First Day in Office: Make or Break ?

We all had that strange day when we arrive in a new company, at a new position with everything to prove and full load of hope, motivation and a little anxiety.

Let me share one of my experience with you, we can compare with yours.

It's Monday. As planned, I am waiting in the company lobby duly identified and badged waiting for my contact, my boss, to come and welcome me in this new challenge.

After 30 minutes, one of my new team members came with a smile (we already met and talked over video-calls) and explained that my boss will join us in 3 days due to other priorities. No problem, I can manage myself, not my first ride.

We walked to the office and met with the team. Short shake-hands and small talk and I dropped off my suitcase in my new office.

Here I found out IT has not been informed of my arrival and therefore no mobile phone, laptop, employee profile in the email system has been initiated. No problem, I brought my own mobile phone and laptop and can connect the local Wi-Fi as a guest to my Hotmail address.

My direct report informed me that he cannot initiate this process. It can only be done by the n+1 in the system at least 3 weeks before arrival. Unfortunately, my boss is travelling or in a meeting and cannot be joined.

I asked for my introduction plan, the list of meetings I am supposed to have during my first weeks in office with all stakeholders, but, unfortunately it was missing as well as no one cared to create it. No problem, with my team, we put together a list and I walked to each of them to introduce myself and eventually take an appointment.

On Thursday my boss arrived and shouted at the IT guys which has about the same effect as peeing in a violin in terms of musical experience. Nevertheless everything got fixed by IT within 2 weeks which is fair.

My first business trip in China came on the 4th week and I managed using my previous company profile and contractor to order and pay with my own cash the needed visa. The visa arrived on time and I could do the 2 weeks trip. I paid these expenses with my personal credit card and rushed on the return to raise my expense report in the system.

During the next 3 months I traveled here and there, still paying with my personal credit card and waiting for the expenses to be reimbursed.

On the 4 months while closing my personal bank account balance I realized nothing has been reimbursed leading to nearly 2 months net salary pending reimbursement.

Getting in touch with the contractor managing the expense report system, I am informed that my expenses are not valid because I should have raised a travel authorization first and then attach my expense to it. Meaning I have to delete all my expenses reports in the system, raise the travel authorization, get them approved by my boss, restart the expense edition, get them approved by my boss. Since I became a manager (25 years ago) I never had to ask my boss for the authorization to travel. I was given a travel budget for my team and I and we managed it. So much for autonomy and responsibility ...

At that stage I am curious to hear from you about your feeling for such on-boarding process.

Fyi I got my money back after 5 months, including 2 more months of travel expenses and 2 rounds of re-edition under the scrutiny of the Polish contractor who did not give a damn about me. Besides the satisfaction to get this done, these first 6 months left a very bitter taste in my mouth and remain, as per today, as the most disorganized, messy and disrespectful crazy on-boarding I ever had.

I can reassure you, all the rest of my work period in that company was on the same note.

No need to say this was not an automotive lean company where such waste would never be tolerated.

Please share your own experience, I am willing to read it.