Creating productive teams starts by welcoming a new employee into a work environment in the correct way.

1. 1/5
Willie Velthuizen
Welcoming A New Employee Into The Workplace
pbddurban.blogspot.com/2011/02/welcoming-new-employee-into-workplace.html
Getting a new employee going as soon as possible after joining your organization will
depend on the way you conduct your onboarding process.
Welcoming a new employee
What are the four phases of onboarding an employee?
How much time do you give a new employee?
Welcoming a new employee - Conclusion
Welcoming a new employee
Welcoming a newly recruited employee into an existing team can in itself be a huge
challenge for a manager. Most of the hard work would’ve been done during the initial
induction phases.
It is essential that the new member is aware of the following day he enters your team:
Their role and duties in the team

2. 2/5
The goals and expectations of the team
The reporting structure
The new employee supporting structure should he need assistance
The standards that he and the team will be measured on
Many companies are quick to point this out as a probation period but are not capable of
putting structures in place for the new recruit as guidelines. This situation can lead to an
artificial performance from the employee which will change after the initial period.
Probation periods are normally an indication of poor management strategy and
inconsistent standards.
As the new employee’s manager, it is your task to ensure that the newcomer is kept busy
during his first few days.
Assign positive tasks
Ensure that tasks involve people he will be dealing with long-term
Monitor and give feedback when necessary
Don’t shy away from your expectations of the new employee
Welcoming a new employee in the correct manner will increase your chances of having a
dedicated worker for life.
What are the four phases of onboarding a new employee?
To effectively onboard a newly recruited member into an existing team your induction plan
must contain the following four phases or else you would fail to have a complete induction
process.
Orientation
Specified Training
Organizational transition
Further development
Orientation of new employees
This phase is exactly what the word orientation means. It makes the new employee
understand where they are and how they are fitting into the big picture. Most important
here they will get the idea of what to expect going forward.

3. 3/5
During orientation, the employee will be introduced and made familiar with the
organizational structure by an introduction to senior management and department heads
so they can understand the levels of responsibility, reporting, and decision making.
During this phase, the employee will also be made familiar with organizational vision and
mission statements, company policy, and compliances.
It is also important to include an introduction to organizational culture, values, and past
achievements.
By doing this the new member will form a good understanding of the organization, its
people, and the goals.
Specified training
During this phase, the employees must be trained in their daily tasks and routines. It is
very important that they know their role and function in order to ensure long-term
engagement.
Remember no two organizations are the same and neither is the level of performance
expected from employees. This phase will prevent any misconceptions about
expectations and productivity requirements.
Tasks and internal processes are clearly defined for the new employee. If the pre-
employment process was conducted properly the new employee will have the skills to fit
into a new role easily with proper guidance.
Organizational transition
It is important that a newly recruited member be assisted in the change over from one
organization to another. It is not always easy for an employee to come into a strange
environment without sacrifice and managing the process is essential.
The level of managing the process will also depend on where the employee comes from.
Factors such as retrenchment, dismissal, termination of a contract, or toxic environments
can make for a traumatic exit from a previous employer.

4. 4/5
By understanding this it will be possible to know employee needs right from the word go
and align the transition process accordingly.
During this, the employee will learn how the new corporate structure works, what are the
available resources and what the company vision entails.
In other words, the employee must know what is available to do the job and what is
expected as acceptable outcomes.
Further development
The final phase in the onboarding process is the refinement of the employee and the
effort put into the development.
Looking at the employee as a valuable asset it is just common sense to invest some time
and money into training.
Spending some time on developing an employee will also ensure better engagement,
productivity, and long-term relationship building.
It is cheaper to train and develop than to keep recruiting and onboarding new employees.
How much time do you give a new employee?
Some experts suggest a three-month timetable in order to settle a new employee.
Although I do not agree with this it will depend on the employee’s experience and position
on your team.
Most employees will feel more welcome and integrated if they can get on with the job as
expected of them.

5. 5/5
The only time guidance and task integration will be used are when you have a new
employee that has never been employed before or the new employee has never
performed the tasks before.
Some indicators to look for when assessing the integration will be:
How does he get accepted during his breaks? In other words, is he making friends?
Does he ask questions that you will expect from a new employee?
Does he make mistakes uncommon to his work role?
Does he look sure of himself?
Does he look happy with his work?
Can he perform the tasks you gave him without team resistance?
How is his time management?
If you are a vigilant manager that knows your team, you will be able to identify problem
areas quickly and take the appropriate action needed. Remember you want people in
your team that will look up to you as a leader and not a “boss”.
The importance of welcoming a new staff member into your team cannot be
underestimated as it will determine the future performance of your new employee and the
relationship they form with the organization.
Welcoming a new employee - Conclusion
The objective of a well-designed induction process is to bring a newly recruited staff
member on board without complications.
Most new staff members will form a perception of what they can expect in their new
environment within 72 hours. If this perception is negative it will be harder to engage the
employee in the way you need them to.