What is the right “welcome” message for managers to send newly hired employees during orientation programs? It is no longer credible to say “welcome to the family.”
Many managers and supervisors with extensive experience hiring and orienting new employees don’t realize that some of the methods and words they’ve used successfully for years now actually may work against them with new Generation X employees. What is the right “welcome” message for managers to send newly hired employees during orientation programs? It is no longer credible to say “welcome to the family” as if they can expect to be part of the company for the rest of their lives.
Remember that most of your new Generation X hires know that the only kind of career security they are ever going to achieve is the kind they create from within themselves. Xers think of themselves as sole proprietors, not “family members”, no matter where they work.
Xers look at every job as an opportunity to trade their skills, creativity, and hard work for some measurable increase in their self-based career security. Xers think in terms of a new implicit workplace bargain based on daily win-win exchanges. They wish to add value for employers who are willing to reward them daily with learning opportunities, creative challenges, and productive relationships.
THE WRONG THINGS TO SAY:
->> “Welcome to the family.”
->> “Pay your dues and you will climb the ladder.”
->> “We will define your training agenda and we will train you.”
->> “A lot of people would love this job so it would be easy to replace you.”
THE RIGHT THINGS TO SAY:
->> “We want a win-win relationship, regardless of the length of your stay.”
->> “Pursue our corporate goals in a way that helps with your own goals.”
->> “Many of the relationships you build with individuals here are likely to outlive your tenure with this company.”
->> “Pursue as much knowledge and as many skills as you can. We will do our best to make learning resources available to you.”
->> “We value your hard work as an individual, as well as your creativity and innovation.”
· “Welcome to the family.”