Employee onboarding is very important for employee engagement, performance, and retention. The first impression you give new employees can have a lasting impact on their job satisfaction and performance. Studies have found that a proper employee onboarding program can increase employee retention by 25% and performance by 11%.
Is your onboarding process up to the task of ensuring your new hires feel welcomed and well prepared for their new role? Keep reading for the key steps you should know on how to onboard a new employee.
What Is Employee Onboarding?
New employee onboarding is the process of integrating new hires into an organization. It includes any preparations before the employee reports to work or orientation to their new job and worksite. It highlights things like an introduction to the team, monthly check-ins, and performance evaluations.
Many employers make the mistake of rushing the onboarding process and forgetting key steps. At least 1 in every 25 employees resign from their new job because of a bad onboarding experience. Below are the key steps you should incorporate into your onboarding program.
1: Use a Checklist or Onboarding Software to Avoid Mistakes
The first key step for how to onboard a new employee is to have a process and checklist for the onboarding. A thought-out process flow or checklist ensures that you don’t miss anything when settling in your new employee. Checklists also ensure compliance with hiring laws and company policies as whoever conducts your onboarding follows all the required steps.
Update the checklist each time you use it as you may discover some missing steps as you onboard each new employee. If your budget allows it, use onboarding software for your new employees.
Software companies work with seasoned HR professionals to come up with programs that ensure you tick all the onboarding boxes. The software is constantly improved based on input from clients. So you can be sure that your new hires experience one of the best onboarding processes in the market. Get an easy to use employee onboarding software here.
2: Inform Current Employees About the Arrival of Their New Colleague
The next step when onboarding a new employee is to announce their arrival to your current employees. There is nothing worse than showing up to your new job only to find that no one knew you were coming. In some cases, some new hires are even met with hostility by team members that may not want a new addition.
Create a great first impression on your new employee by sending an introduction about them to your team. Also, encourage everyone to give them a warm welcome. The introduction email should include:
- the name of the new hire
- their position
- start date
- a bit about their experience and companies they worked for previously
- a fun fact (to break the ice)
Use introductions to help ease the social tension for your new hire.
3: Prepare the New Hire’s Workstation and Equipment
Another key step in a successful onboarding process is to prepare the new hire’s workstation and work equipment before they arrive. Imagine showing up for your first day at an office job to find a clean desk and chair with your set-up computer, phone, office supplies. Even a name plaque and a welcome message are prepared.
Preparing for an employee shows that you value them and their contribution to your team. They will be eager to start work as they have all the tools they need to succeed. Don’t forget to request or create any email addresses, ID cards, access passes and passwords.
4: Assign an Onboarding Buddy
It is a great idea to choose a peer to act as the new hire’s guide during their first few days or weeks at the job. The new employee will need someone to show them both the formal and informal processes at your company. A seasoned employee can show them the best way to accomplish work tasks, where to get the best coffee or budget lunches, who to approach for different things etc.
The buddy can be the one to take the new hire around the company. They can introduce them to the key people and teams they will work with. They can also eat lunch and take their breaks with them while they are still new and shy.
5: Schedule Enough Training Time
Training is an important part of the onboarding process. A new hire will not know how to successfully do their job. Even if they did the same job at a different company, there are bound to be differences in how you do things at your company.
For your new hire to succeed at their new role they will need adequate training time. The training should include details on your company policies, procedures, and expectations.
Due to understaffing, many companies make the mistake of pushing new hires to start working as fast as possible. But this could lead to costly mistakes or work inefficiency.
6: Have Monthly Check-Ins Scheduled
Finally, make sure that you have catch-up and evaluation meetings with the new hire. Ideally, you should have one at their one-month, two-month, and three-month anniversaries.
During the meetings, you should ask for feedback on your onboarding process and suggestions for how to improve it. You should also give your new hire feedback on their performance and any improvements that they may need to make.
Learn How to Onboard a New Employee the Right Way
Now that you have hired the best person for your job vacancy, ensure that you give them the right tools and environment to thrive at their job. Using the above employee onboarding steps is the best way to make a good first impression.
Getting your onboarding wrong can lead to great losses for your company through high turnover rates and work inefficiency. If you need more information on how to onboard a new employee, read the rest of our blog.
