According to Adam Lashinsky’s new book Inside Apple, the first day as an Apple employee is a first day like no other, and Apple puts great effort into the significance of the experience.
Business Insider shares an excerpt:
Monday is always the first day of work for new employees, unless there’s a holiday on Mondays. There’s a half-day orientation program. The new employees get standard big company packets with stickers saying welcome to Apple, HR forms, and a t-shirt that says, “Class of” with the year you joined on it.
New employees get a shiny new iMac. The only catch? They have to set it up themselves. There’s no tech support. Apple assumes that if you’re smart enough to work at Apple, you’re smart enough to figure out how to connect your new computer to servers.
The sneaky effect of not having other people set up the computer is that it gets you talking to your new co-workers. You have to ask them for some help or advice on what to do.
During orientation, Apple also has a presentation on secrecy Lashinsky calls, “Scared Silent.” The head of security comes in and tells employees that leaks are forbidden. This person tells new employees that the press coverage and buzz that results when a previously secret product is finally revealed is worth millions.
Apple makes it clear on day one: You will be fired immediately if you talk about the company’s secrets intentionally or unintentionally, says Lashinsky.
This certainly seems like a pretty interesting experience, and it’s definitely a clever plan on Apple’s part. Would I want a first day like that? If I get a free brand new iMac, of course!
