First month
Your first month
It’s all going so fast but hopefully you are settling into your role – if you do have questions now is the time to get some answers!
Your manager would have booked in regular one-to-one meetings with you or you may have a work place buddy you can turn to – either way make sure you have regular time slots where you have the opportunity to find answers to your questions. Don’t wait - make a date!
Manager's responsibilities
- Hold probation meeting to review progress during 1st month and set objectives to support employee where appropriate
- Offer guidance to help employee arrange meet & greets with close working organisations where appropriate
- Arrange meeting with senior members of staff
Your responsibilities
Ensure you keep your scheduled 1st month probation meeting with your manager – these are designed as an opportunity for you to sit down with your manager to discuss your progress, how your skills will be used in your new role and to identify any development needs to support you in your new role. Ensure you understand what is expected of you during your probation – if in doubt, ask your line manager.
You should allocate time to review;
- Annual Leave Policy
- Flexible working policy
- Probation Policy
- Home Working Policy
- Social Media Policy
- Smoking at Work Policy
- Lone Working Policy
- Ensure you visit the intranet to read relevant policies and complete your Elms learning
- HR on the intranet
Some of these policies may only be available on your first day.
Top tips
Ask questionsÂ
Ask any burning questions you may have in your first few days. You’re new, so this won’t raise any eyebrows – it’s expected. It would be much worse if you went several weeks before asking your supervisor a critical question. In the first few days and weeks, you’ll receive tons of information and input. Use a notebook, a folder, or a document on your computer to collect all this information. No one can remember everything.
Take the initiative
Read, meet people and ask questions. Work out what you need to know now and then set about finding out.
Understanding what happens in other parts of the organisation will allow you to make links in your work and ensure that you know who to contact with queries or for information.
Consider finding a buddy if one is not allocated to youÂ
Having someone you can turn to is highly effective and is useful to help you get up to speed quickly. Finding someone positive, who knows the organisation can help influence your success.
If you need further information, please speak to your line manager.
Build relationships
Exercise restraint, even if it’s not in your nature, and try to hold back from joining in the office gossip at the water cooler. Equally, make sure not to reveal all of the private details of your life all at once, you want your new colleagues to base their initial impression on your working competencies, not the fact that you won a hot dog eating contest last summer.