Chapter 19

Ten Ways to Engage New Hires

In This Chapter

Engaging new employees from the minute you say, “You're hired!”

Keeping new hires engaged in the first days, weeks, and months

You've been waiting since, like, forever to get this position filled. Finally — the newbie starts next week. Awesome! But will it be awesome for him? In other words, have you thoughtfully planned out how you'll engage this new hire? Normal emotions for a new employee include being anxious, feeling nervous, and suffering from a lack of confidence. (That'll happen to anyone who feels like he has to ask 10,000 questions in a single day!) Here are ten practical, low-cost ways to engage new employees and put their minds at ease. Remember: You don't have to be all old school about it — c'mon, have some fun!

Start Before the First Day

You can bet your new employee will be planning out her first day. This will include everything — the clothes she wears (Is it clean? Is it ironed?), the route she takes to work, where she parks, and so on. Likewise, as a manager, you should be making some plans of your own — plans that go beyond simply meeting this new employee at the door on her first day.

Specifically, call the new employee two days before she starts in her new role. Ask her if she has any questions about her first day, such as what time she should arrive and where she should go when she enters the building. You should also outline the expectations for the new hire's first few days, whatever they may be for your organization.

A lot of new-hire nerves occur because the incoming employee doesn't yet have all the facts. The more you can prepare her for that first day, the more at ease she'll be — and the more engaged you'll appear as a manager.

Make the New Hire Feel Welcome on Day One

Have you ever committed to a time-share presentation in exchange for a free dinner or complimentary theme park tickets? If you weren't able to escape before the salesperson handcuffed you to the table until you “invested” in a time-share unit, you may have experienced a few staples of time-share salesmanship, including how spectacular the model unit looks. I once attended a presentation where a women who I swear was Aunt Bee from the old Andy Griffith Show, was baking and handing out homemade chocolate-chip cookies. The décor, the cookies, the smell, and the niceness of Aunt Bee almost got the best of me. If my wife hadn't dragged me away, I may have got myself a time-share week (or two!).

So, what's the takeaway for new hires? Before they arrive on day one, make sure their workstations are “decorated” in a way that's inviting. Business cards have been ordered, the computer is set up, supplies are filled, and so on. Put flowers on the person's desk or work area, along with a welcome gift certificate. Change the screensaver on the person's computer screen to a message like, “Welcome, Mary Smith!” You can even put a welcome message for the new hire on the cafeteria menu board.

Load ‘Em Up with Swag

Have you ever walked the aisles of a trade show, stuffing your conference bag with swag — cheap pens, balls, bobble-head dolls, yo-yos, and so on — all sporting some company's logo?

The fact is, everybody loves swag, including new hires. Giving all new hires a pullover with the company logo, a coffee cup, a baseball cap, a computer backpack, or what have you isn't prohibitively expensive. This symbolic gesture not only serves as a great engagement driver, but also helps in your company's branding — or, more specifically, it's tri-branding — efforts. (For more on tri-branding, turn to Chapter 10.)

If you can, be creative! Present the swag as a “Welcome New Hire Kit” or as “New Employee Survival Gear.” You don't have to be Martha Stewart — just try to do something more than tossing a T-shirt (which may or may not fit) on the new hire's desk.

Give the New Hire a Welcome Tour

Odds are, your new hire has put plenty of pressure on herself to adapt quickly to her new job environment. To help ease this pressure, plan a “Welcome Aboard” tour.

The key word here? “Plan.” Don't play this by ear, corralling some random, unsuspecting employee to give the tour. Instead, work with team members to ensure that the tour is given by someone who is capable of showing the new employee around and answering any questions that arise, and who will enjoy doing so.

You don't have to roll out the red carpet. But do be thoughtful, mindful, and prepared. A tour guide will help the new employee feel welcome, respected, and more at ease.

Stop Making Snoozer Introductions

The first few days at a new job usually involve a major brain dump. They're informative but probably not much fun.

How can you share important information with newbies about the company and other employees in a fun way? Easy . . . if you're dealing with a group of new employees. Simply gather them together, hand out index cards, and ask each new hire to write down one “amazing” thing about himself that others would find interesting. Then collect the cards, read them aloud, and have your new employees guess which person achieved which amazing thing. For example, you might ask, “Can you guess which one of you rides a Harley? Was born in Peru? Had an article published in a well-known national newspaper? Has gone sky-diving?”

This activity is a great and stress-free way to help forge friendships among your new hires!

Recognize That Cliques Exist — Even in the Business World

Although we would like to think we left cliques behind in high school, the sad truth is, we haven't.

Once, on my first day at a new job, I was invited to join the team for lunch. But on day two, the “team” walked right by me on their way to the cafeteria. Maybe they were waiting for me to join them . . . but of course, I was waiting for them to ask. It became obvious to me that they had been assigned to take me to lunch that first day, and now that they'd completed that assignment, they felt free to go about their merry way — without me! Soon, I managed to break into the group, but I'll always remember the feeling of isolation I experienced on that second day.

There will always be cliques at the workplace, but you don't want new employees to feel like they won't ever fit in. New workers don't have to be BFFs with their co-workers by the end of their first week, but they do need to be made to feel welcome.

To lower a new hire's angst about being the new kid, be sure to invite him to lunch . . . after his first day. If members of your department eat at a company cafeteria — or just tend to gather at a certain lunchtime spot — make sure the newbie is invited. Don't allow new hires to feel excluded, especially at the beginning of their tenure, when they're already ill at ease. Be aware and be proactive to help them join in some social circles. Remember: You were on the outside once, too.

Introduce New Hires to the C Levels

If at all possible, include a member of the C-suite (ideally, the president or CEO if the company is small enough) or the head of the business unit in the orientation process. This person could serve as part of the “Welcome Committee” and/or provide an overview of the company's culture.

Of course, this is more efficiently done if you're dealing with a group of new hires. If you're hiring only a single person, try to schedule a time that he can meet with a member of the leadership team. This can be as simple as a brief introduction in which the executive is informed of the new hire's presence and role and given the opportunity to shake hands.

The point is to create a culture in which the leadership is viewed as approachable. You don't want newbies to feel like they can't even say good morning to top executives on the elevator! New hires will feel more at ease if they're introduced to leaders, even if only briefly. After all, we all put our pants on one leg at a time.

Take the Mystery Out of It (and Stay More Productive Yourself)

New employees have a lot of questions — and that's a good thing. Their curiosity shows that they're engaged. Even if you have a new hire training program, realize that they're drinking from a fire hose. Some things simply won't sink in until the new hire is faced with a situation in which the information becomes relevant.

To help employees through those confusing early weeks of their employment, provide them with a list of people to contact when they have questions. For example:

• When you have a legal question about contracts, contact Claire. If she's out, try Jerry.
• When you need budget approval over $100, ask Allan. If it's under $100, don't ask. It's our policy.
• If you have a question about your benefits, call Brendan in HR. If he's out, ask for Ed.
• If you need to order software, contact Bruce in IT. For hardware questions, you'll need to contact Lynn.

Make their lives easier by including the names, titles, and extensions of these key individuals. Don't forget to tell new hires that if they have any questions about any processes, ask a team member, or feel free to ask you!

Have New Hires Meet with Key People in the First Month

Enter the time machine and think back to your elementary school years. Remember the excitement you felt when a new student entered your class? It always seemed like everyone wanted to be the new student's best friend (validating, yet again, the fact that humans are an extremely social breed). The same thing happens in the workplace. Smart organizations leverage this by immediately connecting their new recruits with key members of the firm, often on day one of orientation.

During the onboarding process, provide a list of key individuals to each new hire and suggest that they connect during the first 30 days. To ensure these meetings go beyond a simple “I'm Marissa Smith from Operations, and I just started, so I wanted to drop by and say hi,” consider creating a one-page meeting questionnaire and checklist. This may include questions such as the following:

• What is your job at the company?
• How many years have you worked here?
• What is one thing that you've learned that will really help me be successful?
• How can I help you?

This is a great way to demonstrate your mutual commitment with the employee. In other words, it's not just the company helping the employee navigate orientation, but also getting the employee to actively “orient.”

Another great idea — one that a client of mine adopted — is to have all new hires, during their first year on the job, include a tagline on their e-mail signatures that says, “Newly hired on _____.” This tagline becomes a conversation piece and encourages others to reach out to the new hire. It also buys the new hire a bit of forgiveness if he struggles during his early days on the job.

Set Goals for New Hires

New employees can easily feel totally overwhelmed in their first few weeks, or even months, in a new job. There's so much to learn, and they want to achieve and perform their best. Even seasoned professionals with 20+ years of experience can feel like this when they switch jobs and change companies!

To help them, provide goals for a new hire's first week, her second week, and then for her 30-, 60-, and 90-day marks. This will help her to prioritize and focus, and will calm her anxiety. (“There is so much to learn! Where do I begin?”) New hires don't want to feel needy, and they're anxious to achieve. Help them become more independent and confident.

Of course, this will require some cooperation with your HR department or among departments. But if your new employee was part of a group of new hires on day one, schedule some time on day 30 and day 60 for that group to share their reflections on being a new hire. You never know . . . you may even learn something!