Whether you’ve had fifty jobs or have just gotten your first job, starting at a new company can be an intimidating experience. Each new career brings its own adventures and challenges, and it takes everyone a moment to adjust. A great way that you can ease new employees into their roles is by creating a strong and effective onboarding process. A great onboarding process ensures that every new team member feels supported, inspired and ready to thrive. But how do you make your new employees’ onboarding journey informative and impactful? Keep reading as we review 10 onboarding practices that can help you set up your new employees for success.
1) Preboard new hires
Preboarding involves starting an employee’s onboarding experience before their first day. This can help new hires prepare and become excited for their start date. It is also helpful to send new employees the onboarding schedule so that they can prepare and know what to expect on their first day.
2) Get paperwork done ASAP
It’s important to be proactive about administrative tasks relating to onboarding. For example, creating a company email address for the employee or sending them HR paperwork. This can allow their first day to be more immersive and meaningful, rather than just a day of filling out paperwork. Some documents that employees can work on early include tax forms, direct deposit forms, non-compete or non-disclosure agreements, employee handbook, etc.
3) Give out welcome packages
Welcome packages can leave a positive first impression and convey to new employees that you are looking forward to their contribution to the team. For example, you can give them a mug with your logo on it or some sweet treats that feature the company colours. Make sure that whatever you choose reflects the unique culture of your organization.
4) Assign a buddy
Everyone can use a helping hand in a new situation. By pairing new employees with a buddy that they meet with regularly, you give them someone to turn to if they have questions or concerns. Choose buddies that are positive role models and are enthusiastic about helping the new employee adjust.
5) Incorporate job shadowing
There’s no better way for new employees to learn than to see things firsthand. Have new hires shadow a variety of employees to help them understand how the company operates. This will allow new employees to see the different departments of the company and how their role contributes to the bigger picture. Shadowing also allows new employees to meet more people at the company.
6) Make their first day exciting
As we mentioned earlier, no one wants to spend their entire first day filling out paperwork. Try to find a balance between being fun and informative. For example, you could focus on the more informative information in the morning and then arrange for a nice lunch out with co-workers.
7) Introduce work gradually
Avoid overwhelming new employees on their first days or weeks at the company. To help ease new employees into their roles, assign work with the expectation that it may take them longer to complete tasks at first. As they begin to adjust, slowly increase their level of responsibility. The process should feel seamless, not rushed.
8) Be flexible
It is important to be flexible during the onboarding process to best support your new employees. For example, if a new employee can’t make it to a training session at the last minute, you’ll want to have a process in place that allows you to host a remote option or reschedule the session.
9) Check-in regularly
Remember that the onboarding process can be overwhelming for new hires. It is important to have weekly, monthly and quarterly check-ins with new employees. These check-ins can allow you to see if employees are adjusting well and are happy in their new positions. This can also allow employees to voice any issues or concerns they may have.
10) Revisit your onboarding process
Your onboarding process shouldn’t be a one and done thing. It is important that you change it as your company evolves and grows. A great way to learn what was done well and where you can improve is to seek feedback from your current employees. This could be in the form of surveys or one-on-one conversations. Don’t be afraid to make changes to your process if it is needed.
So, there you have it! Ten onboarding best practices to help you create a strong onboarding process that you and your employees can rely on. Like with anything, learning something new can be hard and providing an effective and supportive onboarding experience for your employees is vital.
With that said, it can be challenging to create an onboarding experience for employees as a business owner because you already know everything about your company and how it operates. A great fix for this is to outsource professionals that are specialized in employee relations and can help you develop the best onboarding program that is tailored to your company. Here at STEPS, we can provide you with this expertise and work with small businesses to help them manage their employees. Learn more about our services by visiting our home page or sending us a message on our contact page.
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