A division of Ernst and Young held a retreat for employees at a resort in Colorado. The program included an assortment of fun and games, as well as an open bar.

One of the events: a mock sumo wrestling game in which employees wore inflatable fat suits and tried to tackle each other on a rubber mat.

Employee Katherine Giles was playing the game and was pushed off the mat. She was wearing a helmet, but it slipped off during the fall. Giles hit her head on the carpeted concrete floor and fractured her skull.

Suffering permanent damage, Giles sued the manufacturer of the mock sumo suits, the company that planned the retreat and the resort. The latter two settled out of court, but the case against the manufacturer went to a jury trial.

The company claimed Giles was intoxicated when the accident happened, but that didn’t sway the jury, which awarded her $2 million, Denver’s CBS 4 reports.

The problem is, many companies don’t pay enough attention to an employee’s first day, leading to an uncomfortable situation that could jeopardize the chances of the new person having a long and successful tenure.

The key: Make sure all the little things are taken care of properly. There’s plenty of time for in-depth orientation programs, but the main goal of the first day is to remove any doubts the employee might have about the decision to join your company.

Here are some of the most common mistakes companies make when a new employee starts:

• The manager is late – It sounds like common sense, but it still happens far too often. Managers need to understand the importance of first impressions — and recognize a new employee shouldn’t be stuck waiting in the lobby on his first day.
• Everyone is too busy – All people involved in someone’s first day — the tour guide, anyone who needs to meet with the person, etc. — needs plenty of advance notice so they can plan their schedules accordingly and give the new employee their undivided attention.
• The workspace isn’t ready – Nothing sends a bad signal quite like a cubicle still full of an ex-employee’s junk — or one that’s missing a computer or other necessary equipment.
• They didn’t learn anything about the job – You might not be getting into orientation or detailed training yet, but new employees should still leave the first day with a better understanding of what their days are going to be like. Otherwise they’re still stuck with lingering anxieties about whether the job was the right choice.

Most companies get the bases covered — show employees where the coffee is, introduce them to key people, etc.

But a lot of orientation programs could use some improvement. Here are two simple steps HR and management can take to give hires a better introduction:

• Schedule a Q+A day — Effective first-day programs give newbies a chance to ask any questions they have — but it’s unlikely they’ll think of everything they want to ask right away. Meet up with the employee to chat after he or she’s been on the job for several days.
• Pick mentors wisely — A common practice is to pair the hire with a veteran for the first couple of days. That works great — if the two are a good match. Pick a mentor you think will get along with the new person and give the best impression of the company.

Don’t send them out empty handed.

Instead of walking new hires through the workplace for a long series of introductions and handshakes, pick a day to send the newbies around with something employees will appreciate — for example, have them hand out coffee and donuts.

It’ll make more of an impact on employees, so they’ll be more likely to remember the new folks next time they pass in the hallway.

And it will ease some tension for the new hires, since they’ll be walking around doing something fun.

Answer: Impress them quickly.

That’s the word from a recent survey by the Novations Group. Employees under 30 (notorious for job-hopping) were asked how long it takes to decide whether or not a new job is right for them. The results:

• 26% said “less than a month”
• 51% said “one to six months,” and
• 22% said more than six months.

In other words, if young hires don’t feel highly satisfied within the first few months, most of them will be heading somewhere else.

Hang on to talent

Here’s some advice the Novations Group has for retaining young employees:

• Don’t underestimate the power of relationships. Employees (especially twenty-somethings) are more likely to stay in a job where they have friends. Set new employees up with peer mentors so they have a go-to person starting on day one.
• Offer training and help attaining professional certifications. That’s a low-cost benefit that has a lot of value for both employee and employer.
• Explain how the job fits in with the “big picture.” Early on, introduce new workers to other departments and explain overall how everything’s connected. Folks tend to be more committed if they see the effect their work has on the organization.

You know the drill: Make sure new hires’ workstations are ready, and don’t let them wait in the lobby for hours before anyone knows they’re there. But there are other, more common mistakes a lot of managers make on a new hire’s first day.

It’s a matter of making a good first impression. The way managers introduce new hires to the company has a lot to do with how successful they’ll be — and how long they’ll last.

Here are some reasons employees might have second thoughts after their first day of work:

1. They skipped the small — but important — stuff. With all the things a new person needs to be told about the company, some employers neglect to mention the little things people fret over, like where the bathrooms are and how to get supplies.
2. Their mentor or manager was too busy. A good way to bring people on board is to pair them with a current employee, or have them spend the day with their new boss. But if those folks are up against major deadlines or just too busy to show the new person anything useful, they should find someone else who can do it.
3. They got stuck with a jerk. Even if a new hire’s buddy has time for the task, that doesn’t mean he or she will be a joy to spend the day with. A mentor shouldn’t be just anyone with spare time — make sure it’s someone who makes a good impression.
4. The rules came first. Getting new hires to sign off on the handbook as soon as they walk in the door seems convenient. But telling people all the ways they can get fired might not be the best way to introduce them to the company.
5. No one talked about the job. One goal of orientation should be getting the employee ready to work as soon as possible. The first day should include some kind of basic training, or at least some talk about what they’ll be doing.
6. No one fed them. One thing no one wants to do on the first day is eat lunch alone. Supervisors should take new folks out to eat, along with a handful of co-workers.
7. Too much was thrown at them. Most people are already anxious about starting a new job. The last thing a manager wants to do is make it worse with an overwhelming introduction. Even just trying to sit them down with all the key people in one day can be too much. Spread things out as much as possible.

What’s the best way to make sure your first day program gets the job done? Ask people who went through it.

Find out from current employees what they would’ve liked to know but weren’t told, and what would’ve made them more comfortable on the first day.

So you’ve recruited and hired a great employee. Now you need to make sure they start off on the right foot. At too many companies, they don’t. Why? Timing might have something to do with it.

Timing matters

Think about it – what’s the most common time to have new hires come in for the first day? Odds are, it’s first thing Monday morning.

Now imagine the typical workplace. Sure, morale might generally be high, but let’s be honest: Monday probably isn’t the happiest time around the office. People tend to be busier and less enthusiastic than they are on other days.

But why do employees start on Mondays? There’s probably very little business reason for it. The middle of the week might be a better time, when co-workers are more free to show people around and help them get acclimated.

Some other onboarding keys:

1. Give new hires time with their supervisor. It’s nice to get to know the person they’ll be reporting to.
2. Give them a buddy. New hires are full of questions, and it helps to have one go-to person to answer them.