Don't Bully New Employees

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Don’t haze the newbies. Welcome new employees the right way.

This week’s #culturedrop is about how new people get treated when they join a team. Not just HR paperwork or onboarding, but the human experience of being the new person. If you’ve ever walked into a new role, you know that first impression and experience matters, so do your part to make it good for others.

Think about the experience you’d want.

Start here: What would you want to feel on your first day, week, month with a new team?

We all want a sense of welcome. We want to feel like our new coworkers are friendly, helpful, and aware that it can be awkward stepping into an unfamiliar environment. We want connection. We want kindness. And we want to feel like the people around us want us to succeed.

As team members, we all play a part in creating that culture. It’s not just the job of HR or leaders. Getting to know and experience your new coworkers is an important moment. Do your best to shape a new hire’s first impression into a good one.

“When new people join the team, don’t make them prove themselves to start treating them well.”

It’s not a test.

When new people join the team, don't make them prove themselves to start treating them well. It’s wild to me that it’s common enough that I’ve had multiple requests to cover this topic about hazing/mistreating new employees.

Hazing might sound like a strong word, but it shows up in subtle ways. Some people or teams take a hands-off approach to new hires — holding back help or friendliness, until the new person earns their place. It’s so dysfunctional to be unkind, don’t do it.

We need to be better than that. Starting a new job isn’t a test of social endurance. It’s a chance to establish and build relationships and growth. Think about the experience you’d want to have when joining a new team and provide that for other people.

“Think about the experience you’d want to have when joining a new team and provide that for other people.”

Leaders: build intentional systems that show care.

Creating a great onboarding experience is crucial. Leaders can, and should, create systems that intentionally support new people.

Here are a few simple but effective ideas:

One-on-one coffee chats: Encourage new hires to schedule short (15 minute) chats with each team member and a few folks from other departments. It helps them build connections, context, and relationships right off the bat.
Assign a buddy: Pair the new hire with someone who can be their go-to person for the first couple of weeks. It’s less about answering every question and more about creating a reliable connection to help them learn the ropes, make introductions etc.
Team bonding activities: Depending on your team size and culture, try something lighthearted like some team trivia. Collect fun random facts from everyone and have the team guess who said what. It’s simple, personal, and builds connection.

Small efforts like this go a long way. They tell the new hire and the rest of the team, we’ve thought about your experience, and we want you to feel at home here.

“When we take time to make new folks feel included, connected, and cared for, we don’t just set them up to succeed — we strengthen the team as a whole.”

A little intention makes a big difference.

Whether you’re a teammate, a manager, or part of the executive team of a company, one thing holds true: onboarding well and making a great first experience is clutch.

When we take time to make new folks feel included, connected, and cared for, we don’t just set them up to succeed — we strengthen the team as a whole.

So be intentional, be welcoming. Let’s retire the idea that making people struggle to fit in is somehow a rite of passage. Be awesome to new people, even if that’s something that wasn’t done for you. It matters.

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This article was created by Galen Emanuele for the #culturedrop. Free leadership and team culture content in less than 5 minutes a week. Check out the rest of this month's content and subscribe to the Culture Drop at https://bit.ly/culturedrop

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