Hey, strangers!

Okay, I know…it’s been a minute since my last post.  It’s been a crazy few weeks!  No excuses.

Now that we have that out of the way…

At the “day job”, I lead New Employee Orientation every other Monday.  Some people might see this as a chore; a necessary task in the life of a Learning & Development professional – particularly those who see the compliance of it all to be just sooooo HR.  Well, I don’t see it that way.  Actually, it’s one of my favorite parts of what I do.  Don’t get me wrong, I have to grit my teeth and get through the HRish parts of the process.  But having the opportunity to connect with each and every new employee that walks through our door, regardless of role, is a treat for me.

I do my part on Day One; then like a mother bird sending her babies out on their first solo flight, I step back and hope they do alright out there.  I’m confident in their technical ability; we have a terrific recruiting team that can sniff out some pretty great talent.  What worries me is how those baby birds will navigate the organizational culture.  How they will translate the unwritten language of our company.  How they will learn all those little nuggets that seasoned employees will step back and say, “I wish someone had told me when I first started….”

And then I remember.

They have a guide to help them with all of these things, and much more.  Their hiring manager.  The person who was by their side through the interview process, and saw something in that person that would be an asset to the team.  This mama bird can sit back in the nest, and get ready for the next crop of new employees who will come through Orientation, and know things will be just fine.

Every now and then, however, a manager doesn’t really know what to do, besides toss some files at him and tell  a new employee to study some projects, read some emails, or shadow someone on the team.  Those new managers just need a little guidance (and sometimes a kick in the pants).  In a previous post, I tell those hiring managers exactly what they need to hear…you can check that post out here.  To continue the topic, I’ve created this little guide for hiring managers looking for simple ways to welcome new employees. Feel free to share it with managers, as part of your internal onboarding process.  Enjoy!

6 Easy Ways Hiring Managers Can Make New Employees Feel Welcome

Your turn: How do managers in your organization make new employees feel welcome?  How do you engage these important onboarding partners?  Your comments, thoughts and feeback are always appreciated…

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