New Kid On The Block — Welcoming A New Hire…

After recently beginning my position as a graphic designer in the TKO Graphix marketing depart­ment, I came to realize the genuine welcome I received was like none I’d expe­ri­enced before. With previous positions, my first days of employ­ment were filled with anxiety and feeling over­whelmed, but the positive approach used by my new employer made me realize the way a new employee is welcomed and treated during their first few weeks could mold the way they feel about the orga­ni­za­tion for years to come.

While inter­act­ing with my new coworkers, terms and jargon were used, provoking tons of questions. My questions resulted from my having yet to learn the everyday inner-workings and terms used by my new employer, or as some state, the “tribal knowledge” of the company. This acqui­si­tion of tribal knowledge, for me, is always one of the most stressful things about starting a new job.

You Can Only Be the “New Girl” For So Long…

On my first day, I was briefed on company policies, read my new handbook, and met many wonderful people — but I had no clue where the water fountain was, where I threw away my trash, or if there was any way I could turn down the intercom volume on my phone. You know, the simple things.

The typical solution to my problem would be to know this knowledge would come even­tu­ally as I gain more expe­ri­ence within the company. There will come a time, however, when I’m no longer the new girl and there will be someone else wondering the same tribal-related questions as I had during my first few days. That made me think – if employers have handbooks for policies, benefits, and retire­ment packages, would it be crazy to include a “Getting Started Kit?”

I’m aware that many large companies have long-term men­tor­ship programs in place to assist newer employees by placing them with more expe­ri­enced ones, or detailed intro­duc­tions to the company and policies, but that’s not what I am proposing with this idea. Despite the issue that it may have to be updated fre­quently, I believe having a light-hearted, short infor­ma­tional brochure (or online PDF) for new hires with the following may be helpful:

• • List of employees, including names, positions, a brief job descrip­tion, phone extension, and email. Also, an orga­ni­za­tional chart would be helpful.
• • Brief tips from super­vi­sors, other recent hires, or expe­ri­enced co-workers on how to be a suc­cess­ful member of the team.
• • A map of the building and premises, which could be marked for each new employee showing appro­pri­ate parking, bathrooms, and emergency exits.
• • A FAQ answering questions new hires may have that employers don’t think to mention during training (e.g. where do I throw away my trash?)

Luckily, I’ve been given an out­stand­ing team to work with, but other new hires at different orga­ni­za­tions may not be as fortunate. I am finally feeling confident in my abilities to find the trash bags, the bathrooms, and the way to the inter­state from the parking lot and am slowly, but surely, becoming accli­mated with the TKO tribe. My first few days of excite­ment and learning, as well as the positive welcome I received, set the precedent for the future and I look forward to growing into a valuable member of this team.