We were all once new employees at some point in the company that we are currently working in. So when a newbie arrives, we know how he or she might feel in the new environment. Whether you be the boss, supervisor, or fellow colleague, a new employee might come forward to you and ask how he or she can adapt to the dynamic in your specific workplace.
As someone who has been working for the company for a while, you can always offer information that will help these new employees. Helping them will also help ease your work. For one, you can give important information and strategies on how tasks are done and accomplished in the office. This can help new employees be more productive that in effect, will help the whole office have a better workflow.
It’s typical that new employees will be given advice by upper management and the officers from the human resources department. These include managers, supervisors, team leaders, department heads, and hiring agents. While these people are the expected guidance coaches, anyone can give their advice to a new face on the company’s roster.
Here are some tips for new employees to adjust much more quickly and easily to their new place of work.
1. Observe the new environment.
A new employee will know more about the company and its people if he or she takes a few days into getting to know more about the environment. These details include lunch places, time to go in and out, dress code, social media usage, appropriate behavior in the office, etc. Encourage these newbies to ask questions to anyone so they have a better understanding of the new environment that they will be working in. The handbook is also a good resource to answer a new employee’s questions.
2. Bond with other employees during and after work.
Working with your colleagues is also about meeting new friends. The new employee will be much more comfortable, knowing that they have the same wavelength and energy. They will also have an idea of how a particular officemate works and how they’ll be able to adjust to each person’s work ethic. The new employee will now have more confidence to tackle tasks because he or she knows that someone in the team has his or her back.
Give the new employee an assignment to know all the names of everybody. This breaks the ice or any awkwardness as old employees will surely get touched that they are recognized by a regular colleague.
3. Work on having a good first impression.
All eyes are on you so don’t be surprised when and if people will talk about you and your personal affairs. When you first walk into that office, people will take a look at you and develop a first impression in their heads. Talk to your new employees and introduce their co-workers to them in a good light. When they are in a good mood to talk to their new office mates, the oldies will also gravitate towards his or her company, thinking that the new employee is reliable, hardworking, and friendly—an absolute pleasure to work with. Still at their best, new employees can maximize this time and opportunity to showcase what they can really do for the project. Being productive and having a great performance at work will give a good impression to their other officemates.
4. Do not be shy to have a more active participation in meetings.
It can only build your confidence, something that will come in handy when you are about to work. New employees have fresh ideas so don’t forget to remind them to speak out when they attend a meeting, even if it’s for the first time. Just make sure that what they’re saying will contribute to the meeting’s agenda. Since it’s easier said than done to not be shy as a new employee, you can open the floor for questions before the meeting is adjourned.
5. Be assertive about their boundaries.
Let new employees know that this is the perfect time for them to introduce their boundaries. They should be in the know of the company’s protocols and that’s when you can open the room for them to air what their boundaries are. Ask them what changes they want to incorporate and see if that could be worked around to meet the company rules.
6. Remind them to take notes.
A new work environment can become overwhelming to anyone. They will tend to forget some things because of the surge of information they are receiving in one go. For them to not forget anything, they should be jotting down notes. Their notes can be their future reference and the only time they would ask is when something is not clear in their notes. It’s also a good habit to acquire from the very start so that they are mindful of every deadline, name, important task, etc that they have to remember.
7. Do not be shy to ask for help.
Always let new employees know when you have the time to answer their questions or to help them with a task. Opening the floor for that may help the new employee be more comfortable to ask for help instead of resisting it. Open different platforms or lines of communication where they can ask you directly and in private. Because of the help, they’ll be able to manage their time much more wisely.
8. Invest in tools to help them at present and in the long run.
You could furnish a list of tools that have helped you in this career for your lost new employee. These tools have clearly helped you stay up until now in your current job and it would be useful information to know from the get-go.
One worthy investment is ergonomic furniture. It can help boost efficiency and improve work productivity. It can also protect their health from the dangers of prolonged sitting and minimize the muscle aches that they would encounter in their day-to-day work.