire arrives on the very first day, sometimes the common scenario is that his colleagues don’t even know that he was coming and actually is a part of the team already. It feels degrading on the side of the new hire to make them feel like they are an outsider or even more of an insult if their colleagues thought he was actually a client or customer asking for inquiries.
It might be a very busy organization but at least have some time to tell other members that there will be a new hire starting on that day. Take some time and effort on your schedule to introduce him to other members of the organization and have his workstation ready a day or two before he comes in. Don’t go rushing around and start to create a fuss the day that he actually arrives. It is disheartening to see his newfound colleagues having problems because of him. Also, the idea of how unprepared you guys are can seriously tarnish the organization’s reputation and company culture in his eyes.
You need to make the new hire feel like he has a place in the team and is truly welcomed with open arms. They may be only filling a position in the recent job vacancy, but welcome them still and make them feel like they truly are a part of the organization. This is a vital factor because first impressions do last.
“Each day holds a surprise. But only if we expect it can we see, hear, or feel it when it comes to us. Let’s not be afraid to receive each day’s surprise, whether it comes to us as sorrow or as joy It will open a new place in our hearts, a place where we can welcome new friends and celebrate more fully our shared humanity.” – Henri Nouwen
Provide a Grand Tour of the Office
They are new in the workplace, right? How about giving them a grand tour where things are at and introducing people to them along the way. Colleagues will be able to know and understand that there is a new employee on board, meaning that they can help whenever they can to try and assist them with the best of their knowledge. If there happen to be some questions at the end of the day, the new hires would be more comfortable asking questions to people they were already introduced to.
Let them be familiarized with the office so they know where they could go and be knowledgeable in who are the people in charge of those departments. They will be able to appreciate how you’ve shown them around and help them make more friends in the workplace. It is basically a very warm feeling and really feels like an authentic welcome. Just give them a little bit of time to get more used too to their new working environment.
“You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water my friend.” ― Bruce Lee
On the Job Training
Training is essential to really welcome new employees in the organization. You could not expect that they already know what they need to do right away, they might have been hired due to their qualifications and skills but that does not mean you do not have to train these people. Don’t get the wrong idea that you’re underestimating their skills but think of it as
It is very essential for you to teach and still guide them on what they are supposed to do in the organization regardless of how qualified they are for the job. This will mitigate them from creating mistakes that can seriously disrupt and impact the flow of productivity in the workplace. They can learn from their mistakes but you need to lend a helping hand and supervise them well.
Be their mentor and teacher, learning never stops even in the workplace. Like learning to ride a bike, they would just need a little bit of a push and some training wheels at the very start. It will take a couple of tries and a few stumbles along the way, but that truly is the process. What defines us are not the mistakes we make, but how we use this to our advantage and sour motivation to stand up each time we fall. Don’t just go overboard and ride a bike to the mountain at the very first try.
I know it can be exciting to have a new employee in the workplace to share and designate tasks to, but please do keep in mind to not overload and give an overwhelmingly challenging task on their first few weeks. Let them adjust first and get a grip on what they are doing, start with simple tasks, slowly but progressively
“The only thing worse than training your employees and having them leave is not training them and having them stay.” — Henry Ford, Founder, Ford Motor Company
