Kindness: Take the newbie out for lunch

This week, I ran into a girl I go to church with. She was at my office. Which was weird because she didn't work here. Until Monday apparently. When she started her new job, unbeknown to me.

I ran into her randomly as she was getting the grand tour of our agency. On a floor that I don't frequent but happened to be having lunch on that day with some friends. I espied her across the room, which was a little hard. She was a little blurry. I need new contacts.

After saying "hi" and "gimme a call later" I got to thinking. We need to catch up. I hadn't talked to her in some time, obviously, since I didn't even know she had interviewed here. But even past that, I thought about how tough / exciting / crappy / fun / nerve-wracking it is to start a new job. About how that first day is always overwhelming.

At my office, we have orientation on the first day which lasts until after lunch, which is nice. Takes up time; gets you acquainted with things. But again, overwhelming. After they drop you off at your desk, you're not quite sure what to do with yourself. Some people may stop by to say hello. Your new boss might come by. But you're probably left on your own. Because everyone is busy with their work. Everyone is overloaded because there was a hole in the team (that you just filled) that they've been covering for for weeks, months. They're too busy to tell you what to do, show you how things work, distribute some of their work to you. So you sit. And organize your desk drawer. Hang up a telephone list. Look through your new-hire binder. And not help out one bit. Not because you don't want to, but because you have no idea what to do or who to ask. And everyone is busy. This might go on for that one afternoon, several days or the whole week. No telling.

And then there is the issue of friends. If you're lucky, maybe you know one or two people. Or maybe you know nobody except the people you interviewed with for 15 minutes which amounts to not much. And maybe, while you like your immediate co-workers, everyone is much older than you (or younger) and you don't have much in common. Which brings about another newbie issue of lunch. Do you eat at your desk? Do you grab something and come back? Do you eat alone in the nearest Subway? It's a toughie.

Which is why I asked her to lunch. Something I think every new kid would enjoy. To get away from the empty, desolate desk for a while and meet someone new. I'm not saying you have to pay for lunch. Just give a little time. Make a little effort. Make a connection. Maybe you have a lot in common or maybe it's a one-time thing. This one was easy, since we already knew each other. But if you don't know the person, especially if you don't know them, it could brighten their day. It's something nice, something kind in a newbie's first week.