New colleagues
Your first day.
Bring nothing. Everything you need is already in the room.
The morning
The ferry arrives before nine. Someone will be waiting for you at the quay with your name already known, and will walk you up rather than drive you — it is not far, and the walk is the introduction.
Your room will be open. Your things, if you sent them ahead, will be inside and unpacked. We find that colleagues arrive tired, so the first afternoon is yours.
Your first day is the hardest. It gets easier every time.
You don’t have to remember how you got here to know you belong.
Meeting the Chief Executive
Every new colleague meets the Chief Executive on their first day. A warm welcome, a handshake that lasts a beat, a photograph for the newsletter. There is usually cake.
We are aware this is unusual at our size. It has been the practice for as long as anyone can remember and no Chief Executive has yet chosen to end it.
How we are with each other
First names only, at every rank. Gratitude is not optional here — we say it out loud, and we mean it. Applause at meetings goes on a little longer than you will expect; you will find your own way of waiting it out, and everyone does.