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Newcomers' worst nightmares

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Going to a new place, meeting new people, and trying to fit in is never easy. As a result, the first day at work can be a nerve-racking experience for many.

For HR professionals, the challenge is to design an onboarding process to help newcomers adjust to the life in the organisation as smoothly as possible.

This list of things newcomers are most worried about on their first day at work, put together by the team at Daily View, may offer you some insights on how to enhance your onboarding process.

Running into an old foeThe six degrees of separation theory has demonstrated people are a lot closer to one another than they might think. This theory states that any person on the planet can be connected to any other person on the planet through a chain of acquaintances that has no more than five intermediaries.

This means that there is a good chance one may run into someone who they have a history with when reporting to a new job. Surely there's nothing worse than running into an old foe or even an ex-lover.

Calling the wrong nameIt is easy to be overwhelmed by the huge number of people who introduce themselves to you on the first day. While calling a colleague by the wrong name may be an honest mistake, it can come with serious consequences.

There are people who can't stand others not remembering their name correctly and see it as being disrespectful. Getting under the skin of colleagues on the first day at work is something newcomers will try to avoid at all costs, but it is easier said than done.

Slow computersNewcomers are keen to show what they are capable of, but there is nothing they can do if they're stuck with a bad computer. To make things worse, they maybe labelled as slackers.

Getting lostMost sensible newcomers would leave their homes early to avoid being late on day one. But sometimes these poor newbies still get themselves caught in bad traffic or even worse - lose their way.

To eat or not to eat breakfastEvery organisation has a different culture when it comes to employees eating breakfast at their desks. The sensible thing to do is to eat breakfast at home on day one. It is embarrassing to be seen munching on a sandwich when your manager or team mates have important things to say to you.

Not knowing when to leaveMost employers expect their workers to do overtime, so the official working hours stated in the contract can be pretty meaningless for some employees. Moreover, in some organisations there is a toxic culture of not being allowed to leave before your manager.

ALSO READ: The first step to better onboarding

Photo/ 123RF 

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