How to set boundaries and expectations with your recent graduate employees

Moving into the world of work can be a major culture shock, especially for those who have not done a summer placement or internship. Everything will be new and bewildering. They will be keen to make a good impression. Whilst this can be positive, it can also be detrimental to their wellbeing if the keenness borders into unsustainable perfectionism. It also takes a while to become familiar with the company culture, even down to things like dress code.

• Make sure that you are explicit about what is expected of them. For example, explain that is it not alright to be persistently late for meetings. Give the reasons behind that. Or that they should try not to take personal calls during work time, except in an emergency. These things may be clear to you but when you are first starting out and coming from being a student, they may not seem so obvious. Getting things ‘wrong’ can be humiliating.
  
  
• Explain the support that is available for them. If you find there is a reason behind some kinds of behaviour, such as challenges with their mental health or difficult personal circumstances, discuss this and let them know what support is available in your organisation.
  
  
• Make it clear that it is fine not to know everything and to ask for help if you need it. Give clear pathways of how this can be done and ‘normalise’ it so that the young employee does not feel ashamed or embarrassed.
  
  
• Set boundaries about appropriate contact times. Give guidelines about professional language, tone and etiquette. This might feel insulting or patronising so make sure you do it with a light touch. But it might save making an embarrassing faux pas in the early days of work. It is important, where possible, to explain why guidelines are the way they are so that they understand the context, rather than feeling constrained by rules.

• Not everyone comes from the same kind of background or has had the same experiences. Think about what the cultural norms for your company are. Do they take into account employees’ different cultures or race? How about if someone has a disability that makes them experience the world in a different way? How inclusive are you in your expectations? If you feel that someone is not behaving in a way that fits in with your normative expectations, discuss this with them. Be open to what they say. Challenge your own bias, conscious or unconscious. Be prepared to learn and adapt if necessary.
  
  
• It is important to distinguish between the boundaries and expectations that make the workplace more efficient and reflect the company’s values and those that are there just because you’ve always done it that way.

• There will be some generic, overarching company expectations. Make these explicit right from the start. Often there is an assumption that the new employees will magically know these things but, in reality, they end up having to pick them up along the way. This can be unnecessarily stressful. Bear in mind that a lot of information is given at induction. Much of it will be forgotten, especially as the graduates might be feeling anxious or overwhelmed. How will you address that?
  
  
• The line manager or graduate training programme lead should talk through other expectations that are specific to the role or graduate training scheme. This is where conversations about difference might take place. This must not be about trying to get the employee to sacrifice their identity to conform. The conversation needs to go two ways. It may be that the company needs to adapt its expectations in line with a more diverse workforce. Make avenues of communication available to those who wish to raise these conversations but may not feel confident to do so in a group setting such as induction. Let them know who they can raise challenges or issues with privately.
  
  
• Some of the less formal expectations and boundaries are best addressed by the graduate’s mentor or buddy.
  
  
• Consider speaking to previous entrants to understand which aspects of the boundaries/expectations were challenging to adapt to, in order to identify which messaging needs to be emphasised, or rephrased.