We’ve all been the newbie at work.

The first little while in a new job can be pretty daunting. New starts want to impress, soak up information about how to do things and most importantly, get along with their new colleagues. Being the new start can be quite overwhelming so as an employer, it’s down to you to support them in the best ways possible.

Today on the Blue Glove Jobs blog, we are talking about how an employer can best support their new starts, to help them enjoy and get the most out of their new role!

Start your new starts off on the right foot – with the basics!

When you’ve hired someone new to join the business, you don’t want to set them up for failure. You want to set off on the right foot. Take time to properly introduce yourself. Take your new start around to meet the team. Introduce them and explain a little bit about what each team member or department does. That way, your new start will know who to speak, should they need to. Show them around the building. Highlight areas of importance, such as fire escape routes, the canteen or kitchen and the staff room. Do they have a locker? If so, point it out.

Even the tiniest details are important.

We’ve all been the newbie, more often than not, the newbie is left to figure out where everything is on their own or who to speak to about certain things. Even the tiniest details such as where the toilets are, where and when everyone goes for lunch, if you have a casual Friday or not. It can be easy to forget these things as they are probably insignificant to you at this point, but they are important for every new start.

Take the time out to teach.

If you want the best from a new start, you need to take out the time to teach. An employee who feels ‘thrown in’ to a role will first of all, feel anxious and under pressure, but will also probably make a lot more mistakes. Some may pick up new tasks easily, others may need a little teaching. Be encouraging and patient.  Take some time to teach your new start what to do but don’t just walk away after you’ve explained. Observe them and help them along the way until they feel confident enough to go it alone. Let them know they can contact you, or another colleague should they encounter any problems.

Check in on them, but don’t check up on them.

You shouldn’t need to hawk-watch a new start. After all, you hired them and should be confident in their ability. It might be nice to pop by their desk for five minutes to see how they’re getting on. Invite them for a quick coffee meeting after a couple of days to see how they are finding their new job. You’ll probably find they’ll have a few questions by this point. If you aren’t able to do this, pick out a senior member of staff who is able to do it on your behalf. A little care goes a long way!

 

What are your top tips for making sure a new start feels supported? Let us know in the comments!