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Starting a New Job Is Hard. Starting a New Job in a Pandemic Is Even Harder

For the lucky few who are starting new jobs, finding the rhythm of an unfamiliar workplace will be harder than ever.

Starting a New Job Is Hard. Starting a New Job in a Pandemic Is Even Harder
A worker uses a desktop computer whilst working from home in Stow Maries, U.K. (Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg)

(Bloomberg Businessweek) -- When Tyrone Graham got hired at his previous job in 2016, an office administrator squired him through his new company’s gleaming London offices. He was introduced to colleagues and shown his desk, various conference rooms, and the coffee machine that ground fresh beans and steamed milk for each cup.

Last month, on his first day in a new position at audiovisual company Kinley, Graham sat alone in his son’s bedroom at a desk he’d made from damp timber he found in the shed the day before. Coffee? His 10-year-old occasionally popped his head in to offer a cup of tea.

“It was a very soft start,” says Graham, 41. “They sent me a laptop, phone, and all the tools I needed to hit the ground running. But the reality was glitchy things occurred because I was remote, and the whole company had moved to home-working overnight.”

While millions are out of work as the coronavirus crisis cripples the global economy, a lucky few are starting new jobs. For those people, finding the rhythm of an unfamiliar workplace will be harder than ever, says Zena Everett, a career coach and former recruiter.

New hires will need to put in more effort to find out what’s expected of them, Everett says, and it’s important to arrange quick check-ins with managers. “You won’t be able to pick up subtle clues in the body language or nuances in conversation if you are missing the mark, as you would do if you were in the office,” she says.

She suggests new recruits ask questions such as:

  • If you were me, what would you focus your energy and attention on during the lockdown?
  • How will I be measured during the first three months?
  • What might derail me?
  • What do I really need to know?

A month into his new role, Graham says his relationships with co-workers haven’t progressed much beyond talking shop, and he’s had little chance to get to know them as people.

But that may not be a terrible thing. Everett says it’s more important to get people contributing to a project early on, and that employers should avoid contrived “get-to-know-you” social activities. “Be clear that this isn’t some kind of pass-fail test, just an opportunity for them to learn the ropes by doing real work,” she says.

While it’s crucial to take time to welcome new colleagues at every opportunity, the small stuff is just as vital. Graham, for instance, got a care package with gourmet chocolate and corporate swag such as a water bottle. And he says he got a shout-out during a companywide video meeting, which made him feel like he wasn’t flying under the radar.

Everett says employers should put extra emphasis on detailed onboarding processes to reduce stress and help employees feel in control more quickly. And don’t leave it all to the newcomer’s direct manager, who could be overwhelmed.

Another hint: Appoint a veteran employee as an informal guide for new hires to explain “how things work around here,” Everett says, such as when it’s OK to log off at night. If that’s not offered, newcomers should seek out a mentor, but Everett suggests keeping that relationship professional: Don’t let the mentor draw you into a moan-fest about difficult characters.

Graham still doesn't have all the technology he needs. (“I was quite a long way down the pecking order in terms of my IT requirements,” he admits.) But he says he’s getting used to the pace—and even though cracks are starting to appear in his hand-built desk as the wood dries out, it will see him and his family through the lockdown. “My partner said I was being indulgent when I was making the desk,” he says. “But now she uses it all the time.”

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.