Brilliant Onboarding: Getting week 1 right for new starters.
An essential part of the Onboarding Experience is that first week.
This is the first time they are fully part of your organisation and it’s a risk point when they might start asking the question…” have I done the right thing here?”
If you’ve been following my blogs and guides so far, you’ll know that you can make a huge difference to how week 1 feels with a brilliant Onboarding Experience between them accepting and this point.
If you haven’t done any of that, then you’re putting more pressure on week 1 however just because you’ve aced pre-onboarding that doesn’t mean you can take it easy now!
Now is where you benefit from that care and attention prior to day 1 and if you are starting fresh from day 1 then you might be able to recover things with a cracking week 1.
Remember, that in line with my Guide to Brilliant Onboarding, the Leader of the new starter is accountable for the success of their Onboarding Experience but People Teams should be supporting in guiding Leaders on what makes a brilliant experience for onboarding, including helping them work out what to do when.
I’m sharing here, what’s important to get right in week 1 and how you can help the Leaders you partner do this successfully.
1. They know what’s coming and have been involved in the plan.
The Leader should be getting the new starter involved in the planning for week 1 so they are helping them feel included. Try to get the balance right in this first week between interactive and explorative opportunities with time to breathe. You don’t want them getting bored but not too overwhelmed either.
Remember that the Leader is still getting to know them (I’m assuming there) and they are doing the same with the Leader. They may be eager to take things on and prove themselves, but the Leader should keep an eye on this giving them plenty of time and space to focus on their relationship rather than proving themselves. Reassure them that there is no rush.
They may have learning or working styles that aren’t the same as the Leader's or that aren’t familiar to them – they should avoid making too many assumptions here and ensure they ask open questions, letting the new starter lead on what they need.
Once the Leader has a clear enough view of a plan for week 1, they should share it with their new starter ahead of time, so they know what their week is going to look like. They should leave some flexibility in the plan but providing a level of structure helps remove some of the anxiety around “I don’t know what’s happening!”
2. Their new manager welcomes them and mirrors their working mode.
This is totally about helping them to feel welcome and included. If you have a new starter – it shouldn’t be a surprise, so unless the meetings in the diary that day are meetings, they are going to with them, there should be nothing else in the diary. It is all about them on day 1.
If they are arriving at a physical workplace on that first day, then ensure their manager is collecting them at reception, being there, showing them where to go, and demonstrating it was important that they did that. Their Leader should be fully part of that day 1 experience. You could recommend that they take them to a favourite lunch spot, and check before what they want to do, they may prefer to just go for coffee and have their own lunch but offer it.
If they are starting that first day remotely, then ensure that the manager is mirroring that, even when there is a hybrid workplace. By mirroring you don’t risk that new person feeling guilty for not being in the same place – this also demonstrates that the manager is working in that way too. If they are both remote, consider a lunch or coffee delivery just to create the connection and moment together.
These things show intent and a desire to build on the relationship already developed.
3. They have what they need to get started.
This is a big one from my Guide for Brilliant Onboarding – Get the Basics Right! They might not need absolutely everything on day 1 but you need to make sure they have everything they need to get started that day and for that week. Make sure that the Leader is ahead with organising this in good time and they understand it is their responsibility.
If there’s been plenty of time to arrange these things, especially when there has been a long notice period, not having this right sends a big message and not a good one.
Leaders should talk to new starters before they start about what they’ll be getting so they know and check if they’ve missed anything. It may be they have requirements or adjustments that they need, and this is the opportunity not to miss this. If they know beforehand, they won’t be making assumptions to be disappointed about either – “oh…I got a PC, I assumed I was getting an iPad”.
The Leader needs to make sure they have the passcodes and access to software that they need too, otherwise, we really might be in a ‘compute says no!’ situation.
4. They’ve started their orientation.
The orientation considers the physical (if this applies) and the virtual workspaces. Leaders need to help them get familiar with the basics and key points for their plan for week 1 and then plan time on week 2 to start introducing more.
If the Leader is not best equipped to do these things, then they need to have someone set up to support this.
Hopefully, they are being assigned a ‘welcome buddy’ who is going to be their additional source of support – week 1 (preferably day 1) is a good time for them to get introduced.
5. They have short-term performance goals.
We’ve covered not putting too much pressure on the new starter, so in no way am I talking about fully developed goals and objectives here.
But I do think that week 1 should be getting them into a place where they are clear about the purpose of the role and what will be needed from them overall. Alongside that, and as part of their overall Onboarding Experience, the Leader should be agreeing with them some short-term goals for their first 1-3 months.
This is about achievable performance milestones that start demonstrating to them that the role is right for them and that they are making progress. One of the key reasons people leave roles early is that they didn’t feel it was right for them or it didn’t meet their expectations.
Starting with short-term goals can help identify early successes and the realities of the role in this early phase. They provide an anchor early on but will link to the overall purpose and long-term goal setting. This will also help to identify early where they may need development or support.
6. Supporting those who will be Leading.
You need this new Leader to understand what your expectations are of them. Hopefully, this has been clear as part of the recruitment process and during discussions before day 1 but week 1 is a good time to revisit this.
If this hasn’t been done already, start to talk about where they may need development or support to ensure they are confident, capable, and effective quickly in this leadership aspect of their role.
They also need to be successfully introduced to begin their integration into this new role. Ensure that their Leader is properly introducing them to their new team and that time in week 1 is being prioritised for the team too, as this is an important week for them also.
7. Check in throughout the week and plan for week 2 together.
Make sure the Leader has time scheduled with their new starter throughout the week, they should be engaging with them daily and offering support, time to answer questions, or just an opportunity to continue building rapport.
On the last working day of that week, they should take a full look at how the week has gone and consider the priorities for the following week. If there was already a plan in place,
Does that still work?
Does anything need to change based on how week 1 has gone?
What other things need to be considered for later?
What has been missed that can be captured and resolved quickly?
They should be given space to reflect on their week, how are they really feeling, and to be OK with them perhaps holding back a bit still, they are continuing to find their feet and continuing to build their relationship with the Leader (and the wider organisation) – but their Leader should check in with them and identify any issues.
They should thank them for what they’ve done that week, show what you’ve noticed about them, and the positives that are already visible. This will leave them feeling more prepared for week 2.
Making a good start is an important way to get a new starter confident and happy about their decision to join you.
Preparing your Leaders to do this well will enable them to recognise their accountability for this and to take charge of what good looks like.
What else would you recommend to others to ensure new starters have a great first week? Share these ideas in the comments.