Mark Hedberg, DrMedVet MRCVS
Well, that was quite the New Year’s Bash you had at your workplace! Still, the work-week has reared its ugly head. You’ve managed to shake off the headache, taken down the bunting, and you’ve successfully removed the HR bloke from where the accountants gaffer taped him to the side of the stationery cupboard.
It’s lucky you didn’t have to do this bit alone, the bright and eager new hire held the ladder for you.
Er, right. The New Hire. Wasn’t she supposed to start next…oh. Today?
Fortunately, there are better ways to welcome new staff members to your business than this scenario. A proper welcome and induction can have a huge effect on your employee retention, as getting them to stay is the key to your business’s stability.
So what’s the first thing you can do to get New Hire into your working ways? Few things are better at saying “I care!” than your being there on their first day at work. Take them around the office, and have them meet everyone they can. Naturally, there are always holidays and sick days, but bringing them into an empty room can be a little discomforting when you’re trying to make them feel at home.
While you’re at it, have you thought about assigning a mentor to New Hire? This is an experienced person who you’ve hopefully scheduled for a similar rota. A good mentor is a member of your staff who’s been there, done that, and got the scars to prove it. (Note: scars are optional.) They are the ones who can field the more everyday questions about the everyday rhythm, as well as the ‘unwritten rules’ that never seem to be in the Employee Handbook. (You do have one, right?)
Of course, it’s important to make sure that the prospective mentor actually wants to be a mentor; otherwise you’ll have two unhappy colleagues: the put-upon mentor and the inadequately supported New Hire!
It’s not all a one-way street, of course. A new staff member is a wonderful chance to find out what’s new on in the rest of the world. They might have a different working style, or a new way of working up business leads and budgets; or maybe just a better way to make tea! You can reciprocate by telling them tips and tricks for managing complex clients, how to deal with old Colonel Bothering de Staff-Constantly, and most importantly – where the secret chocolate stash is for when he’s left the building.
The key word here is “welcome”. People stay where they feel wanted and valued. So the next time you’ve got someone new coming on board, ask yourself: “How can I make them feel welcome?”
Interested in learning more about being a mentor or a manager? Get in touch with CAW Business School at http://business.caw.ac.uk today!