Yay it comes to pass that after 6 or so weeks of terrorising parents, grandparents, shoppers and pool attendants alike that my kids returned to school and nursery from the summer break. Whilst both were cool calm and collected on Tuesday night the stark reality of returning or starting school can be daunting and reacted to in different ways, fear, terror and apprehension are nothing new to parents. Thing 1 was up at 5:30am !!!!! proclaiming that he was so excited to be getting back and seeing all his friends and looking forward to meeting his new teacher. Thing 2 was starting a different session at nursery and had no idea which group, colour, animal or teacher would be waiting but like any other 3 year old cared not a jot for it because hey....there would be paint, sand and toast....what else is required?
Worth noting that neither child came home after having their head flushed down a toilet, which is good but seems strange as it always happened to me???
Starting a new job is equally as daunting but the right mindset and preparation should take away some of the fear.......just some of it :-)
So sit back and relax as That Learning Dude takes you through some advice to make joining your new place as comfortable as possible......................P.S. if you have some time, stick on the kettle, I may prattle a bit.
Say hello and let the world know you're here !!
Okay so I am not for one minute suggesting that you burst into song and announce your arrival like an extra in the sound of music (although if you do let me know and I'll grab some popcorn and front row seats) but saying hello costs nothing. Who is in your team / your peer group and how will what you do impact on them? Make a point of understanding them and what they do. Soak up information on your first day, hopefully you will get introduced to everyone but sometimes the world moves so fast it is not always possibly so take some initiative.
Find a buddy.
A lot of organisations these days understand the benefit of having some form of buddy system in place for new joiners. In most cases this person will be the seasoned pro, the grizzled performer (not to be confused with the person dribbling in the corner). This well traveled friend will know the place back to front. They can help you with an understanding of the culture, things to avoid on the canteen menu and in some cases help you with the politics or do's and don'ts. The kind of person that if you had to ask how to turn on your laptop using the big red power button that says press here to turn on, wouldn't bat an eyelid or check through the recruitment pack to see who hired you.
Great Expectations.
Find out what is expected of you? How will you fit in the team / organisation and what role will you perform. Where can you add value? Who will you connect with in the business. In some cases these expectations may be set out in your induction programme but it is vital you start the process as you mean to go on. Be it 30, 60, or 90 days set your self tasks and challenges to align with these expectations.......great huh?
Canteen and break etiquette
Depending on where you work, a vital part of the culture will inevitably be linked to food and drink. Scope out (maybe ask your buddy) what happens in the event of a tea run. I'll admit it, That Learning Dude knows how the process works in his office but rarely does a tea run, I'm ashamed to say it as much as I'm not. Reason being it can be terribly territorial and vary from office to region to country (although I recommend South Korea, certainly when I worked there we drank coffee and ate cookies on a bi-hourly basis ). A gentle ask for "who would like a cuppa?" can result in a flood of responses from hot water to hot water with milk to cappuccino, latte and my personal favourite....just a tea with a dash of milk ! Joking aside the critical part is understanding things like how often are the fridges cleared out, why does Liam label his milk touch this and I will find you and I will kill you as well as any kitty or rota operated in the team. Canteens can be smaller than you expect for hundreds of staff, think about what the busy times are and if popping down for two mins to get a bottle of water at high noon is a the best plan
Knowledge is power.
What made you join? Find out as much as you can about your organisation to help you in your role. It could be that you are joining a business that is diversified across multiple channels for example a retailer owning a bank (what are the odds?) and however diverse their portfolio is they will share common purposes and goals. Understanding how it fits together and the history and origins of the company can help you to understand the culture more effectively, after all a tin of beans and a credit card may not appear to have synergy but they are both products, created, marketed and sold using similar processes (as long as you don't confuse them and try to pay for something with the beans......although I sold my cow to a bloke once for some, mum wasn't happy).
You will be bombarded with info
Information overload, can't live with it but being fair can't live without it. You should fully prepare for this arming yourself with whatever you need to remember as much information as possible and start to get yourself into a routine for how things will work going forward. Getting into sync early with how to structure your day can only benefit you in the long term
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Network off and online if you wish
Just as you announce your arrival in the office it is also important to consider how else you can network and collaborate together with colleagues. What is the social scene? Being part of a community is vital to the success of any organisation and it could help you to settle in a new location more effectively. Do people go for a run at lunchtime, is there a volunteering programme, how can you sign up for charity events and what is the social media policy? You should never join or connect just for the sake of it, make sure it fits with who you are and not just who you think others would want you to be. If you are required to build an external network with suppliers find out what ways people do this. It could be that you have to update profiles on Linked In and Twitter etc or create new profiles to reflect your role. All of this should be done in conjunction with social media and other reflective policies operated in the business.
So there you have it, That Learning Dudes whizz around the new workplace. It's not really rocket science.....unless you are joining NASA and then technically it is. Be yourself, it's why they hired you. In some ways it is still a little like school, college or university. There will be challenges, some pitfalls, laughs and in some cases tears........mostly when you find the fridge has been cleared out but most of all the fact you are reading this means that more than likely you made it through those institutions and survived.
Thanks for reading.....P.S Give me your lunch money or you're getting it.
That Learning Dude @LearningXDude
