Double the Excitement - Start Day One the Right Way

You have made an outstanding hire. You are excited they have decided to join your company, and you know they will make a positive impact. They are just about to start, and you are looking forward to them meeting the rest of the team.

Your new hire is enthusiastic about the unique opportunity she has just accepted. She feels this is a great fit and a new beginning for her. She is looking forward to meeting the team and then making a difference. She has shared with her family how much she wants to be a part of this new company.

Day 1 - Scenario 1

The newly hired associate walks into the store, a big smile on her face, full of energy and excitement. She walks to the front desk, where she is greeted by an associate who doesn’t smile and asks, ‘how can I help you?’ Still enthusiastic, she replies, “I am starting here today, I am here for my orientation.’ ‘Yeah, wait, I’ll call the manager’ is the rather curt reply. Some of the magic is starting to disappear at this point.

Finally, after waiting for about five minutes, the manager appears. It is not the same one she met with during her interview. This manager is not aware she was coming, but politely takes her to the break area and explains he’ll be back in a few minutes with all her paperwork.

Fast forward several hours. The newly hired associate has waited on multiple occasions for information, been told they really weren’t expecting her today, and she has watched several videos. She has only met a few of the other associates as they pass through the break area to eat or punch in at the computer station she was completing her training on. Her shift ends, and she is disappointed that the first day wasn’t what she expected. She leaves hoping tomorrow will be better and that she will get a chance to see the manager that offered her the job and painted a rosy picture of the opportunity in this new role. She doesn’t know what she’ll tell her family when she gets home.

Day 1 - Scenario 2

The newly hired associate walks into the store, a big smile on her face, full of energy and excitement. She walks to the front desk, where she is greeted by an associate who smiles and asks, ‘are you Jennifer? We are were expecting you today. Welcome aboard. I am Roxanne.’ She announces to the team over her radio that Jennifer has arrived, and she would be stepping to the back to help her get settled in with her training.

On the way back to the break area, two other team members introduce themselves and welcome her to their store. Her enthusiasm is even higher than when she walks in. Everyone is so nice, and they were ready for her arrival.

In the break area, Roxanne walks her through all of the paperwork she needs to complete on the computer station, which is away from the rest of the break area tables. Roxanne shows her the company orientation video and discusses some of the key points and the company values with Jennifer. She then takes her on a tour of the store and introduces her to all of the remaining team members she hadn’t met already.

Fast forward to the end of the day - Jennifer has met all of the team members that worked that day. Several people spent time with her explaining what they do in the store and how excited they are to have her on the team. The manager that hired her arrived later in the morning but spent time with her to ensure she was getting everything she needed. At the end of the day, he sat with Jennifer to hear about her day and reinforce the values as well as share his ideas of how they work in this store. He walks through the rest of her training schedule and asks her if she has any questions.

Jennifer leaves for the day more enthusiastic about this new job than when she arrived. She is excited to go home and tell her family that she has made a great decision to join this new company and that she believes she will be there for a long time.

Which scenario would you want to be a part of?

Which scenario is closest to what your new hires experience?

Retail is a fast-paced, ever-changing environment. Stores get busy, and sometimes it can be chaotic. Hiring new associates is definitely a challenge, and completing training can be even more so. But it is critical to get the newly hired associate off to a positive start so they can feel good about the decision they have made to join your company. Don’t allow great associates to become disenchanted with your brand as soon as the first day. There are some things you can do to ensure that you get your new team members off to a rewarding start.

Have a Plan

Like everything else that is important to get accomplished, a plan for every new hire is also necessary. Knowing when they will arrive, and who will be available to greet and support them are key ingredients to a successful start for any new employee. Ensure everyone on the team knows what the plan for the new hire is, so they are fully informed and can jump in as needed.

Schedule time

With the plan completed, ensure you schedule your time accordingly to be available for portions of the training. Every new hire wants to see a familiar face and especially the one that offered them the job. Make sure you will not have conflicts during points when you plan on connecting with them or even conducting portions of the orientation.

Check in frequently

Schedule your time to see them as close to when they start as possible and throughout the day to ensure things are progressing according to the designed plan. The extra commitment to checking in will make the new hire feel welcomed and cared for. People know when something has been made important, and connecting during the day will emphasize that.

The day wrap up

Finally, close their day out with a recap of the training so far. Review with them the next steps in their training. This is an excellent opportunity to restate your excitement for them joining your team and how confident you are that they will help make a difference - regardless of the position they have. Allow them to ask any questions they may have before they leave feeling excited to go home and tell their friends or family how great their first day was.

You hired the person for a reason. You invested a lot of time making sure they would be a good fit. Ensure you spend that same time and energy into making the first impression positive for them. You want them to go home the first day feeling good about the choice they have made to join your company and be a part of your brand and store.

What else can you do to make day one a positive beginning for your newly hired associates?

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