" alt="">23.04.2020
Starting A New Job In Lockdown
Starting a new job is exciting, but it can also be scary and sometimes a little confusing at the same time – and that’s before you add a global pandemic and the prospect of working from home.
With any new starter, the first few days are crucial to their success and, given how difficult the recruitment process is right now, it would be a major disappointment for everyone concerned if a relationship fell apart because someone struggled to settle in.
Be prepared
Whatever you do, don’t wait until someone’s first day before you start to make them feel at home.
Help with their transition by keeping in touch throughout their notice period. Let them know how much you are looking forward to them joining your team and that, even in these uncertain times, their job is secure.
Make sure you have basic housekeeping in place a week before the start date. This includes log-ins, a computer for remote-working and checking that they have an adequate space to operate effectively at home.
A positive day one is vital to building a strong, long-term relationship, so you need to be prepared and have a welcome plan in place, even if it is virtual.
Make people feel at ease
Working distantly means people won’t get the chance to meet colleagues in person, nor will they be able to get a feel for the dynamics and culture of the office environment. Don’t underestimate the impact this can have.
Integrating into a new team will be much harder than usual, so you must make sure people know that being out of their comfort zone is ok. A lot of people are out of their comfort zone right now.
You need to make sure they know someone is there to help them with whatever they need, and you mustn’t allow them to put too much pressure on themselves.
There is a lot to take on board and learn in a new job but, for the vast majority of people’s time, they will be on their own and this may be difficult to adapt to at first.
Communicate clearly
No one can succeed in a job if they don’t know what success looks like so make a point of letting your new starter know exactly what you – and the wider business – expect of them.
In the beginning, this could be as simple as the hours they need to work each day and the flexibility you can provide. The more flexibility you can offer right now, the better, especially if they have children who need support with home-schooling while they work full-time.
Start by talking about daily goals and then expand outward over time, but be prepared to offer support whenever it is needed.
If the opportunity arises, it may be worth considering engaging your recruit in a project where they can support some of their new colleagues to give them a chance to integrate and also show people what they can do.
Impress on the first day
Even though your new employee is not in the office, invite them to start a little later than usual on their first day so you can make sure the rest of the team are aware they are joining and you can get your urgent work out of the way so you can dedicate time to support them.
Set up a series of calls to introduce them to as many people as you can, and assign a ‘buddy’ who can check in with them throughout the initial days and weeks.
On their first morning, make sure HR reach out to support the induction process and consider how you can demonstrate the businesses culture to someone who is working from home, as the sooner they fit culturally and align with the vision of the business, the better it will be.
There is a lot to think about but, in my experience, it is often the little things that make the biggest difference for new starters, so make sure you let people know you care.
Starting a new job during lockdown will not be as easy as it would usually be, but with regular two-way communication and plenty of support, there is no reason why you can’t make it a huge success.
