The first day
On-boarding your new professional millennial
By Mary Jawgiel
You’ve offered the position to a Millennial, and they’ve accepted. Now, how do you
assimilate your new hire into your organization? This person is a different demographic from the rest of your employees — younger and less experienced in your industry but more tech-savvy. You’ll want to build their skills and knowledge of the industry so you can capitalize on the investment you’ve made in hiring them. Realize an ROI on your Millennial investment with a well-planned on-boarding program.
For starters, look at an employee’s first day at work from their eyes. According to Jason Ryan Dorsey, author, keynoter and generational expert and member of Generation Y, “Gen Y decides to stay – or not – on our first day at work.” The first day provides a lasting impression of the organization and its culture. If their work station isn’t set up and their e-mail isn’t activated on their first day at work, it may give the impression that your organization isn’t technology driven and that details aren’t a big deal in your company culture.
You can’t get away with putting them in a cubicle with your personnel manual or asking them to review the huge procedure book that’s been gathering dust on the shelf while you tend to your regular business. Millennials are looking for engagement (with people, not reading material) and will think twice about a company that appears to be disinterested in them, especially on the first day.
You could start your on-boarding process early by inviting your new hire to lunch before the official start date to get to know them and do a little advanced relationship building with your new (hopefully, long-term) employee. Be sure to advise your new hire about your company’s culture. What’s acceptable office attire? Millennials may not use the same definition you use for “business casual.” What are the standards for workspace etiquette? What they did in the classroom or at their last retail job may not apply at your company. What is your expectation of their work hours? Get to know something about their interests so you can start to think about how to incorporate these interests into their position.
Research tells us the number one Millennial motivator is engagement, so set the stage on their first day by finding a way to incorporate their skills (you learned this when you did lunch) into their work at your company in a way that will add meaning for them and make them feel like their contributions are worthwhile. Is your new employee a social media master? Perhaps she could take on the social media initiatives you’ve had on the back burner because no one felt comfortable handling this project.
In her book, 90 Days, 90 Ways–Onboard Young Professionals to Peak Performance (ASTD Press, 2012), Alexia Vernon offers tips to make the first day at the new job one that creates engagement and the opportunity for relationship building.
Imagine what they’re going to tell their mom and dad about what they did on their first day at work. Because they will. So what did they do? Vernon suggests creating an engaging task for the first day on the job. Entry-level jobs are not necessarily engaging, but you don’t want your new hire to spend the day making copies or entering data into the computer – give them something to sink their teeth into. Can they attend a meeting and recap what went on? Is there a project they can get involved in? Can they review your website or the mock-up of your new brochure and make suggestions? Take advantage of their lack of knowledge about your company to see your materials the same way a potential customer might — with little knowledge of your company.
Take your new hire on an office tour. Introduce him to the people he will be working with and those who can answer questions for him such as the office manager, the person in charge of IT and an HR contact. In addition to a name and title/responsibilities, share a tidbit of information about the current employee as you introduce them to your new hire. Demonstrate how you value your employees and model the relationship-building skills you want your new hire to adopt as well.
Make sure your new hire is taken to lunch on the first day, preferably by someone close to their age or even a group of other new professionals. By setting up a time to get to know the other younger people in the office, you are giving the new hire a chance to build relationships with his new colleagues. The closer his or her ties to your other employees, the more likely the new hire will stick around.
Let your new hires know that you are there for them and then make sure you are. Everyone has questions about the new job, but they may be afraid to ask. Let them know there are no dumb questions and that you will answer any questions they have. The first day on a new job can cause a great deal of anxiety – your new hires wants to do their best but they are being bombarded by new information and new people and may be afraid of saying or doing something wrong. Assure them it is better to talk about things they may not be clear about, don’t know or need clarification on than to worry needlessly.
First impressions are lasting impressions. If Millennial new hires feel engaged on their first day, they are more likely to feel good about this new opportunity. But, if you leave them on their own to figure things out for themselves, they might believe this is not the right place for them. It costs a lot of money to hire and train an employee. A report from the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment at U.C. Berkley estimates it can cost an organization up to 150% of the position’s salary to hire and train for a management position. The better we can train and care for new hires, the longer we can keep them around.
Make sure the first day for your Millennial new hire is memorable and is the first step in developing a Gen Y employee into a profitable long-term hire.
Mary Jawgiel is ICP program director for the PTDA Foundation and has recently overseen the launch of the new ICP Job Board at www.industrialcareerspathway.org (Click on the Jobs tab to explore). For more insights on recruiting, hiring and training Millennials in the distribution industry, subscribe to the ICP Talent Tipsheet at www.industrialcareerspathway.org/Subscribe.
This article originally appeared in the Jan./Feb. 2013 issue of Industrial Supply magazine. Copyright 2013, Direct Business Media.
INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY MAGAZINE
The March/April issue of Industrial Supply magazine features an in-depth cover story about Joyce Lansdale and Vallen. Plus, we're featuring articles by contributing writers Dirk Beveridge, Frank Hurtte, and David Kahle, as well as interviews with numerous product and distribution industry experts.
