Integrating a new member is something every team has to go through every now and then, so I figured that we could all use a little refresher on making the "newbie" feel welcome and setting them up for success. You might not have been a new hire for quite some time, so here are a few suggestions to help create a smooth transition for both you and your new team member.
1. Document Important Team Policies
Before a new team member starts, make sure you document all of the information they will need to know in order to perform their duties successfully. There's nothing quite as frustrating or as intimidating as starting a new job and not having a resource for looking up a specific system's process and procedures. While asking questions should be encouraged, nobody wants a new hire asking questions every 10 minutes, nor does the new team member want to be "that guy" who seems perpetually clueless. Make sure you have easy-to-follow guides for the tasks the new team member will need complete; make it as clear and simple as possible, even using pictures where appropriate. I know adding images to documents can be time-consuming, but it will save you time in the long run.
2. Make Your Expectations Clear
When you bring on a new team member, make sure they know exactly what their role on the team is, how that role may change over time, and how their progress will be measured. For example, if you bring on a new person as a temp-to-hire, make sure they know what they will be evaluated on and how they can make a positive impact. I know it would be easier if that person could read your mind and somehow know exactly what you needed from them, but this kind of thing really only happens in movies; what's more important, symbiosis, or getting the job done properly?
It is important not to make assumptions about how well a new team member understands his or her role, or about what they know (or don't know!). For example, just because your company uses SVN heavily, doesn't mean your new team member will know it as well as you expect them to. What if the new team member came from a smaller company that didn't use SVN? What if he or she is Git master? Just because the new person isn't familiar with a certain technology doesn't make them any less of a fit. Don't be too quick to judge a new hire based on an assumption you made: assess their skills, train where necessary, and be open to new ideas they bring to the table.
3. Introduce Them to New Systems
It's easy to forget that the systems and procedures that you have been using forever aren't as obvious to a newcomer. A formal introduction to your processes is necessary for each new team member, and it should be easy if you follow the advice from my first tip and document things properly! Make sure the new hire reviews all the necessary materials before starting any major projects, with the understanding that it may take them some time to get everything down. Be sure to communicate they are not expected to memorize everything in one day; this will lower the pressure of performing and should allow the new team member learn the necessary skills. While most managers don't expect perfection right away, many do inadvertently give that impression. Don't repeat this mistake!
4. Present Any Team Rules
Now that the new team member feels a little more at ease, it's a good time to present them with any team rules! First, make sure any rules you give the new team member are the same as the rules that all existing team members have to follow. It doesn't matter if there is a probation period for the new hire, their performance should be evaluated in the natural team environment. Nothing alienates a team member faster than having a different set of rules to follow compared to the rest of the team, especially if they are more restrictive. If you want to experiment with the policies or rules, apply them to everyone.
Make sure you refrain from extreme expectations. If you pressure the new team member to work excessively long hours, for example, it may increase productivity in the short-term but there could be lasting consequences. You could be pushing your new hire (or the whole team) toward dissatisfaction with their role. This is a classic recipe for an unhappy work environment, leading to poor work quality and a high turnover rate. Instead, if you can inspire your teammates and use positive reinforcement (the right technique will vary for each employee), then people may want to live up to higher expectations on their own. Never underestimate the power of a truly motivated employee.
5. Get Them Involved as Soon as Possible
Let's face it, nothing makes a person feel more like they belong than contributing to the greater success of the team. The sooner you can give him or her meaningful work related to a team project, the more effort he or she will put into the task at hand (not to mention mastering the procedures surrounding the task). Although it's common to restrict the new employee's involvement in projects early on, as they are still learning, you should get them fully engaged sooner rather than later. It's understandable that you don't want to overwhelm the new employee and don't want to put your team at risk because of a rookie's mistake, but you are setting the stage for two negative tendencies if you do this:
- The "newbie" will be the "newbie" a lot longer. Not just to you and the existing team members, but to him or herself. It's easy to fall into the "I don't know what I'm doing, so maybe I should pass this on to someone more experienced than me" mindset. Gaining confidence at this stage is critical.
- If you don't get them involved in projects you are basically paying a full-time employee to do an internship. Let's be logical about this: you put the new hire on this team for a reason, right? Trust your hiring instincts and let them do their job. The person in question will have a lot of information or experience you can leverage, so get that person used to being a part of the team as quickly as possible. Let the new hire do what you are paying them to do!
6. Be Approachable
Even if you have the best training material in the world, the clearest rules and the most amazing team members, people are still going to need regular feedback. Most new hires want to be sure that they are building the correct habits to perform their job correctly. When a person is new, they will probably have many questions for the first few weeks. To help them feel more at ease, encourage them to ask questions and make sure they have the resources to find the answers on their own in the future. And don't patronize them when reminding them where to find these resources! Since the new hire isn't used to the team rules, they can review them with a fresh pair of eyes. The new team member may be able to identify problems and have some solutions to help make things easier for everyone.
7. Take Them Out to Lunch
Help the team bond with the new employee over lunch or some other type of downtime activity. Bonding over a meal is very common in our society and is often done for new employees and team members. It provides a good opportunity to relax a little and get to know each other as individuals while building trust within the team. Most team lunches happen when there's a new team member, but that doesn't mean you can't have a planned team event every so often. Planning special outings shows appreciation for the hard work of the existing team members and also serves as a warm welcome to the new team member.
This human element helps people work better together and when times get tough, it's much easier to overcome an obstacle if there's a connection between team members. This is why camaraderie is so important in any team activity. It's much easier to sacrifice for the greater good if you care for your team members as you would for friends or family. Tempers flare less often in serious situations when we can see the person at fault as a complete person, not just as someone who made a mistake during a critical project. If the team atmosphere is created the right way, you will have a team that will go to great lengths for the good of the company.
Hopefully you found these tips for bringing on a new team member helpful so that they will be able to contribute to your team quickly!
