This week Cullen Scholefield is lucky enough to have not just one new starter, not two new starters, but three!
John Williamson and Toni Ross have joined our sales team this week and we’ve also had the pleasure to welcome our local Business Association’s (HHDBA) newest intern Giulia Deegan, who has joined us from Italy.
The new and improved sales and marketing team!
It can be tough on People Professionals inducting one new starter, but it is even tougher to induct three at the same time. Inductions are a very critical time for a new employee. You’ve had them jumping through hoops at the interview stage, but now it’s your turn to impress them. A bad induction could slow your starter’s development or even cause them to leave prematurely. It costs to replace employees and you don’t want them leaving just weeks after hiring them.
While inducting our newest team members this week, we’ve noticed not what is needed, but who is needed to make someone feel welcome in a new company.
The Buddy
It is very daunting starting a new role in a new office, a new town and in the case of Giulia, a new country. It’s a bit like being the new kid at school, all you want to do is make friends and have someone to sit with at lunch. How do you do this though? You don’t want to seem too eager, but you don’t want to appear standoffish. You also don’t want to think about how to make friends all day and miss what is happening in your induction. The easy solution is to take this responsibility away from the newbie. We took Giulia out for dinner as a team, so she could see the social side of the company and Rob and I are happy to show her around the area and make sure that her UK experience is one not to forget. You may not have a starter coming from abroad, but it still makes a difference to have someone go the extra mile and tell the starter who is who and introduce them to the social side of the company.
Giulia, the new HHDBA intern
The Coach
This person is the teacher and the trainer. Before the starter can do their job, they need to know how to do it. This person is usually another employee or even a few people. With our intern, Giulia, we enlisted the help of Rob Gordon to show her the ropes. When choosing a coach its important to know whether they are capable of being a good trainer and also whether they are available from the beginning. There is nothing worse than showing up at a new place of work and having to twiddle your thumbs for a couple of hours, waiting for someone to tell you how to do your job. Make sure you draw up a plan for the starter and that everyone is aware of it, so that they can be inducted and trained quickly.
The Mentor
Once the training and socialising is well on its way, it is good for a starter to know that there is someone they can talk to about their career aspirations and their future at the company. A mentor is a more subtle relationship than a trainer or a friend. Maureen is a well practiced mentor and is on hand to help Giulia get the best out of her internship. A short, informal chat in the first week is a good way to establish the relationship and a clear indication that your door is always open is a good way to maintain it.
The last thing to bear in mind when inducting a new starter is technology. Make sure it’s ready! They will need a laptop with the relevant software installed before they can do anything. As long as you get that one thing right then you’re on the right track!