Don't Mess It Up

Yesterday morning? I entered my office building barely awake and slightly irritated after the Bostonian commuting odyssey. I noticed a person checking in with security and, while my sleepy fingers were searching for my badge in my bottomless backpack, I overheard that he was a new hire.

I followed the newcomer and the security guard and I unconsciously spied on them while the guard patiently explained the process to request the elevator. While I was waiting for my own lift, I heard the guard say to him as the doors closed: Don’t mess it up. Behind the masks I could perceive the complicit smile between both of them. A magical moment that reminded me of a father bringing his son to the school for the first time.?

This made me think about my own onboarding experiences at previous organizations. The only ones that I remember are the very good ones...and even more vividly the awful ones. Starting from the recruitment experience to the moment you enter the door for the first time, and every single day since, there is an opportunity to create a positive or disastrous employee experience.?

Many times this may depend not only on the organization itself, but also all the partners in crime connected to the process. The recruitment agency, the background checking vendor, the building security, the maintenance personnel...When looking at the employee experience we should think about the entire ecosystem of interactions that we create for our employees and curate that environment to make it as positive as possible.?

Many opportunities to create a positive impact and set the stage for a life-long career while building employer branding.?

Many opportunities to drive employees away and damage our efforts to attract and retain talent.

Don't mess it up.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of current or previous employers.?Any content provided by the author is her opinion and is not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual or anyone or anything.