Sadly, in too many organizations an employee’s first day of work is not a positive experience.

In some cases, the people on the new employee’s team don’t even know he’s arriving, and even if they do know it, they have done little preparation to help this new employee get off to a good start. The person does not feel important, significant or particularly welcome.

In some cases an employee’s first day is a brain-numbing orientation, part of which involves a cheerful human resources professional explaining the reasons that can provide the basis for disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

It doesn’t have to be this way in your department. With a modest amount of forethought and creativity, you can make a new employee’s first day of work a terrific day.
Listen in to our podcast as Kyle Bruss and I discuss specific, practical strategies to get employees off to a great start. We’ll discuss:

• How to make new hires feels important and welcome,
• How to help them rapidly develop positive relationships with their co-workers, and
• How to curate your company mythology to vividly illustrate your organization’s values and expectations.

On all our podcasts and blog posts, you have an opportunity to talk back to us through comments and emails. We hope to hear from you! Until next time, manage to make a difference every day.

+ Larry Sternberg, J.D. and Kim Turnage, Ph.D.

This post highlights Chapters 46, 47 and 48 of Kim and Larry’s book Managing to Make a Difference (Wiley), a handbook for hitting the sweet spot of middle management. Connect with Kim Turnage and Larry Sternberg on LinkedIn to see their latest updates.