Question.

31 Comments

1. AnonymousDecember 6,2021 at 12:56AM UTC

   Don't micromanage this person. Take their lead and be available for questions and directions and moral support.

   Give then an overview of the basics and introduce them to the key people they should know. Give them space and time to get their bearings.

   Have their computer set up, basic links to their important logins, company cell phone (if they will be issued one), swag if your company give the new hires a welcome bag of goodies.

   The first day should include a company lunch with you.

2. AnonymousDecember 6,2021 at 1:57AM UTC

   Micromanaging can be appropriate with a new report, especially if the person has never worked in that organization before. Continuing to micromanage after the person has learned the ropes is when it becomes counter-productive.

3. AnonymousDecember 6,2021 at 1:58AM UTC

   (I mean micromanagement as close oversight, not breathing down someone's neck of course)

4. AnonymousDecember 7,2021 at 3:14PM UTC

   Great advice. Except lunch. The new employee may have a dog to go home and feed.

5. AnonymousDecember 7,2021 at 5:38PM UTC

   An offer for lunch is always a nice welcoming gesture...not mandatory and certainly can be postponed if the new hire has to take her dog out.

6. AnonymousDecember 6,2021 at 1:55AM UTC

   Share the evaluation form & procedures, especially if there are 30- or 90-day probationary ratings. Don't do this on the first day, but sometime in the first two weeks.

   It's not THE thing to do, but it's one thing that will ensure you're on the same page, literally.

7. AnonymousDecember 6,2021 at 1:31PM UTC

   This sounds a bit aggressive, to start the relationship by presenting the probation period ratings. What about setting YOUR expectations as a manager, how you like to communicate, a schedule for regular check-ins and what you want to cover in those meetings, goals for the first two weeks, 30 / 60 / 90 days. Your work style: do you want to be involved in every step of every project, or do you prefer to assign a task and let the direct report take the lead?

   If your goal is to assert your domination, then present the new hire with their path to violate probation...come on FGB, this is ridiculous! If a male boss approached one of us like this, we'd be having an absolute fit right now!

8. AnonymousDecember 6,2021 at 7:54PM UTC

   Withholding that information is what, then? You can share it with the person without being aggressive about it. Most people want to know these things, especially if there's a 30-day review.

9. Clydene HorriganDecember 8,2021 at 11:28PM UTC

   It should be presented as goals/expectations for the probationary period so the employee knows what they need to do to be succesful.

10. AnonymousDecember 6,2021 at 1:26PM UTC

    This may seem like a no brained but, it has happened to me so it’s not impossible. Schedule time to meet with your direct report.

    Here’s what I would like as an employee: Take time to describe the role & expectations as outlined in interview, describe recent company initiatives, describe where you plan to task me/ my first set of projects. Let me know if there are areas where you’d like my ideas/contribution. Give a bit of history about how the team has grown (or will grow) or changed (this is relevant to know when working with others). Discuss working hours and remote culture aspects. Describe a bit about your leadership. How will we work together? Are you a directive leader who manages work closely? Are you a pace setter?

11. AnonymousDecember 6,2021 at 1:31PM UTC

    Id also want to reaffirm the Covid policies and expectations regarding being in the office. There have been posts on fairgodboss about folks who were told their roles were remote only to find out that their boss (upon starting) changed their mind & was requiring them to come in. That is a very significant change.

12. Rachel GoldenDecember 6,2021 at 2:38PM UTC

    Establish a two way street for feedback. Learn their preferred style of communicating.

13. Lesa Edwards, Career Coach & Master Resume WriterDecember 6,2021 at 6:30PM UTC

    I agree with what the others have said around communication: Open up the two-way communication right away.

14. Barb HansenDecember 6,2021 at 10:00PM UTC

    If this is your first people management role, get some management training (which I know was the point of your post :).

    Being a good manager is not a title change or being moved into a people management role, it's a learned skill and a skill that needs continuous fine-tuning.

    There are plenty of online (many are free courses) on LinkedIn, Youtube etc.

    Also take some time to think about what you appreciated most about the best manager(s) that you've had over your career, and what you hated about the bad manager(s) you've encountered. Their communication style, how they handled difficult situations, how you felt during your interactions with them, what they taught you etc.

15. Ramona d'ViolaDecember 7,2021 at 1:20AM UTC

    Even asking this question sets you apart. Here's my $.02

    Set CLEAR expectations

    Be a GREAT communicator & a BETTER listener

    Mentor

    Provide clear guidelines, procedures, and protocols.

    Set a great example for her to follow.

16. Hilarie CoxDecember 7,2021 at 1:28PM UTC

    Read the book the first 90 days to help guide you in setting the stage. It is important to check in at least once a day for the first few weeks. Have a training plan outlined. Be clear on your expectations and how to work with you.

17. (redacted)December 9,2021 at 2:23PM UTC

    Thank you! Will add to my Kindle queue.

    Not going to lie, I'm kind of overwhelmed at the idea of bringing someone into my space. But I know she's awesome and I know I'll be a lot more efficient when I have a partner to help plow through the work.

18. MDecember 7,2021 at 1:40PM UTC

    Be sure to remember to give your direct report time to ask you questions and time for you to answer.

19. Kelly KaphingstDecember 7,2021 at 1:43PM UTC

    First off, I think it's great that you're reaching out about this. That shows a lot of initiative on your part. As a office admin myself, I would echo what others have said about communication. When starting a new job as an office admin, there's a lot that's unspoken or not written down - different processes, employees' expectations of you, etc. Have open communication will allow your new hire to come to you more quickly with questions about this. Good luck with your new hire!

20. Jessica Hill-KnudsonDecember 7,2021 at 2:43PM UTC

    To start, make sure they’re well onboarded — give them all the information they would need to be successful at *this specific company*. I’ve worked places where the company information wasn’t shared and it was thoroughly crappy. This person can maybe take the initiative to document and create specific onboarding documents and become the person that provides this information to new hires going forward (makes sense in my mind for an office admin to do this).

    Look up the concept of servant leadership. in my opinion you’re there to support them in their career with your company, shield them from crap from other areas, remove roadblocks/things slowing them down, and make sure they feel empowered to take the initiative to do their job.

    Good luck and kudos to you for asking this question, it shows you care and want to do a good job.

21. (redacted)December 9,2021 at 2:22PM UTC

    Great reminder on servant leadership. I'm also plowing through "The Leader Assistant" on the recommendation of another office administrator at a different branch. I'm hoping we can read and discuss it together once she's done with training and has really gotten settled.

22. AnonymousDecember 7,2021 at 4:24PM UTC

    I am an office finance and admin professional who started a new position in October with tons of experience. One thing my new boss did was tell me just because the person I replaced (she retired) did things xyz did not mean I had to do it the same way. I have been able to introduce my own way of doing things that have been better for my org, and my boss is happy with it. It made me feel welcoming and showed that my boss was happy to try something new. Make your new person feel welcome, keep an open door policy, and make sure others treat them with respect and kindness. Just because they are admin does not mean people get to walk all over them. This happened at my last job and now they can't replace me and are realizing all I did for them.

23. AnonymousDecember 7,2021 at 4:53PM UTC

    If there are other staff that are going to be responsible for most of the onboard/new hire training and orientation to processes in your work environment, pick at least one critical task with which you are comfortable and be the new report's primary trainer. You can learn a lot about each other's style of working/learning and get to know them as a person. Their questions may also stimulate process improvements and training program enhancements that had not been previously considered, as well as provide a level of trust and connection (so the employee can feel empowered to ask questions and bring things to you in a safe and productive way).

24. Healthcare workerDecember 7,2021 at 6:14PM UTC

    I see many posts related to proper onboarding, making them feel welcome, communication etc. These are all excellent points and unfortunately are often missed. Another one though, that I haven’t seen anyone mention, is to be wary of your own desire to be liked, seen as a friend. Make sure there are healthy boundaries established from the first interaction; without this lines get blurred and six months down the road, if this employee is being too casual with you or taking your good nature for granted resentment will build. Best to keep the relationship on a professional basis, at least until you have known them for a long time and know what their work ethic is. The friendly boss is fine, but the boss that wants to be everyone’s friend creates unnecessary problems.

25. AnonymousDecember 7,2021 at 7:57PM UTC

    Well said!

26. TheodoraDecember 9,2021 at 4:25PM UTC

    100% agree!

27. LaNee BDecember 8,2021 at 12:16AM UTC

    Be gentle and authentic.

28. sashaDecember 8,2021 at 3:00AM UTC

    Great suggestions here.

    I would ensure you are available in the first couple of days And weeks to be able to cover getting to know you, answering questions and expectation setting.

    Id have a collated list of resources you might want them to be familiar with: on boarding materials, any decks or information that explains the organization or organizational charts that this person should be aware of.

    understand how much training the person has to do. Large corporations and specialized fields often have a tremendous amount of standardized new hire training - if so give this person permission to block the calendar and get through all that administrative stuff before the real work kicks in.

    make a list of the key people on your team and extended teams that they should meet and then send out notes of introduction so they can get on peoples calendars easily.

    And if you have the ability, I would match them with a peer buddy.

29. sashaDecember 8,2021 at 3:04AM UTC

    Oh and you asked about what to avoid: avoid assuming that your company and your group is an easy place to enter from the outside. Office politics, corporate culture, those can be harder to see when you first start, and you don’t know exactly where this person has come from. Assume you may have to over explain some of the organization or build bridges and avoid taking for granted the things you know are things that are easy to learn. Just be available, ask questions and share as much as you need to to get this person up to speed

30. (redacted)December 9,2021 at 2:19PM UTC

    Extra thanks for this one. I was planning to treat her to lunch, but reaching out and letting her know that's one less thing to worry about REALLY resonates with me.

31. TheodoraDecember 9,2021 at 4:30PM UTC

    I had a 3rd direct report join my team recently. It was super important to set up a time for him to sit with us as a team. Regardless of how much work there is to do, it’s crucial to make new hires feel welcomed. It can sometimes get cliquey amongst team members, and someone can be unintentionally ostracized. At the end of the day, we are all human and want to be in a happy environment at work.