Theo Wheatley, our newest addition to the Pre-Sales Support team, shares his experiences on starting a new job, diving in at the deep end and getting his ideas heard.
Starting a new job is always difficult. It doesn’t matter if the content of the job is within your capability range or outside of it; a challenge is always present in understanding the way your new business is organised. For those veteran stalwarts of the job market this might be a little easier. They’ve surely seen it all before, and are familiar with the corporate jargon used to describe it. For younger people such as myself entering on their first day wide-eyed and naïve in the world of work – the structure of companies, who reports to who, and how sections of a business interact can be baffling.
All the acronyms, jargon and industry specific language that accompany only adds to the confusion.
Fortunately, Eging makes a real effort to bring its new employees up to speed, which when I started here made it so much easier. Time, and genuine effort was invested into making sure I understood the way Eging TI works. This included explaining the different operational sections of the business; what they do and how they help each other out. It was arranged for me to meet all the team leaders of all the different sectors, who in turn explained their role, the unique challenges they face and how they contribute to the overall business. Over the course of the induction week I was able to build a clearer mental picture of how the business is run, as well as put faces to all the names I would hear about later on.
One-to-one discussions allowed me to ask questions and were helpful in getting to know the business and the people I’d be working with.
Eging also operates a central online learning system, which gives all employees an extensive background into the health, safety, security procedures and protocols. Taught via an engaging interactive online system this is another great way that Eging helps new employees find their feet. Regular meetings with one’s line manager also provide an opportunity to ask any questions that might have arisen, and to give and receive feedback. This is again really valuable, and helps get any issues out in the open so they can be resolved.
I know from my own personal experience working at other companies that this kind of care for new starters is really valuable, but often blatantly lacking.
Frequently new starters are given a quick tour of the building and a quick shake of the hand from the other employees, and then sat back down and given a task to be getting on with. They are expected to pick up their tasks gradually, and put together a piecemeal picture of the how the company runs over time. This is difficult, stressful, and inefficient for employee and employer. It is a far better idea for both parties to get new starters up to speed as quick as possible, by giving them the support and information they require.
By doing this, Eging is maximising one of its key assets, the people who work for them and building loyal and keen employees who will advance in the company and serve the company in the future.
As well as getting you off to a good start, personal advancement is another thing that Eging values, and it is encouraging as a new starter to have opportunities laid to climb up the ladder. An exciting aspect of this is the emphasis on creative thinking and ideas arising from the team members. We all have ideas about what could be changed in our work to improve the overall results, but often these are hard to voice and just fall on deaf ears. Eging, however, takes these ideas seriously. It provides dedicated systems for getting your ideas heard right at the top, and encourages team members to speak up to the upper management about how things can be improved. It’s easy for companies to be top heavy and for those at the apex to think they know best at all times, so it’s a breath of fresh air and a vote of confidence when those at the top keep an ear open to ideas from below.
