You hire employees with the thought of them being a successful contributor to your organization. The first impressions your new hires walk away with will set the tone right out of the gate for building an effective team. Providing new employees with the tools and resources they need to be successful seems like an easy task, but more often than not it proves to be a daunting and time consuming process. Effective employee onboarding usually begins before a new hire starts and last through at least their first month of employment; most times even longer. Onboarding is not just filling out a bunch of forms. Rather, it's the opportunity to introduce a new team member to the culture, expectations, and values of the company. A formal, consistent, organized, and well-communicated onboarding program can help make this a positive experience for everyone involved.
A few questions you may want to consider when reviewing the current employee onboarding process include:
- Does the process start with a robust applicant tracking system that is easy for applicants to access and use? This will help establish a new hire’s first impression of your organization as a professional and easy-to-navigate one.
- Does the process allow new hires to complete paperwork and review company policies on their own time prior to their first day? This can allow already overwhelmed newcomers to avoid those dreaded stacks of forms that nobody ever has all the personal information with them to complete anyway? It will also let them focus on getting to know people and processes rather than be chained to pen and paper on thier first day.
- Is there a process for notifying current employees that there is a new hire joining the team so they are prepared to welcome the new member on his or her first day?
- Is the employee’s workstation or area set-up and welcoming?
For additional onboarding tips and tricks, attend out complementary webinar
on Wednesday, November 29th at 11:00am.
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- Are the basic questions addressed prior to the new hire having to ask. For example, are there parking restrictions, where should I go when I first arrive, where are the restrooms, who do I call if my phone or computer don’t work, where is the copy machine and how does it work, when should lunch breaks be taken? It’s also a good idea to also have an employee mentor available to answer any questions and check in with the new hire throughout the first week, at least.
- Is there a structured training schedule that includes job expectations, company culture overview, processes for completing work, and gaining approval for things, if needed?
- Do you have projects and work lined up that employees can jump right into and get started?
After employees have had a chance to settle in, it's a really good idea to ask their thoughts regarding the onboarding process and how it can be improved. As we have all experienced at least once in our life, it is tough to be the new kid in the class. The more comfortable and informed people are, the more successful they are likely to be!