Five ways to put your new hire at ease

Think back to some of your first-day experiences: high school, university, a new job, etc. You might remember excitement and anticipation, but probably also a bit of dread and stress. Understand that your new employee is likely feeling similarly on her first day, even first month. To help calm those fears, here are five ways you can make the new employee feel at ease:

1 PROVIDE A WELCOME LETTER

Write a personalized welcome letter, along with the offer of employment. In the welcome letter, tell her about the office, hours, parking and what staff do for lunch most days. Make her feel like she already knows some of the intimate office details before she even arrives. Also, let the new employee know how excited you and your team are for her to start. Make sure the letter tells her what time you expect her to arrive the first day, and even provide an overview of what that first day might look like, as far as onboarding and training.

2 PLAN THE FIRST DAY

Don’t wing it; take the time to plan out her first day, including the full day’s schedule and who will be her “buddy” for the day. The first day should be all about getting to know the people and the office, so don’t get into too much “technical” training (save that for day two). Have the new employee shadow the “buddy” to learn the ropes slowly, as you ease her into the routine.

3 TAKE THEM FOR LUNCH

Always take a new employee for lunch on her first day. It shows you care and gives you much-needed one-on-one time, as you have probably been in your exam room for a good portion of the morning. Use this time to tell the employee about your mission and vision for the practice, as this information comes best from you.

4 ACQUAINT HER WITH THE TEAM

Have the new employee spend scheduled time with each staff member, learning all roles and responsibilities, even if they don’t apply to her role. This will give her a thorough overview of the practice, who owns what tasks and also valuable time getting to know each employee.

5 HAVE SOMETHING SPECIAL READY

Maybe it is a welcome package with a new journal and pen, so she can write everything she learns the first few days, or a locker with a new coffee mug or water thermos. Again, it helps to immediately make the new employee feel like she belongs and is welcome.

LAST NOTE

You almost can’t go overboard here, the more you do to make the new employee feel comfortable and welcome the more likely you are to retain her. OM

MS. CHAREST is the co-founder of 4ECPs, a practice management resource company for eye care professionals. 4ECPs has six divisions, including eye care jobs, marketing, social media, payments, events and training. Visit www.4ecps.com , or email trudi@4ecps.com.