Employee Engagement For Dummies

Chapter 19

Ten Ways to Engage New Hires

In This Chapter

Engaging new employees from the minute you say, “You're hired!”

Keeping new hires engaged in the first days, weeks, and months

You've been waiting since, like, forever to get this position filled. Finally — the newbie starts next week. Awesome! But will it be awesome for him? In other words, have you thoughtfully planned out how you'll engage this new hire? Normal emotions for a new employee include being anxious, feeling nervous, and suffering from a lack of confidence. (That'll happen to anyone who feels like he has to ask 10,000 questions in a single day!) Here are ten practical, low-cost ways to engage new employees and put their minds at ease. Remember: You don't have to be all old school about it — c'mon, have some fun!

Start Before the First Day

You can bet your new employee will be planning out her first day. This will include everything — the clothes she wears (Is it clean? Is it ironed?), the route she takes to work, where she parks, and so on. Likewise, as a manager, you should be making some plans of your own — plans that go beyond simply meeting this new employee at the door on her first day.

Specifically, call the new employee two days before she starts in her new role. Ask her if she has any questions about ...