One of my first jobs was at a small consulting firm on the East Coast. I moved across the country for it, arriving the night before my start date to an apartment with no furniture and only cold water. The hiring manager told me he usually got to work around 7:30 a.m. so I decided to arrive early, too.

When I got there he was the only one in the office. We chatted for a couple of minutes, and then he looked me in the eye, and said “OK, thanks.” This was clearly my cue to leave.

I went and sat alone at my desk by myself until everyone else arrived at 9 a.m. – no paperwork to fill out, no emails to read, nothing to do. I was afraid of looking like a slacker, so I didn’t even surf the internet. I just sat there.

In an office of nine people, three came by to say hello. I was given a few things to read, but that’s about it. By mid-morning I was in a full-blown panic that I’d made a horrible decision.

In every way, it was the opposite of an “I belong here” moment. I lasted six months.

Fortunately, my experience seems to be the exception rather than the rule at most Fortune 1,000 companies. According to our Employee Experience Survey, an award-winning study correlating key moments of the average employee experience to employee engagement, most survey participants (92%) felt welcomed on their first day of work.

However, the numbers start to slip when we dig a little deeper – 31 percent of respondents said the first day was stressful, and 43 percent said it was disorganized or confusing. These findings are important, because our research also found a strong correlation between an employee’s experience on the first day of work and their overall engagement.  Positive experiences correlate to higher engagement, and vice versa.

So how can you cultivate more “I belong here” moments? Most large organizations have some type of formal orientation, but the small stuff matters just as much:

• Communicate with new employees before they start. Make sure they know where to go and what will happen when they arrive.
• Have someone available to greet them on day one. It’s a must.
• Think about the cadence of the day. A little downtime is fine, but try to keep the day structured.
• Take them to lunch!
• Make sure team members stop by to welcome the newbie throughout the day.

Have you had a great – or terrible – first day experience? Tell us about it in the comments below!