The 6 things all new employees should be told

When you started your job, were there things you wish you were told? Here’s what should be communicated, but often isn’t.

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My experiences as a new employee ran the gamut from literally being stuck in a closet with a typewriter until a workspace opened up to arriving with all the tools in place—phone, computer, office supplies—but lacking other things that would enable me to hit the ground running.

Here are some of the basic things an organization should communicate to new employees in the first weeks of their tenure:

1. Roles and responsibilities. Employees should understand exactly what their jobs consist of, what they are responsible for doing, and the parameters within which they can operate. These should be clearly outlined before an employee is hired, of course, but they should be reinforced during orientation.

2. Expectations. Employees should know what is expected of them, both from a job performance perspective and behaviorally. The more specific the expectations—with examples of desired behaviors and performance milestones—the better.

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