Some of us have started new jobs with that very unsettling version of new employee orientation, "Here are your keys... good luck!"
(oh, and sometimes you don't even get keys!)
I am so excited to mention that we will be finishing the last step in our staffing strategies journey by welcoming our new Associate Director on Monday! My post today is dedicated to the important task of welcoming new staff and some intentional strategies to make that transition into your office culture a smooth one. After years of observing the victories and disasters in this process, I've come to know a few important things about staff transitions.
If your campus is anything like mine, getting someone up to full "existence" on campus is no small task. Email accounts, calling codes, student information access, keys, ID's... it's all a huge mysterious web of confusion. For us, I am still challenged by the fact that you can't get certain things done until the new person gets here in person and there are some items that you really think should be in place for a new staff member's arrival. The whole process makes me pretty crazy here, so I'd recommend learning your campus steps very carefully. Even though that paperwork alone is enough to occupy a lot of time, I'm writing today about even more you have to think about when trying to build a smooth transition for a new employee.
Many of us have learned about Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.. so I want to use that as a way for us to discuss the needs of new staff and ways supervisors can address them.
Physiological Needs:
Physiological needs like food and shelter are the first rung on his ladder and these are also all things that come into play with starting a new job also. The next steps up the ladder include safety needs, so we'll talk about those too.
Where will the person be working? Have the workspace cleaned, get some basic office supplies, and make sure that your staffer has a key to his own office. On the topic of food, I usually plan some lunches for the person in their first week with some fun people. I know this is super-basic, but it has to be said.
Safety needs:
Safety goes back to the issues of making sure the new staff member's work space is secure and that the new staff member has whatever keys or card access is needed for full access to your department from the first day of work. In addition, offering some information about parking guidelines on campus and even emergency procedures and any campus safety procedures should also be addressed.
Belonging needs:
Only after those first two steps are accomplished can things like belonging be addressed. Since we are all campus activities people, we know that "belonging" is one of the things we do best! Make some time to connect your new staff member with those who can help them belong, by arranging lunch appointments and ways for them to get orientations to different offices on campus by people you know to be dynamic, friendly and welcoming. Other ways you can help this new person belong are to make sure they have business cards waiting for them when they arrive and have some kind of "logo" from the college on a shirt, promotional item or even their department nametag.
Love needs
"All we need is love!" We all know that the need for love is expressed and manifested in many different ways by many personality types, but the need to be "loved" still stands in the way of other important things to come according to our friend Maslow. It's hard to explain "love needs" and how it may relate to the workplace, but I think of it in terms of making sure that a new job does not prevent a new employee from focusing on those he or she loves most in life. If someone moves cross-country to take a new job, they may have anxiety about being far from family or significant others. Take some time to talk about upcoming vacations or ability to request time off so that they can maintain those essential relationships. In addition, helping a new employee achieve the elusive "balance" in their life can make all the difference in someone's potential to move further up the Maslow hierarchy.
Competency needs
Now we're talking... achieving needs for competency are pretty important for supervisors and this need focuses on helping the new staff member feel confident and competent in their new role.
You as a supervisor play a key role in making or breaking this one. Your new staff member is dying to know if they are doing a good job in your eyes and you need to figure out a way to let them know, whether you are a "warm fuzzy" with that stuff or not. I know it's not comfortable for everyone out there in cyberland to give that pat on the back, but I need to ask you to force yourself to figure out a way to let the new person know where they stand with you.
I attended the ACPA Mid-Level Managers workshop a while back and they helped me to see the value in a written document that describes supervisory expectations. I really liked the idea of working on this as a guide for new staff, so I worked on an overview of my expectations of all staff in their roles as Manager, Educator and Communicator. I believe that all of my staff play these roles in some degree or form, so this was what I chose as a "springboard" for discussion. I will confess I don't use this document as much as I should, but it's a great start for new staff to understand me better.
Self-actualization
Ah, the brass ring! This is the "full realization of one's potential" and I think it represents what we all want for our staff. To get to this point, however, you can see that a lot of time and effort has to be spent and you can't hit the ground running expecting this to happen overnight. I hope that this trip through Maslow has helped readers to see that all of the "early work" is time well spent as an investment toward true excellence. At the point where you are able to focus on self-actualization, you are able to let your new staffer settle in to focusing on how the work on your campus will help them to achieve their personal goals and development.
Get ready!
My new staff member starts on Monday and I know there is a lot to do if her "self-actualization" is going to be ready for the start of school (kidding! 
) I am thrilled that this latest journey into creative staffing is stepping into its next phase but I know that in our field the reality of this situation is all too familiar. I know that what I can do in the meantime is to be sure that I am using the lessons learned along the way to keep our work focused, dedicated to our mission and goals, and always keeping staff development as a priority among our many competing areas of focus...just in case the next wave comes along.
I consider myself extremely lucky to have gone through this latest journey with some extremely talented and patient people. (Matt, Carla, Kristy-Ann, Tia and Christina...there's the shout out you've been asking for!) I know that all of this great experience will sometime "pay forward" for all of us as we move into this great next phase of our department (and our personal!) development.
It's been a real pleasure getting the chance to work on this blog! If you have some comments on any of the posts... please comment! (NACA will make me start asking my mom to post comments...so please!) Thanks for reading!!
Cindy