Train people right from the start

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If you've ever started a new job and discovered your new employer wasn't prepared for you from the moment you walked in the door, you know that the impression you make on an employee's first day can send messages about culture and expectations right from the start. Here are three concrete ways you can ensure a new staff member's first few weeks go smoothly.

• Create a training agenda. Before your new staffer starts, create an agenda for a series of meetings that lays out everything that you'll cover with her early in her tenure.
• Ensure logistics are ready in advance. Make sure the staff member's computer, phone, and email accounts are set up and working before her first day. Have a list of passwords waiting for her so she can immediately log in, set up her voicemail, and so forth, and ensure that her workspace is clean and stocked with supplies.
• Check in regularly. Check in more frequently with your new staff member, not only to provide more detailed feedback than you'd give someone who has worked with you longer, but also to see how she's adjusting. What is she finding most challenging? What sort of help might she need?

How do you ensure that new hires are effectively integrated? Share your Do's (and Don'ts!) in the comments

Alison Green writes for The Management Center and is the co-author of Managing to Change the World: The Nonprofit Leader's Guide to Getting Results

Photo from Peter Ward, via Creative Commons.