Ways to Successfully Onboard New Employees
Got a new hire? That’s great! Good on you for increasing your talent pool. However, hiring a new employee is just the beginning of many things to come for you and that lucky hire. After the recruitment phase comes to the onboarding stage. Contrary to popular belief, it actually starts before a candidate gets hired. And then it goes on for a good while after that candidate becomes an employee and starts working. Moreover, onboarding goes beyond training a new hire and explaining the x’s and o’s of a specific job. As a businessman, you have to increase your employee retention rates by having an onboarding process that’s effective and seamless.
Ways to Successfully Onboard New Employees
7 Ways to Successfully Onboard a New Hire
For employees, the onboarding process lets them know what to do and what to expect. This’ll serve as their first impression of the business they’re about to work for. It’s also the first of many training and development sessions they’ll have as they work in a company. For employers, this stage is their chance to show them that they’ve made the right choice by accepting their job offers.
Research says that a new hire’s first 90 days determine his or her success in a company. Prove that employee right by crafting an onboarding process that’s equal parts informative and fun through these steps:
Send a Welcome Mail to Greet Your New Hire
New corporate environments can intimidate new hires, especially if it’s their first job. To break the tension, send a welcome email to ease them in.
A welcome email should contain the following:
- A Welcome Message
- First Day Details (Start Date, Time, and Address)
- First Day Schedule
- List of Requirements
- Instructions
- Dress Code
- Contact Details of Point Person (in case any questions arise)
You can also opt to attach documents like a company cheat sheet or to give them something to read as they await further instructions. Feel free to add a fun GIF or video for a more personal touch.
Provide an Overview of Your Company/Organization
More often than not, new hires often show up feeling nervous on the first day. While your welcome email has calmed some of their nerves down, a few butterflies are still in their stomach.
At this point, new employees ask themselves how they can contribute to a company. You can answer their questions by giving a company orientation. Here, a manager or a trainer should present a brief background of his or her company, its operations, and policies. This gives them an idea of how things work and who to reach out to in case they have concerns or questions.
Set Up a Meet and Greet for Your New Employee
No man is an island, especially in workplaces. Your new hires are bound to work in teams, so why not let them meet their future teammates?
Take a break from your orientation and introduce your new employees to your staff. New hires tend to be shy, so this is your chance to reduce at least some of the awkwardness. They don’t have to meet every single person in one go. However, allow them to get to know the people they’ll be working and interacting with daily. Start by introducing them to the teams they’re assigned to.
Explain Their Roles and Responsibilities
Like everyone else, new hires do have their roles to play in a company’s daily workings. The problem is, they don’t know what is, nor do they know how to carry them out either. Explain what their job descriptions are in your business. Provide them with relevant information about their jobs and define them clearly. Proper acclimation not only helps new employees adjust but tenured ones too. There can be tricky situations where tenured team members feel threatened by a new hire’s arrival. To avoid unnecessary drama at work, keep them up to speed regarding the new hire’s role.
Set Attainable Goals
Now that your new hires know their jobs, the next part is to give them an ideal direction to go to. The best way to do this is to assign them attainable and realistic goals to accomplish. Sending new hires your well-wishes isn’t enough to spur them into action. Goal-setting shouldn’t be left out of your onboarding checklist as it gives them a clearer picture of what they’re working towards.
You don’t have to be like a parent and hold their hands as they try to meet those goals. What you can do, however, is to be a helpful guide.
Prepare New Employees’ Work Station
If you’ve reached this point, it’s almost time to let those new hires start working on their own. Before they get down to business, they need to find a station where they could do their work. Make your new employees’ first 90 days more productive by preparing their work station in advance. Make sure their computers and other tools are ready for use before they begin their first day. This gives your company/business a good look since it shows you’re well-equipped and organized. When your new hires see their work stations, they’ll be giddy to get to work immediately.
Communicate Closely
Make sure to check up on new hires as much as possible while they go through the onboarding process, especially in their few weeks. You can send them emails, newsletters, or better yet, approach them in person to ask how they’re doing so far. This makes the onboarding experience a lot less stressful on their part since there are people eagerly welcoming them into the fold.
Communication shouldn’t stop even after the onboarding formalities end. New hires may still have questions and concerns that need your clarification. Keep your communication lines open when they have something to ask or tell you.
If you want new hires to contribute right off the bat, start them off on the right foot by giving them a pleasant onboarding experience. Effective onboarding not only lets them know how to do their jobs. If you get this one right, it also increases their chances of sticking around. Don’t let useful talents go to waste by integrating them seamlessly.
A good onboarding process can go a long way in getting a lot out of new hires. If their performances go beyond initial expectations, you can thank their trainers or supervisors for bringing them up to speed successfully.
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