Onboarding new employees is crucial to establishing a relationship with them. When new team members don't start off on the right foot, they are more likely to be unhappy, disengaged and move on quickly. It's important to have an established plan for employee onboarding. Here are a few tips:
Start before the first day
Onboarding actually begins before the new hire technically starts work. Lay out expectations before the employees enter the office on their first day, otherwise they will start the day confused and anxious. You should talk to new employees about company culture before the big day. This will prevent them from wearing a suit in a casual office.
Don't just familiarize the candidate with your company; prepare the team for the new arrival. Let them know to expect a new face and prepare the employee a workspace so they have a home base when they arrive. According to Forbes, you may want to provide some branded gifts, like a t-shirt, pen, or some kind of gift basket to get them excited for their first day.
Tech.co suggested asking your team if there is anything they wish they'd known when they started. Be sure to address these issues upfront with the new hires before they have a chance to ask. You may want to continue this practice and compile the answers into an FAQ document you can send to new hires before they start.
Get all the paperwork ready
No one loves filling out paperwork. Most new hires would rather be out on the ground floor getting their hands dirty than writing out their Social Security numbers over and over again. Still, paperwork must be done. Instead of prolonging the experience, get everything ready ahead of time to streamline the process. Having an effective employee management software can help you with this part and ensure you file everything away correctly afterward.
Provide meaningful work
It's important not to make new employees suffer through grunt work until they can prove themselves – let them sink their teeth into something meaningful right away. However, don't create enormous expectations immediately. Simply demonstrate that you believe in them and are excited to see what the bring to the company. You can't expect your new team members to achieve full productivity within just a few days. Asking them to do so will cause serious stress.
Have some face time together
According to Tech.co, the onboarding process should last about 90 days. So don't assume you've done your job after a week has passed. Within the first week, sit down with new employees and come up with a few goals for the first 90 days. Also, talk about where the staff members see themselves in the next few years. Record all of this information in your employee management system.
Many companies don't realize how important onboarding is. New hires aren't established in the company yet - they could easily accept another offer and move on. Build a relationship early to prevent this from happening.