Turning Your New Job in Omaha into Your Dream Job

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You’re dressed in your finest attire and eagerly report for your first day on the new dream job in Omaha—you, Tabitha the Star, to be greeted by, “Tabitha who? and what department are you suppose to work in?” Human Resources receives the angry, frustrated call from the receptionist, “No one told me someone new started, what am I suppose to do with her?”

• Tabitha the Star: welcome to life post-recruitment

• Employer: keep that want ad near by because Tabitha may have already sent resumes out to other jobs in Omaha by the time you figure out what to do with her today.

Joining a company and a new employee should be a time of learning and sharing and selling! The company should utilize this opportunity to showcase itself. Employers in Omaha miss this opportunity routinely—good pay and benefits are important—but leverage the strategy of making your employees a part of your business community. New employees have a responsibility to their new employer as well. If a company fails to hail your arrival, relax…some day you might take a misstep!

Like the rest of the country, jobs in Omaha are valuable these days, both to employees and employers. Here’s how to get the most from your new job or your new hire.

Employees:

That first day is your chance to reaffirm that you are the right choice.  Arrive early to work. Your supervisor will notice this, and honestly we expect an early arrival—even if we don’t meet with you until your scheduled arrival. Be professional in all your interactions—don’t greet new colleagues with “Hey bud, how’s it goin?”, and, yes, turn off your cell phone and do not look at it, do not respond to its alluring call, turn it off—you’re at work! As you meet and greet, listen to what is being said and (equally as interesting) what isn’t being said. The knowing glances of co-workers at each other during story telling time gives you the hidden agenda of the business. Dress professionally—you sold yourself as a package, don’t start to dress down and wear your hair in a pony tail. Be a professional.

We all want to make a good impression. Don’t constantly talk about your past job and co-workers. If they were so great, why did you leave?  Your past is that—move on, and learn about the way your new company does business. As time goes on, you can share ideas to do things differently and efficiently, but starting out with excessive advice only alienates you from the team. It’s okay to participate, and it’s even encouraged to show initiative, but there is a balance, and it comes from listening to your co-workers and getting a pulse on the culture. It is what will drive the business.

Keep your desk clean!Present yourself as organized. No messy desk the first day or in the days to come. Even if you know where everything is, it’s not a good move. It’s a red flag to colleagues that you might struggle on a project and that your time management and project management skills aren’t quite what you purported. A common mistake is the fear of revealing that you don’t know something or don’t understand. Tell someone, ask for help and clarification. Your employer really does want you to be successful. Realistically, if you don’t ask you just might not do the work correctly. Then it will have to be re-worked, and you will appear as an arrogant know-it-all. So, there is something worse than asking. Give your employer time to learn about you as you learn about them. The first project will probably not be the most complex or challenging, but your day will come and you will be the Tabitha the Star. Enjoy your work and your co-workers: get to know them, but not about their complicated divorce or financial woes—your personal business is that personal—keep it out of the work site.

Employers:

Turnover is reported to cost 1 ½ times the new employees’ salary in recruitment, lost productivity, over-time, and poor morale.

Reducing turnover reduces cost—it is that simple. 

The on-boarding process is crucial to retention. A solid on-boarding program increases productivity. What is there not to like about it? Many times, small to mid-sized companies are unable to compete with the benefits and wages of large corporations. However, smaller companies offer something of significant value to employees—kinship—the ability to be a part of something and feel a sense of membership. While assimilating employees into the work place is important, the Human Resources team knows that it’s not all fun—there are forms to complete, forms to be managed, and the business of assessing the on-boarding process.

Allowing employee to balance work life provides you with significant dividends. Don’t expect your employees to constantly work late or intrude on their family/social time. It demoralizes a workforce when you count every minute they aren’t there, but don’t recognize the time they work above their schedule. It is about respect and balance.

One of the most popular benefits is flexible time—it can be done without compromising customer service. For some industries it is more challenging, but when it’s feasible to offer it, exploring new ways to work add value to your bottom line without cost. So many employers are linked to their computer systems, and the ability for workers to accomplish work outside of the work site and traditional hours can enhance the employers’ commitment to employees. The flexibility can become more valuable than wage increases. In many ways it is a soft increase—if I am able to tele-commute and reduce some expenses and free up time, it is money.  Employers have to think beyond what we have always done and try some thing new. There is an old adage: 

You can’t keep doing it the same way, and expect different results.

Have you recently made a change in your work environment? Taken on a new job? Hired a new employee?

Tell me about it below!

Kathleen A. Nicolini, SPHR, MBA President, Favor Human Resources Consulting www.FavorHR.com SimpleSolutions@FavorHR.com