How Can HR Make a New Employee's First Day Welcoming and Successful?

How Should an HR Organize an Employee's First Day in the Organization?

An HR professional plays a crucial role in ensuring that a new employee has a smooth and welcoming experience on their first day at work. Organizing an employee's first day involves a series of steps that are essential for integrating the new hire into the company culture and setting them up for success in their new role.

Key Aspects of Organizing a New Employee's First Day

One of the key aspects of organizing a new employee's first day is proper planning and preparation. This includes ensuring that the necessary paperwork and documentation are ready, setting up the employee's workspace, and scheduling introductions with key team members. Additionally, providing a structured orientation program that covers important information about the company, its policies, and procedures can help the new employee feel informed and supported from day one.

Furthermore, creating a welcoming environment and assigning a buddy or mentor to help the new employee navigate their first day can make a significant difference in their onboarding experience. By taking the time to thoughtfully plan and execute the onboarding process, HR professionals can set the stage for a positive and productive relationship with the new employee.

Overall, organizing an employee's first day requires attention to detail, clear communication, and a focus on making the new hire feel valued and supported as they embark on this new chapter in their career.

An organization should welcome its employees by giving them a tour of the company or relevant department according to their designation. Tell them the company's vision and mission statement, introduce them to their colleagues and coworkers, and brief them about their job responsibilities.

Regards,

In continuation to the above post, HR may provide the new employee with basic requirements (ID card, uniform, shoes, and other formalities) as per the organization's guidelines, which will help with day-to-day transactions. HR may also gather feedback on his/her first-day experience with the organization and clarify doubts patiently at the end of the day.

Regards,
Sekhar

The First Day Experience for New Entrants

The first day for any new entrant, whether they are a fresher or an experienced person, is like a new bride in her in-law's place. Everything looks new and strange, and every face is unfamiliar.

It is ideal to find an existing employee working in the same department as the new entrant and assign the responsibility of guiding the new entrant to this employee. It is beneficial if their age groups are close. This should be in addition to the routine familiarization process, which includes a briefing about the organization, its vision, mission, goals, facilities, working hours, holidays, basic etiquettes, rules, and guidelines. Since it can be difficult to digest or understand everything at once, having a buddy in the department can go a long way in solving minor issues and providing guidance until the new entrant becomes familiar.

Creating a Positive First Day Experience for New Inductees

The first day for a new inductee is often filled with anxiety and high hopes of positive expectations, which will influence their association with the organization. They must be introduced to the team members they will be interacting with, meet the boss they will be reporting to, and connect with the support staff. Furthermore, they must be oriented about the various Standard Operating Procedures (SoPs), while also being introduced to the organizational culture.

Creating this environment, along with fostering a sense of likability, will build a space for a positive and lasting relationship.

A few weeks ago, I spoke with Jane, who had just been hired as a project manager. She was excited to start at the new company, but her first day at work was not exactly a good experience. Her boss was out at meetings all day, and her new colleagues were so busy that nobody had time to brief her on her tasks.

There wasn't even a desk ready for her, and she had to go get a PC from the IT department and an access card from security herself. Jane felt let down, ignored, and badly treated, and now doubts very much whether she took the right job.

A person's first day on a new job is a stressful time even under the best of circumstances. You don't know anyone there, you don't know your job, you don't know the written and unwritten rules of the workplace—and yet you have a burning desire to do well, to show your worth, and to excel.

The least a workplace can do is to make an effort to show new hires that they're wanted and make their first day a nice one.

It's a crucial time, and that is why welcoming new people does actually pay off. Studies show that new employees who have undergone a successful start-up process are 69% more likely to still be in the company after 3 years, and they reach their full production rate 2 months faster.

The alternative—for employees who simply get thrown in to sink or swim—is reality shock. They feel that the job doesn't meet the expectations created during hiring, and that will make them less happy at work, less committed, and more likely to leave the company again.

And this is not exactly rocket science. Here are 4 practical tips on how any organization should treat all new employees.

1: Be There for Them the First Day

It is crucial that the manager is there to meet new employees with a smile and a handshake when they arrive. There should be time set aside for meeting the colleagues, e.g., over breakfast in the department. A bottle of wine or a bouquet of flowers as a small welcome gift would not be a bad thing. The U.S. dialysis company DaVita even sends a bouquet of flowers home to the spouse, to also welcome them into the DaVita family.

Also, the manager should be there again at the end of the first workday to ask how the first day went and follow up on any problems or questions.

2: Have the Practical Stuff Ready

It is not a good sign if people arrive on their first day and neither desk, PC, login, nor access card is ready. That's why all the practical things just have to be in place before they arrive.

3: Give Them a Solid Technical Introduction

It should be needless to mention it, but new employees have to be promptly and thoroughly briefed about the professional skills they need in order to do their job well. At Rosenbluth International, a travel agency in the U.S., all new employees spend a week with one of the most seasoned co-workers so they can see exactly how to do things. Of course, it costs the experienced staff some time, but that time investment pays off many times because the new employees learn how to do the job just as well as the very best.

4: Lay Down the Culture

Just as important as the professional introduction is the cultural one—that new employees from the start experience the organization's culture from its best side. All new employees at Disney World in Florida (about 15,000 new people a year!) take part in a 1-day course called Disney Traditions, which has one single purpose: To teach them the Disney culture. Here, the story of Walt Disney and all the positive things the company stands for is told. It gives pride and happiness at work from day one.

Zappos.com goes even further. The company is only 11 years old but already sells shoes online for over 1 billion dollars a year. Here, all new employees join a 4-week seminar, which introduces them to the professional content of the job, but especially to the Zappos culture characterized by commitment, happiness at work, and good service. As part of the course, all the new people get 'the offer': "If you feel that you do not belong to Zappos, and choose to quit before the course is over, then you get paid for the 4 weeks plus $2000 on top." It ensures that all those who are not quite sure if Zappos is right for them leave the job early.

The first time in a new job very much sets the trend for the rest of your time at the workplace, which is why every workplace should take extreme care to greet people in the best possible way.

And if you want to know how your workplace is doing, here is my challenge to you: Find 3 of your newest employees and ask them how their first days in the company felt. And then listen openly to what they have to say.

- See more at: How to treat new employees