Sunday, February 16, 2020

You say goodbye and I say hello (The Beatles)

Photo by Kristina Paparo on Unsplash
Teaching is such a transitory profession: people come, people go.

I've just heard news of two colleagues in other campuses, both excellent teachers, resigning from our organisation - OneSchool Global, a private school, to head off onto pastures new.

Last week, it was time to offer a sad farewell to a staff member at one of my campuses, who is moving back into the state system. Our students and staff had emotional morning teas and a farewell assembly to see her off with style.

And yet, when one door closes, another one opens.

Staff, like me eventually, will be replaced. Fact of life.

What to do when new people come onboard the crazy train?

John Boitnott has got that covered.

Here are his ten techniques, mainly dealing with establishing good working relationships that aren't covered in the normal orientation procedure.

I've pulled out a few (is four a few? Not sure) I think are the most worthy of a try.

Get coffee

We have a great coffee machine in the staff room, but we also have The 13th Stag coffee shop nearby - great for a social quick coffee or lunch to get away from the hurley burley.

Send them on a scavenger hunt

Give newbies (or the whole staff) a list of tasks, like finding an employee who’s been with us the longest/shortest time,  or who likes to cook, or has the most Beatles records. I've used a colleague's selfie challenge a few times now and it works a treat as a fun icebreaker activity.  

Give them a meaningful gift

OSG does the company branded gift thing really well.

Set them up right

Boitnott: It might sound simple, but take the time to ensure that employees are set up with all of the right software, a functional email account, login accounts and passwords. Ideally, do this before they arrive for their first day. If new employees lack these important tools, it can lead to frustration, delays and a slow start. 
We need to lift our game on this one.

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