By chance do you happen to remember your very first day on the job of the organization where you are now employed? Or perhaps where you worked the longest in your career? If researchers like Daniel Pink are correct and “that timing is really a science—an emerging body of multifaceted, multidisciplinary research that offers fresh insights into the human condition and useful guidance on working smarter and living better,” shouldn’t the First Day Experience within an organization be memorable?
Sadly, as I sit here today in social isolation wrapping up 25 years at Union, I cannot recall anything about my first day of employment back in August of 1995. Even searching through my profile on LinkedIn, I couldn’t find the exact anniversary date! Now, there are probably numerous reasons why that specific day cannot be retrieved from deep within my mind from the fact that many, many days have passed since 1995 to the fact that although I did actually leave campus to be employed as a teacher in Bradford for a year, there was a somewhat seamless transition from student to employee status. The organization and its rhythms and seasons were already deeply rooted in my life, it was not an unfamiliar place in which to be hired.
One of the interesting aspects of this pilgrimage to uncover the characteristics of a flourishing life is all the interesting paths that the Lord has guided me onto from the consideration of milestones, the importance of hospitality, the relevance of mentoring, to the ever-present significance of time. When all these concepts are placed in the mixing bowl of my mind and I contemplate the various ingredients needed for a flourishing life, I can’t help but repeatedly consider the value of a First Day Experience. Most of us can fairly easily remember special milestones of firsts, after all, we do typically record experiences like first steps, first words, first dates; but how many organizations are intentional to consider a person’s First Day Experience on the job?
In his book The Culture Code, Dan Coyle outlines three specific skills that highly successful (or flourishing) groups have in common which include building safety through belonging, sharing vulnerability through overcoming an obstacle, and establishing a shared purpose. In a future post, I will share more about what Coyle identifies as “threshold moments,” but would a person’s First Day Experience on a team or within an organization not be a significant threshold moment? If we return to Pink’s theory that the When an event occurs has a ripple effect throughout our lives, should organizations not intentionally plan the details of a person’s first day on the job?
What if we all considered following the example of John Deere as outlined in Heath and Heath’s The Power of Moments? What if we created a First Day Experience for all new hires to our organization, new members to our church or group, or a new teammate to our athletic program? The John Deere Experience manages to master the skills outlined by Coyle. They create a sense of safety through belonging by providing a John Deere friend who reaches out before the employee’s first day to welcome them and then provide guidance throughout their first day. Establishing a shared purpose is evident when the new hire enters their workspace and is greeted by swag and videos that clarify the important work in which the company engages. The shared vulnerability may not be evident that first day, but the tone is set as a small group of coworkers dialogue with the new hire, asking questions while describing current work projects.
Heath and Heath encourage us to consider being proactive about authoring defining moments such as the First Day Experience. Are there ways that you could begin today to take advantage of threshold moments such as the ones mentioned above or even consider a new resident in your neighborhood? Future posts will expand on this concept, specifically in consideration of Gen Z and athletic programs. I hope you will engage in the conversation! Please feel free to share in the comments below ideas you have for creating a First Day Experience regardless of what that first day may be.
References:
Coyle, D. (2019). The culture code: The secrets of highly successful groups. Random House.
Pink, D.H. (2018). When: The scientific secrets of perfect timing. Riverhead Books.
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The idea of a “first-day experience” is something that when often thought of, we usually go back to when we were in school. Those first days when you see everyone again and become excited about the upcoming year was special. However, not special enough for me to remember any of them. You are making the same parallels with your first day on a new job and I think they are for the same reasons. To answer directly your question about if organizations should intentionally plan someone’s first day? Plainly I think they should. If it is true that we remember positive and life-changing experiences in life, this is a great way for employers to make an effort to retain their employees. If I have a very positive first-day experience and feel that I am treated like I am an important part of the machine, I will be more likely to stay longer. The example from John Deere is a simple, but very effective way to accomplish this. The simplicity of reaching out to a new employee so they can answer questions and make them feel a part of their new organization. We all want to belong somewhere and what better way to make individuals feel wanted and desired than by impacting their first day?
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I will never forget my first day as a patient care tech at the hospital. The floor was understaffed, and they needed someone to sit with a patient while they looked to find a sitter for the day. The next thing I knew, I was alone in the room with a combative, angry, degrading old man. He was just upset with life in general. He said some of the rudest things I have ever heard. Shortly into our conversation, I quickly began questioning not only my career choices, but my life choices too. I was stunned and was sure I would not finish day one. This first day was memorable but not in the way I had hoped it would be.
First days are important. First impressions, initial judgments and much more begin the second one enters for the start of day one. I think there is a fine line between welcoming a new member to a team or group and being overly nice to the point that it is uncomfortable. No one enjoys awkward first encounters with others, but it is sometimes a necessary evil when starting something new. I think that employers should welcome new members to their team with open arms but also allow the employee to learn and grow on their own some. This begins the employee’s journey of finding independence. Finding a balance to both makes a good recipe for a great and memorable first day.
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First days are important. When I think of first day, I think of starting kindergarten going into the unknown and not knowing what to expect. I think of my mom dropping me off to school with my sister and getting upset when my sister and I could not attend the same classroom. Your first-time experience is something you never get back. The first day of kindergarten, middle, and even high school can be terrifying. I’ll never forget my first day of college classes getting ready to make a good impression with my professors. As I am walking into my classroom, the professor makes sure to call roll. I realized after he called roll I was in the wrong classroom and the professor escorted me to the right classroom and I was mortified for going to the wrong classroom. My first day of college was the most the embarrassing of them all.
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