Opinion: Affirmation e-mail sets tone, welcomes new employee

During this project, I will be working with people all over the country. The e-mail introduced me, told a little about my background, delivered kudos on my accomplishments, and explained why I was on the project and what I would be doing. Most importantly, the client clearly set goals and stated how he wanted the various offices to interact with me.

I am thinking of framing this e-mail. In many years of working, I have never seen something like this affirmation e-mail. I thought back to other companies and how I was introduced. Some were great. Some were ungracious, ho-hum or simply inept. Here are some examples:

One of the absolute best was The Disney Store Inc. Not only did I go through a two-day orientation at the studio, I spent another three days on a massive “meet and greet” schedule. I was assigned half-hour meetings and lunches for three days while I met with hiring managers. I was a senior recruiter. For a number of meetings, my boss accompanied me, which helped the meeting flow smoothly and assisted in dealing with prickly personalities. This boss also sent out a friendly e-mail introducing me.

When I started as a headhunter in Los Angeles, I was given the “trial by fire” introduction to the company. On my second day, we flew to Las Vegas for the International Council of Shopping Centers meeting. It is the largest convention that Vegas hosts. I was told to go around and introduce myself, saying that I would be placing people in the shopping center industry. I was able to get a good idea of this vast business, which was great! The not-so-great part was that I had no idea how to recruit, didn’t know the names of positions in this field and was generally clueless. Luckily, there were so many thousands of people at the ICSC meeting that nobody remembered me when I cold-called later.

In another position, I arrived to find that a) I was on my own. My manager was on vacation, and the person she had entrusted me to was out sick. b) When my manager returned, she told me to send an e-mail to everyone introducing myself and telling them what I would be doing. The latter part was a good guess, as this had not been fully explained to me. I got back a number of huffy e-mails with a few off-site managers telling me that they didn’t need my help, thank you very much. One very defensive person actually e-mailed back “you apparently don’t know my background, Sinara. I have a very strong writing background and really don’t need your services. I do look forward to meeting you, though.” That made one of us. … This inauspicious beginning led to an inauspicious ending a few years later.

When I began as a publishing sales representative, my boss worked with me for one full week in the field. We ate every lunch together and most dinners. He used to laugh and say, “I’m your new best friend.” This time together was invaluable and set up a feeling of trust. I knew that I could call upon him for help and support. By the end of the week, I also felt confident. He had been there with me to meet professors and bookstore managers for the first time. In my first year, I was in the Top 20, and in my second year, in the Top 10 out of 150 nationwide. I think that first week laid the groundwork for successful sales.

Most of all, new employees want to feel welcomed. There is a nerve-wracking aspect of starting a new job which makes even the most experienced person feel anxious and a little scared. We are suddenly brought back to the dance in the eighth grade where our fear was that no one would dance with us.

The affirmation e-mail is a wonderful tool which can be sent out to the parties who will be interacting with your new co-worker. It is easy and lays the groundwork which can be built upon over time. I am also a big believer in meet-and-greet scheduling. When you meet the other players face-to-face, you can quickly size up people, make alliances, understand relationships and begin your own network within a company.

Breakfast or lunch with a supervisor and/or the team on the first day should be on the welcome list. Again, it so important to make someone feel part of the team immediately. In my years of working, I have consistently found that the companies where socializing over a meal was paramount were the most harmonious. There is something about breaking bread together which also binds a team together. I am also a big believer in celebrating holidays and birthdays, but that is the subject of another column.

Betty Bender said, “When people go to work, they shouldn’t have to leave their hearts at home.” With this insightful quote in mind, think of creating an atmosphere where this may happen.

If an attitude is established right away that is supportive, informative and positive, hearts will be nurtured and business will grow.

Sinara Stull O’Donnell is a professional speaker and writer through Springfield-based SinaraSpeaks. She is the author of “Be The Star Of Your Life: Are You Ready For Your Close-Up?” She can be reached at sinaraspeaks@earthlink.com.[[In-content Ad]]