Editor’s note: This article was first published in March 2012. The welcome manual is described as a printed document, whereas today it is often digital.
It’s the first day for everyone involved. New employees arrive full of enthusiasm and motivation. They’ve landed the job, beating other candidates to get it, and the company puts all its hopes and effort into its new colleague.
But this situation is fragile. That initial chemistry is weak and can break easily. Remember that the new colleague (and I stress new colleague) will turn up for work in the best possible shape. They’ll have put on their best clothes and rested as much as they could, or as much as their nerves allowed. If you’ll allow me the comparison, it’s like a relationship that’s just starting, where the first flirtations shape everything that follows.
A new colleague arrives
Improvising is a bad idea and creates a very poor impression. Feeling welcome and looked after makes you value the place you’ve arrived at enormously. We’ve all been in situations where we’ve thought, “What on earth are we doing here?”
A new hire must never be left thinking that. Their arrival should have been announced well in advance. Their manager should have been told they were coming and have everything needed in place to receive them. The manager should have set aside time to listen to them, welcome them and introduce them to the rest of the team.
“Just sit here” won’t do. Their workstation should be set up and working, with everything they need for their daily tasks. The message we want to send is “we were expecting you and we’re glad you’re here”. Forget the idea that some extra pair of hands is coming to lighten our daily workload; think of them as someone who can bring fresh knowledge into the company. The more we value the person, the more at home they’ll feel with us, so their contributions and improvements will show sooner and in better ways.
The welcome manual
The information a new colleague receives on their first day is far more than anyone can take in, so if the company has the means, it’s a good idea to produce a welcome manual. This printed document gathers all the company’s essential information for new hires to use and refer to.
This snapshot of the company will include its key facts: what it does, its history, where it operates, its goals… Don’t forget to include the rights and duties of the staff, employee benefits, the company’s own rules and everything else that makes up their new working environment.
It will become their guide to the company they’ll be devoting their efforts to, and its public face.
Featured image: Tom Chapman, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr.
