Even the most promising new hire needs an adequate amount of support during the onboarding process when they first start working for your company.
I frequently talk about finding the BEST person for each role, but that’s only half the battle. Once you’ve found the right candidate, it’s time to give them a big dose of your company culture through an effective onboarding process.
Ensure Your New Hire Starts Off On the Right Foot
Onboarding and training are two different processes that require a different approach.
For onboarding, you need to put yourself in a new hire’s shoes. They’re making a big change, so onboard them to your company by rolling out the red carpet–literally!
An article by Social Talent informs us “when employees go through a structured onboarding process, they are 58% more likely to remain with the company after three years.”
Important Steps for Effective Onboarding
1. Engage with the person a week ahead of their start date. A short email or text message letting them know that you are excited to have them on the team can put them at ease. For extra points, have the hiring manager or senior executive do a “Welcome to the Team” Video.
2. Provide a 5-day schedule 2-3 days in advance. This tells a new employee that you are thinking of them, and your organization is buttoned up. The schedule should be educational, and people based. Bonus Tip: PLEASE do not stick a new person on 8 hours of video learning.
3. If you are in an office environment, have a welcome committee that lets the new person know that the whole team is excited they are joining the team.
4. Have EVERYTHING ready for the new team member on their first day. This includes their computer, account log-ins, business cards, coffee cup, badge, workspace, etc. I mean, you HUNTED for this person. You should show them that you want them and you are serious about making them successful.
How’s Your Onboarding Process?
Many organizations overestimate the effectiveness of their onboarding process. In a survey carried out by OfficeTeam, 54% of employees said that they’ve experienced a mishap in their new job.
Putting the effort into a structured onboarding process will pay off. Ask any new hire that has joined your team.
Do you have any important steps you’ve added to your onboarding process?
Comment below or contact me. I’d love to hear it!
Leave a Reply