Onboarding the new hire

After a long search, you've finally hired the ideal candidate for the job. Today is her first day of work. What she experiences will have a major impact on her future with your company. As the commercial says, you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

Most companies know to show a new employee the location of the washroom and coffee machine. Often the hiring manager will take the new hire to lunch. The new employee typically gets a binder from HR outlining all of the company's policies and procedures to minimize the potential for lawsuits. And sometimes there is a formal new employee orientation session where all new hires are put in a room and given fairly generic information about a company's culture.

These sessions tend to be fascinating...

Most people are nervous on their first day of work. Often, they've resigned from a job that - while not as intriguing as yours - offered some positives. Just as it's easy to see the old high school boyfriend who has turned up on Facebook through rose-coloured glasses, it's easy for a new hire to remember how great her last job was - and have regrets about yours - if you don't make the onboarding process more engaging.

In his book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, Daniel Pink explores the key factors that motivate employees: autonomy, mastery and purpose. In other words, we all need to "direct our own lives, learn and create new things, and do better by ourselves and our world."


Autonomy: New employees want assurance that they and their ideas matter and are important to the company. This gives them the sense that they will have some control in their new environment. It's hard to send out this message if the onboarding process focuses on generic training sessions and binders filled with policy. Let people know that they were hired because you need them. And that you cannot wait to see what they can contribute. Let them know that while the company has a great culture, you are eager to see how they shape things too. Everyone likes to feel valued.

Mastery: People hate feeling incompetent. When you do not know where the bathroom is, it's hard to feel confident about anything. The first weeks on the job can be highly demotivating since it's so hard to feel a sense of mastery. You hired the candidate for their skills and expertise. Let them use them right away so they gain an immediate sense of competence in their new environment. Tap into the new hire's greatest strengths. You know that thing he talked about loving to do in the interview? Make sure he does a lot of that as soon as he starts work.

Purpose: Everyone wants to feel part of something bigger. That's why people get satisfaction from work. It's up to you to make the connection between what this new hire can do and the goals of the organization. A new employee orientation session that focuses on the company's mission, vision and goals is time well spent if you link those elements to the skills and experience of the new hire. (Hey Mr. X, here at Corporation Z, we pride ourselves on being the number one seller of widgets in the world. It's a pleasure to know that we have just hired the number one sales guy on the eastern seabord in sprockets. You'll be a fabulous fit here! Now let's talk about what we are hoping to accomplish together...)

Making an employee feel valued, competent and part of something great will go a long way toward making that person feel he has made a great career move. The quicker an employee feels this way, they faster she will be able to contribute to your organization. Which, of course, was the whole point of the hire.

Happy hunting!

Nancy