How To Help The Newest Hire Feel At Home

Do you remember your first day at your job? If you do you likely remember how stressed and anxious you were going into that day. Starting a new job is an exciting time of change and opportunity but it is also often uncomfortable and stressful. There is a reason why people always say the first day is the hardest. As an employee there are steps you can take to help new people feel more comfortable and to more quickly incorporate them into the team.

Make sure that if this new employee is reporting directly to you, that you are there to welcome them. Don’t just leave them to deal with all of the hurdles that Human Resources is bound to throw at them. Make time in the day to meet with them and answer any questions or concerns they may have.

You should also ensure that the new employee has a prepared and functioning workspace. It’s not fair to make them set everything up it is a waste of time and is extremely off putting. If you give them an office space that is ready to go they’ll be more likely to be able to get to work and will feel much more welcome.

Introduce them to everybody you work with. Don’t place them in the center of the room and make an announcement, that isn’t really an introduction and it places them on the spot. Personally introduce them to each person on your team. You should also arrange for a few people to take the new employee out to lunch, that way they can start making friends and they have an opportunity to ask questions without worrying about the boss overhearing.

Include your newest member in every group activity that goes on starting the first day. Whether it is a birthday celebration or team meeting they need to be included. If you don’t do this they will feel left out and disconnected.

Give the employee tasks and goals as quickly as possible. By giving them a list of things to do they will be least anxious and feel more productive. Even if the tasks are very simple and irrelevant to the position keeping busy helps the day go by faster and they’ll feel less out of place.

Help the employee get started with their new job. Set up short term and long term goals, and have arranged performance reviews set up. Let them know what you are expecting of them and then allow them to ask any questions that may come up. Don’t just expect them to get going after that, offer yourself up for further questions and make sure they know you won’t judge them for asking.