I was working at a private school and informed the owner shortly before summer break that I

would not be renewing my contract when school resumed in September. The secretary was upset
to see me go, but I assured her that I would produce extensive manuals for all of my job
responsibilities and that I would clear out all school files before my last day. That is exactly what
I did. I also told her that if my replacement had any questions, she could call me when the school
reopened. I had no idea I'd come to regret it so soon.

In September, the administration did actually call me with some queries, as I had expected. The
queries were redundant because I had already structured everything so nicely, but I gently replied
to let her know where she might find the files she needed. However, the phone calls grew
increasingly regular after that. She'd contact me every day for silly queries and the slightest of
details, and she'd write me long lists of queries. All of these were items she could easily find on
her own in a matter of seconds by glancing through my notes or using a simple computer search.

I didn't pick up the phone one day (since I was at my new work), and she texted me, "Why don't
you answer??" That's when I realised I probably shouldn't be so nice.

Conclusion: Often, your biggest ambassadors – for your consumer and employer brand – are
your former employees. Regardless of the reason why they left your company, don’t hold
grudges. If you end your work relationship on good terms, the departing employee can refer
some great candidates in the future, leave a positive review online or simply encourage others to
apply for open roles at your company.

Initially, I was offered a trial position as an administrative assistant at a startup. Because the
person doing the same job was reluctant to teach me his job and was avoiding my calls during
my two weeks with the firm, I received no training; the fact that the company decided to hire a
second employee for that job meant that she would go from full-time to part-time employment,
and for some reason she wanted to punish me for it.
Also, one of the company's co-founders would ask me to make him coffee on a regular basis, and
when the other co-founder noticed I wasn't at my desk, she'd call my internal phone and insist I
return to my workstation. As a result, I kept dashing from the kitchen to my desk and back,
giving me the appearance of a party clown. On top of that, my coworkers would make prank
phone calls to me on a daily basis. Oh, and did I mention that this was an unpaid probationary
period?

Conclusion: The onboarding process can make or break your employer brand; you can make
new workers feel at ease right away, or you can make them want to flee as quickly as possible.
Don't fall into the latter category. Prepare their workstation before they come at the office, assist
them with any necessary HR paperwork, and develop a comprehensive training plan for their
first week, month, and beyond. Also, check in with them on a frequent basis to see if they require
any additional assistance. And, in case it wasn't evident previously, don't use them for your own
amusement.

Years ago, I worked for an IT consulting firm that prided itself on being laid-back and cool.
Snacks, drinks, and a pool table in the kitchen were among the customary industry benefits. The
MD was certain that the staff were squandering their time by taking use of these privileges. He
put a hidden camera in the kitchen and began sending out company-wide emails calling out
specific employees for "eating more than their fair share" of food or drinks, or spending too
much time at the pool table, without attracting any attention.

Conclusion: The company culture was not what it appeared to be from the outside; they may
advertise themselves as the "greatest place to work," but the environment is toxic in reality.
Alternatively, the firm may have placed a beverage machine and a ping pong table in the office
because that's what all the cool companies do, but the employees rarely utilize them because
they're usually working extra. Focus on what matters: genuine employee perks and equitable
incentive systems if you want to actually develop a positive employer brand.