Step-by-Step Plan for a Successful First Day of Work (+Examples You Can Copy)
You have everything to gain by planning and organizing your new employees’ first day of work in advance so that they’re at ease and can start off their new job on the right foot.
The first day of work (sometimes called induction day) is part and parcel of the employee onboarding process. There are many benefits to a well-planned process, including a greater likelihood of retention and faster adaptation.
On their first day of work, your new employee is going to be nervous. They’re wondering how their day will go, how early they need to arrive, who their new colleagues will be, and whether they’ll like their new coworkers (and vice-versa). 🤯
Make things as easy as possible for your new employee with a great induction day. Find our step-by-step instructions below.
Is the first day of work really important?
An employee’s first day of work, or their first shift, is key given that first impressions profoundly shape individual perceptions.
Already, your first contact with your candidate during the interview process is decisive in crafting how they see your organization. The first day of work is similarly important, as it represents their first contact with their team and work environment.
Benefits of a successful first day of work
- Promotes new employee integration into the new team
- Fosters engagement
- Nurtures a sense of belonging
- Helps get things off to a good start
- Lets new employees get to know the team’s energy and dynamics
- Provides an overview of the company’s culture
The first day of work is a reflection of the employee experience
The first day should set the tone for the employee experience. Your induction day should reflect your mission, corporate values, and usual team spirit—in short, the atmosphere at your store, restaurant, pharmacy, senior’s residence or other workplace.
The first day of work, a truly special day
Paradoxically, while the first day on the job (or first shift) should reflect your organizational experience, it’s also quite different from any other day.
Do you remember what it’s like to start a new job where there’s already an established team in place?
In these kinds of situations, we really appreciate being greeted on a warm and festive tone, feeling recognized by our peers and manager, and being excited to get to know new colleagues. A warm welcome helps us feel less nervous—and makes the next steps so much easier.
How can you create this positive energy?
- By putting the necessary time into preparing the first day of work
- By leaving nothing to chance on that day
- By organizing some bonding time, such as a meal or snack, to bring the immediate team together
- By giving out company-branded material (a sweater, water bottle, cap, beanie, etc.)
- By presenting your company’s mission, values and employee handbook with passion and sincerity
Example of first day of work (feel free to copy!)
An employee’s first shift, whether it’s a full day, an evening or a morning, can always be organized in roughly the same way.
Here are examples of induction days for an office worker, a waiter and a retail clerk.
First day of work at the office
For an office worker, the work hours in this example will be based on a 7-hour shift that begins in the morning. Feel free to adapt this example to suit your needs. If the employee works part-time, this model can also be split into two 3.5-hour chunks.
9:00 a.m. New employee’s arrival.
9:15 Present the company’s mission and culture from the get-go (history, etc.) to build up excitement even before the office tour and starting the day.
💡Pro tip: If you’re welcoming several employees on the same day and have an HR department to take care of everything, why not do a group presentation? This way, your new recruits will already be able to meet their new colleagues!
10:00 Tour of the premises (don’t forget to point out where bathrooms, coffee machine, lockers and other features are located).
10:30 Break
10:45 Go over work tools.
11:30 Greet the immediate team and introduce the new employee.
12:00 Lunch or welcome snack to help split the first day in two.
1:30 p.m. Present the employee handbook and allow time for reading.
3:30 Present the onboarding plan, including steps, completion dates, etc.
3:45 Review the induction day and answer any questions.
4:00 Departure 🙂
First day of work for a waiter at a restaurant
Here, we’ll use the dinner shift as an example.
2:30 p.m. New employee’s arrival.
- Present the company’s mission and culture from the get-go (history, etc.) to build up excitement even before touring the company and starting the shift.
- Go through the menu together and answer questions.
3:00 Tour of the premises: staff room, kitchen, food pass or workstation, dining room, etc.
3:30 Restaurant operation and tools:
- Where and how to consult the work schedule?
- Where and how to punch in and out?
- Floor plan and table numbers
- Respective roles: who takes the orders, who can enter the kitchen, who takes out the dishes, who serves the tables, who can make their own drinks, etc.
- Restaurant operations
💡Pro tip: Don’t forget to pass on “unspoken” internal practices to your new employee. For example, if it’s frowned upon to enter the kitchen during the mealtime rush, make sure to let your new employee know.
4:15 Meet and greet with colleagues.
Introduce the newcomer over a tray of muffins, cookies, coffee or anything else that will make this feel like a special occasion.
4:30 The new employee is paired with a more experienced employee with whom they will spend the entire shift to observe how they do things.
End of shift: Review the first day and answer any questions. Say goodbye and give the employee a menu and seating plan that they can review at home. 🙂
💡Pro tip: Let your new recruit go home early. The first few days on the job are very stimulating and energy-intensive. They’ll appreciate being able to leave early! This will also give you time to finalize anything that you didn’t get to during the onboarding.
First day of work for a retail clerk
Here, we’ll use the afternoon shift as an example.
12:30 p.m. New employee’s arrival
Present the company’s mission and culture from the get-go (history, etc.) to build up excitement even before touring the company and starting the shift.
1:00 Tour of the premises: staff room, store, back store.
1:30 Store functioning and tools:
- Where and how to consult the work schedule?
- Where and how to punch in and out?
- Respective roles: cashier, floor clerk, etc.
- Restaurant operations
2:00 Meet and greet with colleagues.
Introduce the newcomer over a snack to make this a special moment.
2:15 The new employee is paired with a more experienced employee with whom they will spend the entire shift to observe how they do things.
End of shift: Review the induction day and answer any questions.
Departure 🙂
The benefits of a successful first day of work: 10 key points
Here are 10 things not to overlook if you want to make the induction day a success.
1. Organize the day from A to Z, leaving nothing to chance.
2. End the first day or shift an hour earlier than usual, for example.
3. Go over the onboarding and training plan, making sure the newcomer knows what to expect.
4. Properly introduce the new employee to their team and vice-versa.
5. Pair the new employee with a more experienced colleague that they can always turn to for help.
6. Prepare a warm and special welcome, with a lunch, snack, team coffee or word of welcome.
7. Take the time to present your company’s mission, values and employee handbook with conviction and sincerity.
8. Carefully and thoroughly explain your newcomer’s tasks, their duties and the limitations of their role.
9. Show them around the premises.
10. Save some time to answer questions.
The first day of work: a valuable asset for you and your new recruit
The most important takeaway from this post is that the first day of work is crucial, much so for the new employee and for the rest of the team, and the manager. The induction day or shift helps develop belonging and loyalty as well as employee retention.
We hope that these examples of first days of work will help you optimize your new employee’s experience at your organization—and make things much easier for you as well.
Happy induction day! 🤩
