In Douglas Adams’ famous book series, The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, space traveler Arthur Dent carries with him a galactic guidebook with the two words on the cover: “Don’t Panic.” Solid advice for a hapless spaceman. And perhaps for new hires, too.



On the first day of work, employees at Valve Software are handed a 56-page employee handbook (which hit the Internet this week, and where we got the illustrations in this story) and a desk with wheels. They’re then told to find something to work on. Appropriately, the handbook preface reads, “This handbook is about…how not to freak out now that you’re here.”

For many, the first few days at a new job feel like life on a new planet. According to the Wynhurst Group, an HR consulting firm in Arlington, VA, 22% of staff turnover occurs in the first 45 days of employment. However, Wynhurst reports, “New employees who went through a structured on-boarding program were 58% more likely to be with the organization after three years.”

Valve, maker of popular video games like Half-Life and Portal, hires at least two or three new people each month, according to product designer and founding team member Greg Coomer. He says bewildered newbies used to take six months to acclimate to the company’s nontraditional culture and “flat” management structure. Because Valve’s work environment is so unique, Coomer says, “The same kinds of conversations kept happening over and over” as green employees came aboard.