My first day with my current employer, Michael Baker International, took place amid the coronavirus pandemic.

I realize that my situation is outside the norm; COVID-19 has placed countless employers in the unfortunate position of having to furlough or lay off employees, with some companies shutting their doors permanently.

Other organizations, considered essential businesses, have been overwhelmed – such as medical centers, and manufacturers and distributors of food and medical supplies.

Michael Baker is a leading provider of engineering and consulting services, including design, planning, architectural, environmental, construction and program management, and I am fortunate to have been hired by a firm that is continuing its necessary work on our nation’s infrastructure, managing its resources well, and hiring new talent during this challenging time.

What My Firm Did

I honestly don’t know what I expected of the onboarding process, but I was prepared and willing to deal with a certain amount of uncertainty. I was pleasantly surprised with the level of care the Michael Baker team took to make my onboarding as effective as it could be. Here are the things they did that helped me the most as a new hire in the time of COVID-19:

Responsive recruiting staff

My recruiter was amazing – no exaggeration. She was warm, friendly, and always sounded happy to hear from me. She called and emailed me often just to check in. I never wondered what was going on with my interview process, because she kept me constantly updated. When the offer came through, she made sure I had everything I needed at home in terms of office space, Wi-Fi connection, and supplies, to be fully ready to get to work.

Dedicated IT support

All the equipment I needed was delivered to my doorstep days before my start date. A dedicated IT person reached out to me to set up phone time to walk me through setting it all up correctly. That same person was available to answer any subsequent questions I had about connecting to the VPN, using the hardware and software, and any other technological issues. He also made sure my company email account was set up and able to send and receive messages prior to day one.

Frequent communication

One of my first emails was an overview of my onboarding schedule: a series of meetings over the first three weeks, which had already been set up with key leaders and teammates. That was followed by a series of calendar invitations to confirm those meetings and provide connection info.

My team was in frequent contact throughout my first few weeks, to answer my questions, check to see how things were going, and make sure I wasn’t overwhelmed, confused, or anxious. Naturally, as any new hire in the best of circumstances, I was occasionally all those things, but I appreciated having my managers and other teammates consistently in contact to calm my nerves.

Flexibility

I found that everyone with whom I interacted was flexible and good-natured about when, how, and what media to use to connect with each other. I think that’s a hallmark of any successful organization, especially in times of crisis: the ability to be agile and unflustered in the face of change. I know it made a big difference in terms of my own effectiveness and productivity. 

What I Learned

The need to be flexible, agile and resilient applied to myself as well – and I liked to think I was doing a pretty good job of it, until issues arose for which I was unprepared. I admit I spent some time stressing about things over which I had no control. I now realize was I didn’t need to stress at all.

Instead, these are the things that worked much better at preventing and mitigating stressful issues while onboarding from home:

Ask for help

If you’re a new hire, realize that no one expects you to know everything. You will face issues that you don’t know how to handle. When this happens, don’t stress. Reach out to your managers and your co-workers via phone, email, Jabber, text, etc. to ask for support and advice.

Give yourself a break

Most firms don’t expect new hires to produce work at the same level as people who have been there for months. Your job right now is to take in all the information you can and process it to create a solid foundation to support future efforts. You can’t do that if you’re trying to do everything at once.

Slow down. Take it in. Ask questions. Give yourself time to think. The human brain needs time to power down regularly in order to process information effectively.

Take advantage of being at home

During those times when I noticed how stressed I felt, I was glad to be at home, for a couple of reasons. First, no one witnessed my anxious responses – I could keep it to myself and recover without the added burden of potential embarrassment. Second, I could take a break between meetings, go for a quick walk around the block, or seek some comfort from my family or pets.

Starting a new job is inherently stressful. Doing it under stay-at-home orders can add to the stress, but it doesn’t have to. Firms that put in the effort, like Michael Baker, can help new hires onboard effectively, even during times of crisis. New hires should also take full advantage of the flexibility and comfort working from home offers to stay calm and onboard with ease.