To think this is an awful first week?

[AwfulFirstWeek]

Started a new job this week. It’s hybrid, 2 days in 2 offices and 3 days WFH.

Monday - collected a laptop and WFH. Had some online onboarding/learning to do.

Tuesday - WFH. Had some introductory meetings over Teams. Rest of day finishing online learning.

Today - First day in first office. My line manager isn’t here, they are WFH. The office is 3 quarters empty, apparently it has been a ghost town since COVID. I had an hour with a HR person to have a tour and meet some people. But I’ve spent the majority of the day reading documents on the intranet. Havnt been given any tasks to do or asked to shadow anyone. A lot of people have gone off for lunch but I feel too awkward to sit with them as I don’t know them.

Is this what hybrid working is like or is does this sound like an awful first week? :(

Did you arrange to go into the office on the same day as your manager.

Sounds pretty normal tbh.

Yes. They emailed me saying they would be in the office today. However something must have came up in order for them to WFH. Someone from another team had to inform me my line manager wouldn’t be coming in.

Shame they didn't tell you themselves, but sounds normal for a first week. No actual work usually gets done, get the onlune training done etc, and get stuff organised with manager to start properly next week.

It's shit but unfortunately the new normal

I mean, AWFUL? No. Possibly a bit frustrating. I'm sure it will get better.

I am in the same position as you but a few weeks ahead.
I am trying to be realistic because I know the first 6 months in any new job are uncomfortable BUT the induction process has been awful and I’m feeling very alone 😬

Why is it an awful week? It is pretty normal to only have limited things to do in your first few weeks, never mind few days.

Yes AWFUL. Well maybe a bit of an exaggeration 😂

I haven’t seen my line manager in person since my interview. I’m alone in a massive almost empty office reading online documents with no one to shadow.

I know it’ll get better once I find my feet and have my own portfolio of work. But the induction/onboarding hasn’t been great.

You've only worked 2 and a bit days! It's not like you've been there for weeks and not seen your manager.
Have you worked in an office setting before? Did you want a hybrid position?

is it a local authority? if so, it will probably be a slow start then go mad, perhaps just go with the flow at first.

Lots of businesses do a rubbish onboarding process. It’s a bad look and a competent HR team should organise it in conjunction with other departments but with hybrid working and flexible hours it’s not always possible I’m afraid.

Yes and the 2 and a bit days haven’t been great.

Apologies for feeling annoyed for being left to my own devices and isolated.

Yes I’ve worked in many offices before. I’ve always had atleast 1 person to shadow during my first week. Even during COVID restrictions.

I actually agree that this is rubbish and shows a lack of care from the manager and the company.
We are very much hybrid too, but would never leave a new starter to WFH or be in the office alone in their first few days. It's just not a very nice thing to do!

I guess all cultures are different.

I'm sure it will improve, OP, but you're not wrong to feel disappointed.

Pretty normal these days. I’d ask around whether there’s a day when people tend to come in- at my office you can choose but in practice most people are in Tuesday and Wednesday so it makes sense to do the same.

It’s only been 5 minutes so don’t panic.

Have you contacted your manager to have a remote catch-up - to understand your objectives and their recommended first activities to get up to speed?

I think a lot of workplaces have changed since covid. I had to WFH during the pandemic but looked forward to going back hybrid and seeing colleagues again.

However the atmosphere is really different now: fragmented working practices and room and staff changes over the pandemic have meant that it's not the place it once was, and the team no longer feels cohesive. Anyone starting at our place now would feel quite 'at sea' I think. Perhaps it's the same with your place, OP.

I've never 'shadowed' anyone in my first week, its always online training, getting IT sorted, giveb some atuff to read about the work i'll be doing and ask any questions that have come up and then off to start the work

I've never shadowed anyone in my first week. I've never had anyone shadow me, either. That sounds quite awkward?

It's unfortunate that there's not a lot of people around, and your manager has had to WFH today, especially if you're too shy to go and introduce yourself to colleagues and sit with them for lunch. I'd be cringing inside at the thought of doing it but I'd hate my manager mandating them to take me to lunch too 😅

Hopefully you'll have more to do and hit the ground running soon, especially if you've completed all the onboarding training now.

Normal. Even before covid the first week - well, few weeks - were just reading stuff and online training and not really having anything to do. That’s always been my experience

Were you very young in those jobs? I have never known a new starter to be shadowing someone else for a full week. It is completely normal for a first week to involve a lot of individual training.
If you don't know what you should be doing you can call your manager. With a hybrid set up you need to be a little bit more proactive and not sit back waiting to be told what to do and who to sit next to at lunch!

I spent the first two weeks catching up on mandatory training and further two weeks shadowing others. After a month I was finally given actual work (but a very limited amount, probably to the tune of 4-5h worth weekly). The first two weeks in a new place is always a slog and I thoroughly hate it.
I work entirely remotely and I did have quite a number of catch-up meetings with my manager and supervisor which was almost worse as there isn't much to say about how I am doing at work when I am actually not doing very much at all.
I am now 18 months in and enjoy it very much, so try not to get discouraged at these early stages.

We have new joiners. I'd not assign work in first 2 weeks.

Online training.
Meet and greets. I'll provide an overview of who and expect them to arrange them. Can you stick 30 mins in to speak to everyone you will work with?
Key documents must be understood so there is reading.
Development plan for courses. Both soft and technical.
Check access and technology.
Invite to key meetings even if listening in.
Then end week 2, beginning of week 3 we build objectives and assign work.

I think that's plenty. I'd likely reduce timescales if senior.

We are WFH.

I’m my ‘new’ (been here for a year and a half now) hybrid job, I was full time in the office for 4 weeks. The rest of my team either worked in the office for the first part of the week or the second, so I had time to shadow people and find out what the actual job was.
My manager was off sick for the first 5 months of me being there so I had to rely on my team to prop me up.
Now we’ve had an office relocation and we are all in once a week, it’s been really hard for new starters and I do think it’s a bit shit for them.

this is normal. frustrating but normal. my new job was exactly like this (wondering if you're a colleague?)

managers are very keen to not bombard / overload nee starters with information.