New Hire Experiences in a Multinational Company
I always had that feeling that I’m not the only one who was overwhelmed as we were many new hires that started at the same time.
—Linda Manuitt, HR Administrator at BASF.
New Hire Experience in a Multinational Chemical Company
“I felt like I had to learn and get everything done fast”
We all know that for numerous individuals, a new job could make them feel overwhelmed at times. It’s kind of like starting in a new school, where you have to start knowing how things work, how they communicate, and how you can fit in. As a result, new hires feel small and sometimes lost. Here’s the thing about new jobs, it’s perfectly normal to not know it all, aside from the skills and knowledge you already had and have told them.
Linda Manuitt completely changed her profession, from working in tourism to becoming an HR professional. In cases like this, when you are taking on a role that you aren’t completely familiar with, it’s best to accept that you are still learning and always ask what you don’t know especially when you are working in a big multinational company.
In Linda’s Own Words
“I’m Linda Manuitt, and I’m living in Berlin and working for the company BASF in the HR department. I’m responsible for the HR administrative tasks of the company.
I’m quite new at my job. I’ve been working there since the 15th of March 2022. I’m still just getting into everything in my role. It’s a really big company and there are still a lot of things for me to learn.
When I found out I got the job at BASF, I was really excited because I have been searching for a job for a couple of months and had not found anything because I was working in the tourism industry. Because it was challenging to find a job in tourism, I decided to completely change my career direction and I started looking somewhere else and thought maybe HR could be something I would be good at.”
Linda’s First Weeks at BASF
“I was really overwhelmed the first weeks, also after a week I got Corona, so I was even more stressed because I felt like I have to get everything done and I have to learn everything fast. I always had that feeling that I’m not the only one who was overwhelmed, as we were many new hires that started at the same time. But actually, everybody was very supportive and they were very welcoming. And I always had the feeling that I had someone to talk to.
And even though the company is excessively big, I was always able to find someone or a place also just on the computer online where I can actually ask where I can find something I need for work.
The highlight of my experience probably was first finding the job because that was very hard in corona times. But in regards to the onboarding, I would say that it was a great experience seeing everybody is involved, even new hires. If we have some meetings and projects, anyone can ask or add ideas and tips. And for me and the other new hires, that made us feel that we’re not just someone, we felt like we were part of a family. Our voices and opinions were heard, which played a big role in us feeling we belonged and were empowered. But also it was very amazing to find a company which is extremely huge, but still gives you the feeling that you are not just a number, you’re also kind of integrated with everything and every decision.
That was nice to actually experience I’m not just someone, that I’m actually part of it all.”
Linda’s Story
Onboarding Experience
It was amazing to find a company that is extremely huge but still gave me the feeling that I was not just a number.
—Linda Manuitt, HR Administrator at BASF.
Belonging Is Good For You and The Business
Your company must take on a big role in effectively onboarding you to the organisation and even more in a multinational company as it is very often that employees would feel overwhelmed and lost. Your company’s mission should be to create a sense of belonging even before you start your first day and ensure that you are able to build meaningful social relationships at work.Â
Incorporating culture explicitly in your Onboarding is an important aspect of relationship building. When you feel like you belong, the company you are working for will reap substantial benefits. Harvard Business Review shared that high belonging is linked to a 56% increase in job performance, a 50% drop in turnover risk, and a 75% reduction in sick days. This means, that for multinational companies with 10,000 employees, this gives a result in annual savings of more than $52M.
Now when we say that belonging is good for you too, this is because, according to Harvard Business Review, employees who experience a higher workplace belonging showed a 167% increase in their employer promoter score, all the while also receiving double the raises and 18 times more promotions.Â
Onboarding Experience
Our voices and opinions were heard, which played a big role in us feeling we belonged and were empowered.
—Linda Manuitt, HR Administrator at BASF.