What was your worst Onboarding experience?

This shouldn’t be a negative thing (even though it was when it happened), but something you could share and laugh with the rest of us now … hopefully.

I guess I should start.  Well, here goes…

It was a sunny, comfortable day to be starting my new job.  I get to the lobby, and they were not expecting me.  I know what you’re thinking …

“Great!”

Then, my Point of Contact (POC) was in a meeting until 10:30.  Don’t laugh yet, it gets better.  After some small talk, I was shown my “desk.” — In the corner, completely covered with cardboard boxes.  I was told,

“Pretty nice, huh?”

Well, after a week, I said to myself,

“This is not going to work.”

So, after not having a viable desk, a phone, a computer, a mentor, or any substantial workload, I decided to use my time wisely.  I found some bootleg software and learned Catia, with my peers, on “our” laptops, was using my cell phone to contact folks, and used a nearby conference room as my new home (of course, when it wasn’t being used).

Months later, that conference room became our new cubicles.  However, (as you may have guessed) the walls went up, but my desk was never finished.

So, what is your worst onboarding experience that you’ve had?