A new starter's first day usually goes badly for one of two reasons: we found out about them too late, or we were told a name and a start date and nothing else. Both are easy to avoid. This article covers exactly what to send us, when to send it, and what it does to your monthly bill.

What to send us

Copy the template below into a ticket and fill in the blanks. If you do not know an answer, write "not sure" rather than leaving it out - we would rather ask one question than guess seven times.

• Full name, as it should appear - the name that goes on their email signature and in the staff directory. Tell us if they go by a shortened name.
• Email address you want - for example first.last@ or firstname@. If your business already has a pattern, we will follow it, but confirm it anyway.
• Start date - the first day they sit down and work, not the day the contract was signed.
• Job role - a job title and one line on what they actually do. This is what tells us whether they need the accounts system, the design files or neither.
• Who they should have the same access as - name a specific person already in the business who does a similar job.
• Do they need a computer - yes or no, laptop or desktop, and whether they need two screens.
• Do they need a phone - a mobile, a desk extension, or neither.
• Do they work remotely - fully remote, hybrid, or always in the office. This changes how we set up their access and how we get the machine to them.
• Who their manager is - the person we contact if something needs a decision on day one.

Send it a week ahead where you can

At least five business days is the honest ask, and more is better if hardware is involved.

Here is why. If a computer is needed, it has to be ordered, delivered, unboxed, updated, configured with your applications, and tested. That is not a same-day job, and supplier stock is not something we control. Even when no hardware is involved, an account still has to be created, licensed, given access to the right files and shared drives, and checked.

A rushed day one is the single most common cause of a bad first fortnight. A new starter who spends their first morning watching someone else's screen, then their first week chasing access to things nobody thought to mention, forms an opinion about how organised the business is - and they form it quickly. Ordering the laptop a week earlier is a very cheap fix for that.

If you are stuck with short notice, still send the request. Tell us the start date and that it is tight, and we will tell you honestly what will be ready and what will not.

What it does to your bill

A new user account needs a licence - Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, depending on what you run - and that licence is charged from the day the account exists, not from the day the person starts using it. If you ask us to create an account three weeks early so a laptop can be built and tested, that is three weeks of licence.

Your support package is also priced per user per month, so a new starter changes the monthly total. For how that works, including part-months and what happens when someone leaves, see Adding or removing users, and how your bill changes.

If you want the cost confirmed before you commit, ask in the ticket and we will come back in writing.

What happens next

1. We confirm we have the request and tell you if anything is missing.
2. If hardware is needed, we quote it and wait for your approval before ordering.
3. We build the account and the machine, and match the access to the person you named.
4. We confirm with you a day or two before the start date that everything is ready.

For what "ready" actually means on the morning, see What a new starter gets on day one.

Still stuck?

Log a ticket at portal.yougrowit.com.au or email support@yougrowit.com.au. If it is stopping you working right now, call 03 9028 4358.

Support hours are Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5:30pm Melbourne time, excluding Victorian public holidays.