guiness416: Your company’s approach sounds much more useful when people do something useful AND get to meet others over lunch.

Xaphire: I think just being thrown in can work for some people provided they have a personality that can tolerate the uncertainty (which you obviously do) AND that they get the necessary help from their surroundings.

Cecile: “the thing I would like the most is my manager to really ask me how I would like to be managed and what’s the way I learn.” – I love it. I think that’s the least you can ask of a new boss!

DC: I agree – that is probably why most companies do cultural intros.

Mary Ellen: Sounds like an awesome place to work. I loved the video too!!

YanKee: That sounds like a great way to do it and it’s clear that you had a nice first day. Can I ask you what company this is?

Anders V: Yeah, I do tend to write to big corporations. Which is silly, considering that the majority of new job creation takes place in smaller businesses. I think…

Luciano: Just goes to show that a bad first day can still lead to a good job. But why not give people a GREAT first day :o)

Chris: Awesome – I like the idea of the lunches and the gift. Flowers are nice too :o)

Gerard: Yikes! That’s just stupid to treat new people like that.

Jeff: The card is an AWESOME idea. I’m gonna steal that :o)

Alexandra: Thanks for that story and I’m glad things worked out anyhow :o)

Jessica: Good to hear from you again! I like your fantasy and I honestly think that this is totally doable – and a great idea.

Ideally, this is what I would want my new employer to do (keep in mind this is a fantasy): On the first day I would be given a look book with pictures of my colleagues with their names and job functions/titles. I would have someone assigned to me every day of the week (a different person each day) to show me around and have lunch with me. The CEO and or the VP would have a meeting with me to say hello for at least 15-20 minutes to welcome me to the company and I would get a Starbucks gift card or something like it as a welcome gift to the company.

This is a fantasy. Does it ever happen? What do you all think about my idea? It could be fun to get to know one another…

I also think there are a couple of questions a leader can ask of a new employee to really engage them in the work – and the organization – right from the start. They are posted at my blog http://www.orangeslicetraining.com/2009/07/daydreaming_for_better_engagement/

I have two memorable first days: One was arriving at my new desk and finding a bouquet of flowers from my new VP (not my direct manager) with a lovely note welcoming me to the team. At another job that had a large orientation, my new VP showed up at the end to escort me to my new work area (which was another building). We chatted for about 15 minutes and when we got to my new workplace he introduced me around the office. How cool is that?

8:30 and I’m still standing in the lobby when all the other interns are gone. The Coordinator tries calling both my Mentor & Manager to no response. Finally she gets a hold of the group’s admin who comes to get me.

My mentor ends up showing up around 9:30am. The Manager is out of the country on business. Not the best first impression.

Didn’t turn out too bad- I’ve been working there full-time for the last 5 years. Both my previous Manager & Mentor are gone from the company now though.

Oh, did you just ask me another question whether I think that in general most stuff is written and considered for coporate big-shot? :-) Yes, I do – in small companies we’re not all that focused on global strategic initiatives and the internal policies for whatever (including new employees) – it’s really just something we try to do with common sense.

//Anders

On the HQ campus (+1000 employees) he insists to invite all new employees (from all local companies, from ALL jobs, not just management or office workers) for a lunch about every second or third month (a maximum of 10-15 people), to meet them, learn about where they come from, what they did and what they do now, what they learned so far and instilling them with his passion.

I happened to be in a video conference with some guys from Asia about two months in my job, when suddenly he dropped into their conference room, greeted everybody (including myself at the other end), still knowing my name and my position from that lunch meeting some weeks before, joking about my former employer (something we briefly touched while having some conversation during lunch) and telling my asian colleagues what I have done before and that they better do what I say, as he gave my boss (n-2) that extra budget to do what we are obviously talking about right now. BTW: I have not met him after the lunch meeting…

Anyway, that special culture was something I also found out on my first day on my new job, meeting my team for the first time. Everyone was waiting for me (HR brought me into my office), we had a breakfast together, which was also used as an informal introduction meeting, where everyone seemed encouraged to not just talk business, but also private life, before my nominated “mentor” brought me to my boss, who welcomed me and walked around the whole department with both of us. The same happened there, I was not just introduced to everyone, but everyone was really willing to talk to me (both business and private life), encouraged questions and really took some time. After that, I did not even know where my desk was, my team and some key people took me for lunch, we sparely talked business until after lunch.

After lunch my mentor brought me to my desk, placed himself at a neighbour-desk (which was not his normal working place) and helped me to get started, while working on that desk for two more days, before moving back again (but still be available for my questions and taking care to integrate me into the whole department).

On a second meeting with each and every teamleader of my department (together with some other new hires) we were given details on what their teams job is, what the role of each and every of their team members is and what all of them are currently working on.

I learned a lot about how the company works, before even having my official introduction days, and that was consistent with what I felt there.

You might say, that as an n-3 (yes, I manage a team of IT teamleaders and project managers), that´s the way they handle management employees, but that is not the case – they do that with each and every new hire on every level and I had the pleasure to be a mentor for two new hires (not from my team, and just one being a manager) and really enjoyed giving them a good start, too.

After around two years into my job now, I still love it and never ever thought about leaving, because although we work hard, we all have that special passion and we love what we do ;-)

Being happy at work has definitely pushed me to work harder and WANT to do a good job, not because I am getting paid to, but I am liking what I am doing for the first time in a long time.