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The Value of a Great First Day

By Paige Wilcox

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I joined Rhythm Systems as Client Services ManagerFirst Day Teamwork back in September of last year, and I have to say, my first day stood out as exceptionally thorough and welcoming. It set the right tone for what continues to be a great work experience, so I’m sharing a brief overview of that day to help inspire some on-boarding best practices for your team!

First Impressions Go a Long Way

To kick the day off when I first arrived to the Rhythm office, I was warmly greeted at the door and led to my new office where there was “Welcome!” signage, flowers and some swag waiting for me, along with my company computer that had been completely set-up for me prior to my arrival. Although I had visited the office during my interview process, I was given broader tour and introduced to even more people on the team. I wasn’t left to figure out where I should be and how to get started.

It’s also worth noting that the entire local team went to lunch with me on my first day, which was a great way to get acquainted with both people I’d be working closely with and people in other departments. The execution of a group lunch is of course complicated the larger a company is, but for me, the group lunch made everyone approachable as an available resource, and it was a notable gesture for so many to take time out of their day for it.

Guidance

Of course, many places provide some sort of orientation on a first day, but that can amount to at most an outdated handbook with an expectation to hit the ground running by mid-morning. This was not the case at Rhythm Systems.

I was carefully guided through the company history, the roles and backgrounds of my new colleagues as well as the Strategy and Core Values of the company. I never knew I was missing this level of detail in previous roles until I was given it here, and the context provided was and is so helpful for showing how my role contributes to the bigger picture.

There was a position-specific guide provided and discussed that outlined month-by-month expectations and milestones for my training along with the resources needed to get me fully up to speed. I was also gifted with a thorough walkthrough of internal systems. I continue to reference these guides, which have proved to be absolutely invaluable.

Clear, Manageable Steps Forward

It was evident that a great deal of thought and detail was put into these resources and the hands-on guidance throughout the day. However, the time and effort put into the day paid off exponentially for me, because I left that evening with confidence in what my next steps would be, knowing that I was well-equipped with the resources and support to be successful—and this has been consistently reinforced ever since.

With that, I encourage you to put in some extra time and energy in your process for on-boarding new hires so you and they can be equally in their path towards success!

-Paige

 

Paige Wilcox

 

Photo Credit: iStock by Getty Images