Three Things Your New Employees Want to Know and How You Can Communicate It to Them

Everyone was new to their job at one point in time. Whether you started last week or 20 years ago, some things never change such as the feeling of having no idea what you’re doing when you walk in those doors on day one. So, in the spirit of camaraderie, I’ve polled a group of people who started working at our office headquarters within the last two months – hoping to learn what they wish they’d known when they started. Here are the top three responses:

1. Where are all the coffee shops? This was the most popular response with new employees. They had no idea there were multiple coffee shops within walking distance of the office.

Tip: Take the next new hire on your team out to coffee sometime during their first week, so they have a better idea of their surroundings and most importantly where the coffee is.

2. How do I reserve a conference room? Multiple new employees had this same question when they started, leading to slight panic when asked to set up a meeting on their calendars for the first time.

Tip: Before you take your new hire out to lunch or have your first meeting with them, show them how you set up that appointment on their calendar.

3. Wait, where are the conference rooms? This question ties nicely with the last one and is the same question that led me to book meetings solely in a company “public” space for the first month of my new job. Even seasoned employees have admitted they occasionally have to look at the map to find an unfamiliar conference room.

Tip: Print out a map for the new hire on your team and be sure to offer to walk them to a few of their first meetings to learn the ropes.

One response that stood out, albeit not one of the most popular responses, was possibly the most important. It reads: “Something I’m learning already from watching other young people around the office and having people reach out to me is that it’s okay (and even encouraged) to reach out to people simply just to get to know them and what they do! It’s easy to feel like you’re bothering someone, but the people around you have a lot of useful information to share and they’re just waiting for you to reach out.”

This is definitely true; building connections with colleagues, new and old, is important at any company. And it’s something most people wish they’d realized earlier. So, if there’s something you wish you knew, ASK. You’re probably not the first person to ever have that question, and you won’t be the last!

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