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Before the New Employee's First Day
Before the New Employee's First Day
Before The New Employees First Day
What do new hires want from their future, but not quite yet, employer? How frequently should we engage? What is appropriate information or tasks to start with? Here’s some news that might surprise you: new employees want to know what’s expected of them before they arrive on their first day. There can be a lot of nerves when starting at a new workplace - employees don’t want to look silly, go to the wrong office or be dressed to impress on casual Fri-yay. As a manager, kicking off onboarding actions before the first day, clearly communicating and providing thoughtful information can start the onboarding experience on the right foot.
Best Practices Before the New Employee's First Day
Support a Smooth Process from Offer to Start Date
Onboarding can really take flight once a new employee has accepted their offer letter. New employees will need to accept their offer letter, confirm banking and payroll information to wrap up the hiring process. Coming out of the hiring process, you may have questions from your new employee around these items.
Prepare The New Employee Before They Arrive
Becoming a new employee of GBC is an exciting moment. There can also be alot of questions for new employees before their firrst day on the job. Communicate information to new employees in advance of their first day and let them know you are available for questions before they start.
PRO TIP: To create a memorable first impression (for the right reasons!), create a feeling of warmth during onboarding. You can do this by ensuring every interaction is personalized to the job, team or individual.
Get The Team Involved and Aware
Be sure to share the news of the new employee with your team. Consider how you will include your own team in onboarding – make it a personalized experience for them to meet with and build rapport with their future teammates. Reach out to other teams and departments that cross over with this new hire, to let them know of the new hire and inquire on how they want to be involved in the onboarding.
Setup And Prepare for The Buddy System
This is the time when you would identify and set up the buddy on your team for the new employee. When selecting the buddy for your new employee, consider the following:
- Consider the career stages, work locations, aspiration and team level of a potential buddy. Consider a buddy with shared or similar interests, career stages or work locations.
- Select a buddy that understands the organization culture, values, structure, and team process.
- Consider a buddy that is well-connected across various teams, functions, and departments.
- Consider the individual skills of the buddy that can be developed in the process such as relationship building, teamwork, communication, emotional intelligence.
- Ensure the buddy you select is available, willing and has capacity.
- Keep track of buddy assignments to avoid buddy burnout and ensure the role is distributed across team members.
Plan For Required Training
Planning time in onboarding for new employees to complete their required training is an excellent idea. Employees will be assigned required training in Cornerstone, when they start at GBC. Be sure to allocate time for your new employee to complete training in their onboarding schedule, throughout the onboarding journey.
Share What Makes GBC Special
New employees at George Brown College get to be part of our community. As you plan onboarding, be sure to share and highlight what makes George Brown College unique. You may want to consider communicating what’s in store for them as they join the college, and build in activities as part of onboarding.
- GBC Mission, Vision and Values
- Quarterly College- Wide Orientation Sessions
- Employee Events such as President’s Awards, Admin Day and Support Staff Day
- Team level events, social activities.
Plan for Where Your New Employee Will Be Working
Depending on the role, your new employee may be working fully on campus, or working hybrid. Be sure to communicate the expectations of your new employee on their working location. For hybrid work, connect with the new employee and plan for the first week which days will be in person or at home. Think through how to support home office ergonomics, getting laptop and equipment, setting up onboarding meetings online, if work will be done hybrid.
Manager Checklist - Before the New Employee's First Day
Here are the actions as a manager you need to take before your new employee’s first day, to set them up for success. After you read through it, there will also be a downloadable toolkit with the checklist and resources you need to put these into action.
Technology, Systems and Campus Access
Below are the steps to take to set up your new employee’s technology, systems, and campus access before their first day.
Receive the Employee ID number for your new employee.
Description | Timeline | Action |
|---|---|---|
Ensure that you’ve received the employee ID number within 3 business days. | 3 Business Days after hire. | In the event the employee ID is not received, email Payroll at payroll@georgebrown.ca |
Submit any requests to establish computer, network, and telephone access.
Description | Timeline | Action |
|---|---|---|
Depending on the role of the new employee, they will need various technology access. As the manager be sure to submit one request to Helpdesk to organize the new hire requirements. This includes:
| 2-3 weeks before first day | Review the list of Additional Systems Access for your department/division to support your request. Email IT Services at helpdesk@georgebrown.ca. Please send one email to Helpdesk to help organize the request. Remember to include the new employee’s email and ID. |
Add your new employee to any distribution lists and Teams channels.
Description | Timeline | Action |
|---|---|---|
Ensure you add the new hire to any department specific email distribution lists (i.e. All Admin) and Teams channels. | 1 week before first day. | Check with your department. |
Support and check in with your new employee to get an Employee ID Card.
Description | Timeline | Action |
|---|---|---|
Request Access Card (Employee ID Card) by following these steps:
| 1-2 days after employment offer is complete. | Use the Staff Photo ID Card Request Form. |
Request physical building access for your new employee.
Description | Timeline | Action |
|---|---|---|
After you have received the Employee ID card, you can request building access after 24-48 hours. In the request, include the ID Badge Number, Building Address and Rooms that you need (please provide a mirroring/duplicate of another employee profile when possible) If PINs for Traka Key Boxes are required, please include this request in the Access Control email. | 1-2 days after receiving Employee ID Card. | Email your request to: Access Control Accesscontrol@georgebrown.ca |
Assign and prepare workstation or office for the new employee.
Description | Timeline | Action |
|---|---|---|
Assign and prepare workstation, or office, ensuring the correct equipment. If there are hoteling workstations, ensure that the credentials have access to the workstation booking application (i.e. New Wave Workspace). | 1-2 days after receiving Employee ID Card. | For access to New Wave, email Graeme Kondruss, gkondruss@georgebrown.ca For office keys, email Facilities Services facilitiesservices@georgebrown.ca CC Access Control Accesscontrol@georgebrown.ca
|
Order any relevant supplies needed for the new employee.
Description | Timeline | Action |
|---|---|---|
Order any needed supplies for your new hire, such as:
| Based on ordering times prior to first day. | Check with your department. |
Manager Communication and Preparation
Below are the steps to take to communicate, organize and prepare before your new employee’s first day.
Description | Timeline | Action |
|---|---|---|
Notify co-workers and key contacts of new employee's start date and share the role they can play in helping onboard this new employee | 2 weeks before the first day. | Use the Welcome to the Team Email in the toolkit |
Organize the Onboarding Buddy for your new employee.
Description | Timeline | Action |
|---|---|---|
Organize the Buddy System process by identifying and assigning a co-worker, outline processes and steps to take within the first few days of arrival and expectations of the ‘buddy’ during that period. | 2-3 weeks before the first date. | Use the Buddy System Email and Buddy System Expectations in the Toolkit. |
Prepare material as part of your department orientation package.
Description | Timeline | Action |
|---|---|---|
Compile an orientation package that is relevant to the role and your department. This could include:
| 2-3 weeks before the first date. | Use GBCommunity to help you get started. |
Create an onboarding schedule for the first few weeks on the job and add it to their Outlook calendar.
Description | Timeline | Action |
|---|---|---|
Create an onboarding schedule for the first few weeks on the job and book it into their Outlook calendar. You can include:
| 2-3 weeks before the first date. | See Sample Orientation Schedule. |
Welcome new employee to GBC.
Description | Timeline | Action |
|---|---|---|
Create a personalized welcome email and send it to your new employee before the first day of work. This should include credentials and log-in information, and information on Multi-Factor Authentication, and onboarding schedule. | 1 week before the first day | Use the Welcome to GBC Email Template. |
Call or e-mail the new employee before the start date to confirm the date, time, location, dress code, parking and any special instructions.
Description | Timeline | Action |
|---|---|---|
Inquire if the employee has any questions. Suggest starting 15-30 minutes after their regular start time on their first day to help ease the transition of finding a new office location. | 1-2 days before the first day. | Use the First Day of Work Email in the toolkit. |
Manager Toolkit - Before the New Employee's First Day
That's a lot to take in! Don’t worry, we got you covered. You can download the checklist and tools mentioned above to put this into action:
(Download here button)
