How to Onboard new employees effectively
Among the most important aspects of hiring and taking on new employees is onboarding. Employee retention depends on a positive onboarding experience. It can be challenging to modify poor performance if an employee does not receive adequate training or is given the wrong idea during their initial few weeks of work. Developing a productive and effective team requires ensuring employees have an effective and robust start.
An effective onboarding experience plan, guided by a framework of core best practices, can help you get the most out of every new employee you hire. Here are a few pointers on how to onboard employees effectively, whether they work in the workplace, on the front lines, or remotely.
1. Be welcoming
Though it may appear contradictory, effective onboarding begins long before a recruit is employed. When you consider that onboarding is the practice of bringing a new hire into your business culture, it’s clear that introduction to your corporate culture starts throughout the hiring process.
Each recruiter has probably seen this scenario: an offer is extended and approved after a thorough screening procedure and discussions. However, a few days before joining, the recruit alters their mind. This results in wasted money and inefficiencies in your talent management funnel.
To overcome this, it’s critical to take the onboarding process outside of the workplace. You may ease everyday anxieties (commute, professional growth, diversity, etc.) and guarantee that the recruit does not search for greener pastures elsewhere by engaging with them soon after the offer is accepted.
The act of greeting a new employee before their first day is known as pre-boarding. This might involve disseminating corporate information or giving educational connections on the firm’s website or the internet. You can now establish expectations and calm recruits’ nerves on their first day. Send them an itinerary for their welcome day and any guidelines they should be aware of, such as the dress code.
It’s also an excellent opportunity to give them their first week’s schedule. Hence, they understand what hours they’ll be operating and can prepare ahead of time—sharing your staff knowledge before the first day can make them feel equipped and willing to succeed when they arrive. As a result, they’ll be less apprehensive and more open to new learning and instruction!
2. Consider people as well as locations.
Employers with a hybrid or onsite workforce must know how employees and workspace’s interact. Employee engagement has grown more dependent on the physical environment. Whether new or old, employees should feel protected, and navigating buildings, building systems, and building processes should be simple. The interaction of people and places is becoming a key priority for all workers, not just new hires.
Allocating a desk or meeting room and giving direction to help workers traverse an office are two increasing workplace objectives. For instance, when an individual reserves a desk, digital technologies can ensure that they are assigned to a desk near their new coworkers, initiate training on health and safety standards, arrange for cleaning services before they arrive, and offer an accessible map to guide them to their location. Onsite teammates can also be advised of the incoming hire’s location so that they can personally welcome them.
Pairing a new hire with the proper mentor inside your business is essential for succession planning during the onboarding process. The mentor’s purpose should be to assist the recruit in understanding and appreciating your company’s culture.
Routine checks should be included in the mentoring relationship in the first few months of work, as specific challenges that a recruit may confront do not appear immediately. This warm atmosphere alleviates some of the strain of change and, as a result, improves employee results.
The office will be seen as a more purposeful location in this modern paradigm of blended work, used for specific goals such as cooperation. Each employee must be aware of the standards and how to use the workspace.
3. Harmonize purposeful onboarding experiences
Onboarding experiences should be consistent and purposeful. Initial training entails validating and explaining what the new employee already understands about your organization. After that, training should include topics like company plans that contribute to professional advancement, company best practices, guidance on how to utilize the best technology and infrastructure supplied, practice-based mentoring, and goal-setting meetings to assist a new worker in concentrating on creating the most out of the prospects offered by your company.
Initial collaboration is critical for establishing a model for future work that requires teamwork. It simulates real-life encounters by transforming employees into subject-matter experts who can share their knowledge. A defined onboarding experience strategy with appropriate safeguards is needed to attain consistent success in all locations. It will make it easy to make changes/upgrades to the onboarding paradigm without revamping each site completely.
4. Make a realistic schedule.
Make objectives for your employee to take on more duties and difficulties in their position during the first 90 days. Then, once each month, contact them to make sure they’re on track and to address any issues they might have.
Any new employee is selected based on their qualifications. However, to begin adding value, they must first gain a greater understanding of the environment. A solid onboarding plan comes in handy in this situation. A manager or supervisor should tailor every new hire’s onboarding strategy, including compulsory readings and planned periods for socializing and observing others and the basic organizational orientation.
It is essential to follow the SMART goals approach when setting goals for your employees. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound goals should be established.
5. Always be available for new hires
There are numerous questions that new staff ask. However, people may be cautious, particularly in a virtual workplace where it is impossible to walk into a coworker’s desk and request a short question. Furthermore, many employees may be pulled out of their routine to answer queries that are simple to locate on their own. Consider the following tools for a quick fix:
A company wiki, such as Trello, is beneficial for creating a readily available internal information source. It fosters teamwork and autonomy and provides a safe environment for new staff to seek answers to common issues.
Communication channels like Miro promote an inclusive environment of posing questions. New employees will get used to the concept that this workplace encourages queries, and they will be able to search previous entries for similar questions.
You must be accessible to address any new hire’s queries. Make sure you’re approachable for any questions or issues they may have after assigning them a project. Furthermore, make sure employees understand how to ask questions properly so they may always find the answers they require. The hardest thing about starting a new work is being tossed in without any assistance, so ensure that your new employee knows they’ll have the help they need to execute their job well.
Conclusion
As part of your people management strategy, an organized onboarding process contributes to higher staff retention. In terms of employee satisfaction, investing adequate effort in developing an onboarding procedure and incorporating new workers into your corporate culture through this process will provide a favorable ROI.
Best of luck with expanding your workforce and effectively onboarding new hires. It may take some practice to find the optimal procedure for your company, but the extra effort invested in ensuring you set the proper attitude with new employees will be well worth it.
Related Resource: Best Hiring Practices – Top Questions Answered
Related Blog Post: Top 10 Effective Hiring Strategies
Dr. Jaffee (M.A., Ph.D.) is a recognized expert in the field of assessments, and has created effective HR Solutions used by millions of people.