You waited 10 months and now is time for the baby to be delivered. Now, the job really begins.

Most managers think that when the candidate has been hired, their job is done. This person will come to work and get to work immediately. This candidate should be independent, self-motivated and a do-er, and hence, can jump right into the deep end and get things done.

Well, it isn't always this simple.

Just like delivering a baby, your job as a hiring manager has just begun when the candidate comes on-board.

1. Be prepared

Parents have a delivery bag that consists of all the essential items required for the delivery. They also have prepared the baby room, the bed, the clothing, etc, all in preparation and anticipation for the arrival of the little one.

For a company, welcome your new hire on the first day of work. Don’t leave them high and dry with no supervision. Make sure their work station is setup and their computers are ready for use. Give them guidance as to where to get information, or let them know who to approach. Also, you don't always have to get the new hire to come in on Monday morning, if you think your company's schedule is busiest on Monday. A Friday onboarding, when everyone is more relaxed, might also be a good option.

Linkedin has a whole section on the topic – on boarding: https://www.linkedin.com/topic/onboarding

If you use Trello for PM, then also have a look at this Trello example board: https://trello.com/b/qr3AcASr/new-hire-onboarding

2. Embrace them into the family

It is common for the extended family to all be excited about the new arrival, each taking turns to cuddle the baby. Translating to the work place, key stakeholders of the team should welcome the new hire. At the very least, a simple handshake and a quick chat, followed up later with a more formal catch up on what each individual is working on.

A welcome meal is also very useful to build that bond right from the beginning. 

3. Setup a work plan 

Parents setup a schedule for taking care of their baby, feeding time, pooping time, sleeping time, etc and your company should too. It needn’t be a down to the minute plan like for babies, but it needs to provide a framework to guide the new hire on what to focus on in the first few weeks. So things like WIPs, weekly reporting, etc can be scheduled. 

4. Be flexible

Parents learn to be flexible to accommodate the arrival of the new baby. Companies should also allow themselves some flexibility when new hires come on-board. The new hire is learning to adapt and your role as hiring manager would be to be flexible and guide them in the right direction. Specifically, it is ok for mistakes early on and I will get to that in future posts. This is also the time to adjust to each other's working style (think DISC). 

Time to start preparing?

#ParentingIsTheNewMBA #SucceedAtWork #CareerTips #ParentingSkills

"Parenting is the new MBA: Succeed at work by applying parenting skills” is a column combines of 2 distinct areas of my life: my professional view on workplace management & my personal experience as a parent.