There is significant time and money spent on recruiting and hiring employees. The cost to hire isn’t just the salary. There are also non-wage costs that are often elusive, such as employee tax, legal fees and other red tape. In fact, Bersin by Deloitte reported that in 2014, U.S. companies increased their average talent acquisition costs seven percent from 2013, driven in part by an increase to nearly $4,000 per hire in 2014.With this significant investment, it’s important to engage the new employee from the first day on the job. Yesterday, Promotional Consultant Today shared six ways to make the employee’s first day a commitment to future success. Today we share six more.

1.    Establish expectations early. Meet with the new person and review what you expect in terms of quantity and quality of work, appearance, hours, and so forth. Much of this could also be covered by Human Resources or outlined in an employee manual provided by your organization. However, if something is important to you, highlight it verbally. New people have a lot of information to digest, and extra emphasis can’t hurt.

2.    Within a new hire’s first few weeks, set up 20-minute informational meetings with key employees throughout your company. This should go without saying, but be sure to choose people who believe in your organization, set a good example and can provide insight about the business.

3.    A little background information can help new employees avoid potential landmines. While gossip is obviously not a good idea, insight on the idiosyncrasies of the workplace should be shared if knowing about them will help the new person without hurting anyone else.

4.    Pay attention to distribution lists. New people won’t necessarily see the emails or memos they should if someone isn’t looking out for them.

5.    If the employee is new to your industry, share trade magazines, websites and other resources that might be useful.

6.    Finally, check in throughout the week, but don’t be a pest.

Your work in planning, preparation and getting new employees up to speed early on is an important investment in the employee’s career with your company.

Source: Kate Zabriskie is the president of Business Training Works, Inc., a Maryland-based talent development firm. She and her team help businesses establish customer service strategies and train their people to live up to what’s promised.