I started a new job last week and have received no training.

26 Comments

1. AnonymousAugust 2,2023 at 1:32PM UTC

   Not normal. Good example of a bad onboarding experience. Your manager should have had a plan in place for your onboarding prior to you starting.

2. AnonymousAugust 2,2023 at 1:32PM UTC

   Yup. This happened to me. Little to no training. Wondering what to do. Coworkers upset I don’t get it and do more while I’m there with no real help or direction. The person whom was to train me didn’t do his job. He told me to read the manual which provided nothing helpful. He would go to our boss and complain that I irritated him. I couldn’t win or lose with him. He would have angry outbursts with everyone. He would follow around one particular person every time she got up for coffee, a few seconds he would leave and follow her. It was a very toxic place.

3. JillAugust 2,2023 at 1:37PM UTC

   It shouldn't be. They should have had an "onboarding plan" for you -- so you know what to do -- even if it's reading up on all company policies & procedures. Another thing they should have assigned you an "onboarding buddy" someone to help you navigate around the first few weeks.

4. AnonymousAugust 2,2023 at 2:10PM UTC

   I second the advice to email your boss and ask for an onboarding plan and which colleagues you can shadow and be trained by.

   I would also look for new opportunities, this may not be a good fit.

5. AnonymousAugust 2,2023 at 2:44PM UTC

   I hear ya. Things seem to have changed with onboarding of new hires.

6. Megan LeasherAugust 2,2023 at 3:20PM UTC

   Request the onboarding plan, like others have suggested. If they brush off your request and/or act like it's not needed, definitely reevaluate if this is where you want to be.

7. AnonymousAugust 2,2023 at 4:06PM UTC

   I started a new job recently. Prior to starting I spoke with my manager and requested a three month onboarding plan.

   We have regular one to ones to make sure I am following the onboarding plan and I am able to ask questions.

8. AnonymousAugust 2,2023 at 7:12PM UTC

   Did you ask them for the training cadence? Did it come up during interviews as a question asked? Ask them, it's not gonna hurt.

9. DaisyAugust 2,2023 at 9:22PM UTC

   You have to take charge of your own development. Assess your gaps and what you feel like you need to know to be successful. Put together a formal training plan for yourself 4-6 weeks and present it to your manager. Also ask how you will be measured. Put a meeting in your manager’s calendar and ask their expectations and goals for for you at the 30-60-90 mark, set some professional goals around that and use that as your roadmap. Meet once a week and go over it.

10. PatriciaAugust 3,2023 at 1:54AM UTC

    I think that your boss is threatened by you and that is why he is ignoring you and demeaning you. Heads up!! You deserve so much better!!

11. AnonymousAugust 4,2023 at 12:53PM UTC

    What? I don’t see any mention of her boss intentionally ignoring or demeaning her. This is a really unhealthy leap you’re making!

12. AnonymousAugust 3,2023 at 2:41AM UTC

    Sounds like my job.
    They barely trained and wonder why turnover is so high.

13. AnonymousAugust 3,2023 at 12:11PM UTC

    Did this manager interview you for the job?This is a major red flag!!! Can you return to your old job or start looking for a new job.

14. AnonymousAugust 3,2023 at 12:29PM UTC

    It is possible that your manager has a lot going on and feels like he doesn’t have time to train you. I’m not saying that’s right or fair, it is still that way sometimes. You’ve been there a week, it could be the week from hell for him.

    You don’t need to sit and twiddle your thumbs. Make a list of questions, such as are there any systems you need to learn, are there any videos do you can figure them out? Are there any standard operating procedures or other info about your job? A small company may not have official onboarding plans. Let him know you want to learn to do what’s needed in the job. Maybe it’s possible to set up a few meetings to go

    over the next few projects you will be working on

15. AnonymousAugust 3,2023 at 12:53PM UTC

    I started a new job and there wasn’t any kind of formal training. Once I was assigned a task someone would run through it quickly. This has gone on for months. They expect me to make the connects between the tasks. Without any guidance. Very frustrating. My thought is this seems to be normal.

16. AnonymousAugust 3,2023 at 12:54PM UTC

    I’m in a very similar situation, past the first two weeks, but still less than a month in, and I have learned two things:

    1) Everyone is very busy because my area is understaffed, and

    2) When I inquired about onboarding and training steps after my first meeting with my boss, I got the distinct impression that they do not want to overwhelm me and scare me off.

    So, I’ve taken matters into my own hands, and that’s what I would suggest.

    You have a large project to work on that’s already in progress; your boss needs to hand it off to you without dropping the ball, and that’s a complicated sort of Double-Dutch process. Review project documents, and look for key stakeholders. Let your boss know that you’re planning on setting up meetings with those stakeholders, and see what he says. If he’s worried about overwhelming you, showing him that you’re moving forward could have the effect of snapping him into your reality; if that’s *not* the case, at least you’ll get a response.

    The other thing I would suggest is to connect with your colleagues. You may find that their onboarding experience was similar to yours. Good luck to you!

17. Marcia SmithAugust 3,2023 at 1:30PM UTC

    Oh boy - this sounds familiar. Years ago I started a position in a very large healthcare system. LITERALLY - for the first month, I had nothing to do except twirl around in my chair in my office - I had a private office. But - after a while things worked out and I actually did perform some real work. Evidently some organizations and managers really have absolutely no idea whatsoever to do with new people...it's a thing

18. AnonymousAugust 3,2023 at 1:49PM UTC

    This is quite normal anywhere you go unless you work for mom and pop

19. AnonymousAugust 3,2023 at 1:48PM UTC

    It’s normal. Enjoy the time while it lasts. Soon there will be work coming to you.

    sounds like a sweet deal, why are you complaining? Do you want them slam you with work the first week?

20. AnonymousAugust 3,2023 at 5:55PM UTC

    Did you ask when you were in the interview process about their onboarding and how they would support you in the first 30-60-90 days? If you didn't then you really cannot expect them to train you as they never promised they would. I would go to your manager and be pro-active, tell him what you need and start to manage him. Tell him how you like to work and tell him what you need to learn from him to be effective at the job and that you would like a weekly regular check in for 30 minutes to make sure that you are on track to do a great job. Be positive and if you cannot get what you need from him perhaps talk to HR if there is one. If neither of these nets you what you need to do the job correctly, then when interviewing again be sure to ask the questions in my first statement above.

    Not every company has training or onboarding and if you feel you need that find a place that offers that up. Good luck.

21. AnonymousAugust 3,2023 at 11:42PM UTC

    I did exactly what you suggested during my interview and it didn’t change anything that I’ve experienced like the OP. I also have made suggestions and make overtures to what I’d like to do to no avail. Good ideas though if the manager is aware of their limitations and isn’t derailed when they get too busy.

22. AnonymousAugust 3,2023 at 11:40PM UTC

    I’m in the same boat - days at a time go by and I have nothing to do. No training and my boss doesn’t talk to me except at the beginning of the week when we do a catch up for 5 minutes. It’s not normal and it’s not fun.

23. AnonymousAugust 4,2023 at 1:49PM UTC

    My boss has barely talked to me for the past 10 months, doesn't know how to do my job, and I had to teach myself the job by watching videos / attending webinars. That's just how things are.

24. Heather McAugust 4,2023 at 2:46PM UTC

    I've been in this situation and here's how I've handled it:

    Get time on your boss's calendar - you need to do this, don't wait for him/her to send the invite.

    For that first meeting, have an agenda as part of the invite. Put in something like this:

    Agenda

    • Discuss day-to-day expectations for workload, project assignment
    • Communication - what's the best way to reach him (text, email, walk into his office, etc.) and what works for you
    • Regular check-ins - cadence/frequency, are there formal 1/1 templates, etc.
    • Is there a formal training that you're required to do? Who should you contact?
    • Introductions to stakeholders - is he supposed to do this, or can you just set up time with people?

    The most important thing you should understand is that most managers really appreciate someone who makes things easy for them. Bring info to them, tell them what you've been thinking about training for yourself, suggest ideas, etc. And talk to his other direct reports, or your peers. Find out what works for them.

    Speaking from experience, if someone tells me they "don't know what to do", I would be a little concerned (as a manager) that this person will need some babysitting. You should be able to reach out to people around you for help, and if you get nowhere with that, you keep looking. Sitting there digging around on the company intranet doesn't help much.

25. AnonymousAugust 7,2023 at 12:42AM UTC

    hallelujah, amen, etc.

26. Marcia SmithAugust 7,2023 at 6:13PM UTC

    I totally agree. I do not agree with the philosophy that people should have to "manage" their direct supervisors - they are making probably at least $30,000 more per year and should know how to be a manager - and if THEIR direct supervisors are paying so little attention to their utter lack of ability to manage and delegate work - then to me, it is simply time to move on. No amount of my "managing" my supervisor is going to fix the problem long term