An effective onboarding process can set the stage for a long term, happy employee. It’s so much more than walking the new hire around the office for a tour and having them fill out paperwork.
New hire onboarding is the training process used to convey your company’s culture, values, and processes to every person who joins your team. A well thought-out process results in lower employee turnover, as well as ease of operations for the employer.
These are the typical stages of onboarding that you can tailor to your company’s needs to make every new hire feel welcome.
Offer and Acceptance
Once you have decided on the employee you’d like to welcome to the team, reach out with an offer that is clear, sincere, and enthusiastic. Setting this tone right from the start will make your employee feel welcome and valued.
Once the offer is accepted, you can begin sending paperwork to your hire that can be completed before they come in. Things like onboarding software helps make the process more engaging by allowing for ease of access and a welcome hub that lays out to the employee what information they need to provide.
This saves time and also allows them to ask questions.
It also lets the new employee hit the ground running on their first day.
Preparing for the First Day
Prior to your new employee walking into the office, prepare a welcome packet that provides information to make their first day physically working feel easy.
Meet with the employee’s direct manager to ensure they have everything they need.
Also coordinate with whoever would set up the pertinent technology to get the job done.
Day One
This is the time for the many face-to-face meetings with your new employees colleagues. Schedule in time for them to meet any managers they will be reporting to, as well as any employees they’ll interact with on a daily (or near-daily) basis.
This doesn’t have to be quick or boring. You can even plan a welcome lunch so your new employee can meet everyone in a more casual setting.
Giving the newest addition to your team an agenda to start the day that outlines what they can expect can go a long way in calming nerves.
Follow Up After the First Week
You should be checking in with your employee during the course of the first week, even if informally. It’s a good idea, though, to have a more formal check-in built into their schedule after the first work week is over.
This isn’t an evaluation of their work, but a way to head off any shortcomings they may feel they’ve experienced in the way of equipment to do their job, questions about company operations, and clarity around responsibilities.
Keep Following Up
A large part of employee retention is making them feel as though they are being valued and heard.
Schedule intermittent follow ups to gauge how things are working long term. This schedule can follow one month, six months, and one year, to start.
Think of these meetings as opportunities to ensure your new hire has all the tools they need to do their job, rather than performance evaluations.