The First Week

The first week might feel like a whirlwind for your new employee with lots of meetings and information, therefore, it is important that this is balanced with time to rest and reflect.

During the first week, the primary focus should be on helping your new employee settle, discussing key information such as the objectives for the role and the team, your expectations and some of the key information about the institution and organisation more widely.

Most employees decide within 10 days whether they’ll stay, and 33% of new employees quit within their first six months, therefore it is imperative to not allow issues to build up during week one. Setting some time aside at the end of each day during the first week to address any questions and concerns before your new starter leaves work for the day will help them go home knowing that they want to return.

Creating the right balance for the first week

  • Leave space for your new joiner to absorb the content and formulate and ask questions;
  • Make the programme collaborative (where possible and appropriate), enabling them to input when they’re ready for more content, and when they need a break;
  • Spread induction activities over a longer period, avoiding the temptation to top load the first day and week with too much new information.

After meeting the immediate team, it is also important that the line manager identifies key colleagues within the organisation that the new employee should meet. Within the first few weeks, the new employee should be scheduled to with a phone call or meeting with each of them to discuss their role and how they may be working together moving forward. This will not only help the new employee to meet more colleagues but will also represent a valuable opportunity for your new employee to understand the organisation, the structure and perhaps the processes that are relevant within their role.

During the early stages of the employment, such interactions should be brief to avoid information overload and should be informal in nature, however, this should be judged on a case by case basis, as appropriate to the role.

You might want to consider:

  • Briefing the colleague on what should be covered in the initial conversation and the sort of information that may be helpful to the new employee;
  • How many colleagues should be introduced during the first week;
  • Whether it is possible to introduce some of the institutional management team to the new employee, to welcome the new employee and discuss the vision of the institution.

Often, managers are likely to be able to see their new employee in person to check that everything is going as expected. Where this is not possible (due to meeting commitments, for instance), the manager is encouraged to consider how they can remain in touch with the new employee, both formally and informally.

It is important to note that the line manager should try to achieve balance in communication during this initial period, somewhere between a complete lack of contact (which can lead to your new employee feeling disconnected) and over communication (which may suggest a lack of trust). Whilst you don’t want to overwhelm your new employee, you do want them to feel welcomed and certain that they’re getting the tools and instructions needed to navigate the road ahead.

The manager will be able to judge each induction programme to identify the correct level of contact and support for the new employee. Be clear with your new employee how they can contact you and be clear in your willingness to help address any issues.

During the first week, it is also important to clearly communicate your expectations. You should ensure that your new employee has a clear picture of:

  • their duties,
  • institution values,
  • team objectives and
  • individual goals.
  • You should also establish time frames for training, formal probationary reviews, and milestones. Discussing upcoming projects, management structures, and access to shared employee resources will also be helpful to your new employee moving forward as you start to build the foundations for the longer-term vision.

 

Top tips:

  • Schedule a daily catch-up meeting or telephone call with the new employee for both formal and informal discussions.
  • Communication should cover both the practical (what you need to do today and how to do it) and the social.

One of the critical elements of a traditional face-to-face induction programme is to introduce the new employee to the rest of the team. This helps the employee settle into their role by understanding who they are going to be working with whilst providing some contextual information about the key roles within the immediate function of their team.

It is recommended that the manager tries to arrange an initial introduction or meeting on the first day with the whole team (or essential immediate colleagues for larger teams) to introduce everyone.

You should encourage each individual to give an overview of what they do, and how they’ll be working with the new member of the team – which should contribute to a friendly first impression for the new employee and enables them to ‘put names to the faces’. If you have arranged an introductory meeting, you may also ask the new employee to briefly introduce themselves to the team, perhaps asking them to give short summary of the role that they were in prior to joining the University.