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First impressions last, which is why it pays to think about how
new employees are introduced to your company. The way new hires are handled during their initial weeks on the job will go far toward
determining whether they'll become productive, enthusiastic contributors. With this in mind, Sequent Computer Systems, Inc. doesn't leave
anything to chance.
Every new employee of the Beaverton, Ore., company is assigned to a sponsor
even before his or her first day of work. The sponsor is charged with taking the new recruit through Sequent's main streets and back roads --
introducing the employee to others, rounding up office supplies, training the new hire on the electronic mail system, and imparting various aspects of
company culture.
Sponsors, who volunteer for the assignments, commit about 30 minutes a day
to their adoptees over the first couple of weeks. Sequent is convinced that the cost of losing the daily half-hour of labor is far exceeded by
the program's benefits. "One of the main values of this company is teamwork," says Barbara Gaffney, vice-president for human resources.
"New employees work better if they know the other players, and a sponsor is one way they get to know people faster". |
