Managing to Make a Difference

Chapter 46Welcome and Integrate New Team Members

For new team members, the first few days and weeks on the job set the stage for their entire tenure with you. Employee orientation helps acclimate people who are new to your organization, but you may also have an opportunity to welcome new people to your team who have already been with the organization for a while. Think about what happens when a new person joins your team.

• What is the experience like for that person?
• What is it like for current team members?
• What do you do to get that person comfortable and productive?
• What do you do to jumpstart trust and collaboration?

A seminar participant recounted her recent experience joining a new department in her organization. The other employees in the department were surprised to see her. They had no idea she was joining. Unfortunately, this experience is all too common. It affects your current team members negatively, too. As a manager, how can you make sure this never happens to anyone who is new to your team?

Many organizations have a formal orientation process for onboarding new hires, and research shows that effectively implementing those kinds of programs results in:

• Increased job satisfaction and commitment
• Improved retention
• Higher performance
• Lower stress¹

You do not need a cumbersome, formal process, but you should be thoughtful and intentional in crafting the experience. We discussed a simple process in Chapter 13, and a simple, consistently applied process is likely ...