Preparing For Your New Hire
Things to Do Before the First Day
It’s important for supervisors to plan for the arrival of a new employee, and preparations should begin in advance of the new staff member's first day.
The ASC Human Resources office will ensure that the official offer letter has been issued and acknowledged. The HR office will also prepare a New Employee Intake Form, which is automatically routed to the various administrative staff who are responsible for a portion of the onboarding process. Supervisors may be asked to provide information needed for the Intake Form, and a timely reply is crucial to the process. The Intake Form will be distributed to the following staff for the purpose(s) indicated:
- Building Administrator: provide office assignment, phone extension; request office cleaning; issue keys
- IT Help Desk: email account set up; addition to email listservs; request for new or replacement hardware, request for specific software; access to share drives, schedule ASC computing tutorial on first day
- Librarian: schedule orientation (if needed)
- Payroll Coordinator: confirmation of Workday record
- Photographer: schedule appointment to take website photo
- Front Office Administrative Assistant: create mailbox; print name plate
Things to Do on the First Day
It’s important for the supervisor, or an experienced alternate, to be available to the new staff member on their first day to make them feel welcome and comfortable. No staff member should ever arrive on their first day without the supervisor/designee present.
The supervisor should greet the new staff member when they arrive and be in their office and accessible throughout the day. The supervisor should spend time orienting the new staff member to their work environment, reviewing position duties, and introducing faculty and fellow staff members. In addition, the supervisor is responsible for the following on the first day:
Announce
Announce the arrival of the new staff member via email to the Annenberg community. The announcement should include the individual's name and title, a little bit about their previous experience (if relevant), and the location of their office.
E-Mail/Computing
A member of the IT Help Desk staff will visit with the new staff member on their first day to provide a tutorial on ASC computing. Supervisors may need to assist with the preparation of requests for access to Penn proprietary (and other) systems the staff member will need in order to perform certain functions of their position (Ben Financials, Concur, PennERA, etc.).
Ingoing & Outgoing Mail
Direct new staff to the location of their mailbox and the outgoing mail bins.
Keys
Ensure that all appropriate keys have been issued and discuss safety protocols regarding office space and the need to keep doors closed and locked when not occupied.
Office Equipment
Orient new staff to the location and proper use of office equipment.
Office Supplies
Provide the basic office supplies needed to get started, and direct new staff to the main supply closet in Suite 200 for other items they may need.
Payroll
Schedule a brief meeting with the ASC Payroll Administrator (Room 209 in the Main Office) to complete all of the required payroll forms in order to be added to Penn’s payroll system. New staff who are internal Penn transfers and already on Penn’s payroll system should visit the Payroll Administrator to ensure that their payroll record has been electronically transferred to ASC from their previous department, and updated to reflect the new position information.
Telephone & Voicemail
If applicable, inform new staff of their ASC phone number and provide basic instructions on the use of the telephone and voicemail.
Tour of Work Area
Provide a tour of the staff member's general work area and floor, and the main administrative office (Suite 200). Orient them to the coffee set-up, where the closest restrooms are, and where the closest exit is to their workspace. (A full tour of the Annenberg School building is provided to new staff members as part of the ASC New Employee Orientation through the ASC Human Resources office.)