What a Late Arrival Taught Me About Culture

It was 8:00 AM sharp, time to kick off the all-day conference that I was facilitating. Everyone was with coffee in hand, in their seats, and attentive. Shall I start? I knew we were technically waiting on one more person. Where were they? It was their first day. Won't they be mortified if they walk in after the day has begun? I paused. Being late on the first day is as good as a termination notice in this culture.

I hesitated, then started my welcome and began the day.

Within ten minutes, the new hire arrived; they found themselves opening a door at the head of the room, all eyes on them, and quickly found a seat. Fortunately, it was close to the door.

In a culture where precision matters, being on time is table stakes. The eyes on this individual were all-knowing; an impression like this is difficult to overcome...but does it have to be?

What if the hiring manager or HR leader had given this new hire misinformation about the day? After all, we were out of town, in a new location; perhaps communication got tangled. Or, maybe there wasn't a good reason; the new hire was simply late. 

Do we write them off on the first day?

After the investment in recruiting and selecting the talent, it would be better to have a candid, growth-oriented conversation about the culture. This particular culture starts things on time, prepared, and attentive. We've all heard the saying, if you're on time you're late; this is one of those cultures. On time in this culture means being in your seat before the meeting starts.

I've known hiring managers to call the day before a new hire starts to go over last-minute context. And some who plan to meet their new team member at the front door to walk them in. In this case, if someone had provided context such as, "We will start right at 8 AM; I will meet you in the lobby at 7:40 AM so that we can walk to the conference room together and get situated before the day starts," that might have been helpful.

Help new team members acclimate to your culture.

Helping new team members get acclimated to the culture quickly is important. It helps them feel aligned to the team and makes them productive more quickly. Organizations need to take responsibility for this swift assimilation, ensuring that the new hire is well cared for and acclimated the first day, first week, and first month.

Reflective questions:

1. What can you do to ensure that new team members assimilate to your culture quickly?

2. What unwritten rules do new hires need to know when joining your team or your company?