“You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” This is something we’ve all most likely heard countless times. While first impressions can shift or be changed over time, most people will get a sense of who you are within 60 seconds of meeting you.
First impressions are something that Giatec Scientific Inc. takes very seriously. This is why our onboarding process, which takes place leading up to and during each employee’s first week, has become a key area of focus for Giatec’s Human Resources and Leadership team. We work to ensure all new employees step into their roles on the right foot, knowing that our employees’ impression of Giatec will cultivate as they grow with the company. This means ensuring they are equipped with the proper tools, training, and information they will need to be successful in their new roles.
At Giatec, showcasing our great culture starts the day we meet a candidate and our onboarding process starts the day an offer is signed. As soon as you join Giatec, you are given a fun questionnaire asking you such questions as “if you had a talk show, who would be your first guest”? or “what’s one thing on your bucket list”? All Giatec employees will have visibility to these questions, as many current employees will reach out to welcome each new hire and great dialogues can be sparked from these questions.
We ensure that each new employee is set up for success on their first day whether working in office or remotely, each new employee receives a welcome package that includes all their new equipment, some customized Giatec supplies, and a few sugary treats to create excitement and to be sure that each new employee is all set to start their new role with success!
Each employee’s first day starts by meeting with Human Resources. Human Resources provides a full orientation enabling employees with a toolkit of resources to ensure all their questions are answered. They will learn about what their first day and month will look like, Giatec’s company culture, Giatec policies, the different teams at Giatec, etc.
Each new employee will also meet with our CEO and co-founder, Pouria Ghods on their first day. Pouria loves to take an active role in all our new employees’ first day and personally welcomes each new employee to the company. He walks through the history and journey of Giatec since it was originally founded in 2010. He speaks to the goals, vision, mission, and values Giatec holds and allows time for all new employees to ask questions.
After employees finish their Orientation they’re off to meet with their manager and get started in their new role! Their manager will provide an outlook of what their first week will look like, set expectations for their role, and provide some early initiatives for the employee to start on.
During an employee’s first week, they will be introduced to all Giatec’s products through a product training session and will have the opportunity to meet with our Engineering Solutions Manager to ask questions and continue to learn about Giatec’s many products. They will also take part in other training initiatives such as health and safety, benefits enrollment, etc.
Each new employee will also have the opportunity to participate in our Virtual Coffees initiative. We ask each new employee to choose at least three Giatec employees who are not on their team that they would like to meet with for a virtual coffee. Virtual coffees are a great way for our team to feel more connected and create cross-functional collaboration.
After an employee has completed their first month of employment, Human Resources will sit down with them to discuss how they are adapting to their new role, if their expectations have been met, and to ensure they have been provided all the tools they need to be successful. This meeting serves as a way to make sure our employees are being set up for success in their roles and given the tools they need.
At Giatec, we know that onboarding is a continual process, and different roles require different amounts of time to ramp up. It is crucial to us that our employees know that the Giatec Human Resources team is always there to support their diverse needs, whether it’s their first month with Giatec or their fifth year with us.
While first impressions are important, it’s more important to Giatec that those impressions are cemented for our employees in the years that follow.
