Since it's your first engineering employee, I'll assume you're a small startup and not a large company who's just getting into engineering :) Since you are so

Since it's your first engineering employee, I'll assume you're a small startup and not a large company who's just getting into engineering :) Since you are so small, you need to consider all the resources you don't have, likely HR, Reception, Admin Assistants, any history of what information to give a new employee, detailed knowledge of how your benefits work. This employee will likely have questions, especially about benefits, and IT for several weeks. It's important to be patient in answering those questions, and treat them as high priority tasks, when you have to follow up, even though you're a busy startup. Consider the background of this engineer. Are they coming from another startup? If so, they know the drill. But if they're coming for a larger established company, take time to emphasize with their transition. Finally, leverage your strengths. Being small and informal is a strength, as long as your work policies reflect a high-trust environment. Working from home, doctors appointments, vacation and sick time -- these should all be approved quickly with ease, or not require approval at all.