Congratulations on growing your business!   Seeing your dreams come true can be an exciting time.   Starting a new job can be exciting too.    That first day on the job is important; it can set the tone for the rest of the tenure.  You can help your new employee settle in, adjust to specific routines on your company, and understand the job and your expectations.    The sooner you can do this, the better off everyone will be.

As the boss, you can speed this process by providing the new employee with all the paperwork he or she needs.  Certain forms are required of all new employees by federal or state law.  They include:   I-9 Form: The I-9 is the Employment Eligibility Verification form of the US Department of Justice Immigration and Naturalization Service.  As the name implies, it verifies that an employee is eligible to work legally in the United States. The required timeframe for this form is “immediately after the employee is hired.” W-4 Form: On old standard, this form specifies how many deductions the employee is claiming in terms of his or her salary. The timeframe for this form is “by the time of the employee's first paycheck.”  One note:  A social security number is necessary to complete this form.   Given your vested interested in seeing your new employee succeed in his or her duties, you’ll want to provide a few more forms than those above.   In addition to these forms that are required by law, there are a few more items of paperwork that are considered “standard.”  You’ll also want to provide these to your employee.  You’ll also want collect a bit of information.  You’ll want some personal information from the employee such his or her address, phone number and who to contact in case of an emergency.  You’ll want to provide your employee information about any insurance or medical plans your company offers and how to enroll.      Anything else that might help make your new hire a more informed and productive employee should be provided.  The first ninety days are going to be a critical, make-or-break time that will determine if your new employee is a “good fit” for your company.  You have a vested interest in making it go well; do you want to do it all over again in a few weeks?   Help this employee work out and fit in your company.  You’ll be glad you did.  A new employee’s first days gives you an opportunity to either enhance public relations or stain your company’s reputation.  His or her friends, family, acquaintances, etc., are going to ask the natural question: “How’s the job going?”  What kind of response do you want spread around town?  Good luck and I hope the growth continues.