OK there's a lot of good points on both sides of this. For one: pushing meaningful code change on day 1 may be unrealistic. For another: at least we've initiate

OK there's a lot of good points on both sides of this. For one: pushing meaningful code change on day 1 may be unrealistic. For another: at least we've initiated the new team member into the full process of contributing to the product's code base, and their manager knows there are no administrative blockers (workstation, account, 2FA token, etc.). I know which I prefer. Also fixing a small (and admittedly probably low priority) defect is an achievable goal and a pretty cool way to get your toes wet. At least you're in the pool.