Poor Onboarding and Lack of Support Makes It Impossible for New Starters to Succeed
Pros
Going out on the rounds with the drivers was genuinely valuable and provided the most useful industry learning I received. An administrator helped with IT issues, and a colleague who was covering multiple roles provided what training she could while doing the work of four people.
Cons
No structured induction: It took nearly two weeks before I was given a tour of the building. There was no clear plan for my role. No training plan: I had only one hour-long, system-based training session delivered by an external colleague. Since then, I had no structured training. I was not told which Workday modules were required, recommended, or optional, so I was concerned I may have missed mandatory training. No day-to-day support: My line manager was absent for the first two weeks and, since returning, there were no check-ins or guidance. I was often left working alone all day without anyone checking in. No reference material: There was no written guidance or process documentation. I had to ask someone for every piece of information, and when I asked questions, people often did the task for me rather than explaining how to do it. IT issues: I had limited guidance setting up my laptop, which led to incorrect setups and ongoing IT tickets. I still had pop-up errors and permissions issues. I was not provided with a dual screen, which affected productivity. Isolation: I felt quite isolated. There was very little day-to-day contact unless I initiated it myself. Communication: When I raised detailed concerns in writing to the business manager and line manager, I received no acknowledgment of the issues.
