What your new starter employees and colleagues wish you knew

Rania, our 2020 programme alumni and board member, shares her experiences of navigating a workspace as a new starter, and notes top tips for employers and colleagues to support those joining their team.

ALT TEXT : A group of people with name tags sat in an open space, listening to a woman with blonde hair talk.

2019 - first day of our pilot programme, opportunity for the young people to meet some of the small businesses they’d be working with for the next 6 weeks

“Consider me in your conversation”

The process of becoming part of a team, with all its pre-existing history and work culture, can be one of the most overwhelming aspects of work for a new starter, particularly if it’s their first full time job. Work jargon, while often bringing teams and industries together, can feel alienating to new starters. Particularly when this type of jargon can be super specific, not just to an industry, but also to particular teams. So a new starter, even if well versed in the ‘vocabulary’ of their industry, may feel left out of jargon-heavy team discussions.

This is certainly true in the use of acronyms, of which there is a wealth in every industry. In reference to everything from clients to project names, these can be a real blocker for new starters understanding what is going on in any given conversation. In the increasingly remote work landscape, where you are less likely to overhear these terms contextualised in conversations around your office space, this has become even more of a challenge.

The inside jokes and anecdotes that are natural in any close team can also contribute to this feeling of exclusion for a new starter. One of the most welcoming habits I noticed about my colleagues at William Joseph when I started is their sensitivity to the audience. When someone was referencing an old joke, or telling an anecdote about their child or pet already known to the team at large, they would often make sure to give a little context so I, as a newbie, could still feel a part of the conversation.

This little bit of thoughtfulness can be a real comfort, as well as a practical way of creating trust and familiarity within a team quicker than might otherwise be possible. And the great part is, when one or two people do this, it starts to become a norm to the culture, and you build this open, inclusive environment that everyone can contribute to.

Build up the habit of dropping those acronyms. If you’re uncertain whether a team member will be familiar with a phrase or concept, give them that bit of context. The benefits here overwhelmingly outweigh the small inconveniences.

“Put yourself in my shoes”

The aspects of work life you take for granted can be the parts your new colleagues struggle with the most at times. Take the task of sending an email - an unremarkable part of many of our work lives. For a new starter, the question of whether they're communicating the right thing in the right way, right down to the use of punctuation, can be a source of anxiety. And frankly, in a world where some judge a person’s professionalism by whether or not they use emojis in work emails, can you blame them?

As a new starter, I was constantly anxious that I was missing something I should be doing, uncertain how/from whom work should come, and where it made sense to volunteer my help. Managing one’s own schedule is often new to junior members, particularly if they've come straight from education. Deciding for yourself what needs doing, when and how, is a skill that needs to be learnt and exercised.

Talk candidly with your colleagues about your own processes and tools, the reality that busyness at work dips and peaks and be prepared to be more hands on than you might otherwise be. Ask them if they need anything for the day, suggest meetings they could observe, or actions they could help take forward. Remember that many of their first few weeks may be spent in introductory meetings with team members, and getting to grips with the culture of the workplace. This is work, and can be quite overwhelming. Allow time for it in their schedule and help to organise/suggest these intros where you can. Whatever tools you use in your day to day, be it MS teams, Google drive, even powerpoint, be aware it’s not necessarily something they’ve used much, if at all before. Create a space for conversation around this - it doesn't need to be a box ticking skills audit.

When it comes to group interactions, new starters can be far more sensitive about whether their contribution to a meeting is of value. Faced with those that have spent far more years in their industry, they may dismiss the worth they can bring and not speak up. Ensure there are ways to contribute that don’t require being outspoken in a meeting - post its, chat functionality etc. Often it helps to have some time to prepare or think beforehand as well, so sending materials before a session is also a good shout.

“Know when to take a step back”

Support also means giving your team members the space to grow and do their job. The type of involvement that might’ve been helpful right at the beginning can start to feel stifling, or even like micromanaging after six months. Keep an eye on their progress, and be flexible. Start to give your colleagues options. For example, I can attend this meeting with you, but feel free to handle this yourself. Ask for their opinions, and redirect attention to them if someone is looking at you just because you’re the more senior voice in the room in a meeting they’re facilitating. Don’t assume what they’ll find difficult or when they need you to step in. Be there but give them their chance to be independent, check in regularly and listen to what they have to say.

Collaborative Future has a lot of experience creating spaces and processes for new starters through running four iterations of our work placement programme. We also continue to provide training and coaching for teams and workplaces to ensure that they create spaces in their work where people not only feel able to contribute but where their identity, perspectives and ideas are valued. To give you an idea of the support we can offer, here is a draft of an Onboarding Talent Package proposal. If you’re interested in working with us to support your new starters, get in touch via hello@collaborativefuture.co.uk or book a 15 minute chat.