First impressions are strong and they often linger in people’s minds. Making a favourable first impression with new employees is possible through your company’s employee onboarding procedure.
Making the new employee feel welcomed, respected, and ready to thrive in their new capacity should be the goal of this procedure.
According to a recent study by the Society for Human Resource Management, 1 in 25 employees quit their new employment as a result of a difficult onboarding process.
Poor onboarding can have a variety of terrible consequences. It can undermine workplace productivity, set a new hire up for failure, and alter an employee’s perception of your business. High costs and even higher turnover rates may be the outcome.
Here are 7 best practices to make your onboarding procedure better for new employees.
#1 Get coworkers ready for the new hire
Send an email or in-person message to the entire staff introducing the new hire before their first day on the job. The announcement should describe the new employee’s responsibilities, previous experience, and planned activities while also urging other staff members to extend their warmest welcome.
Employees can be ready to help a new hire on their first day if they are informed about them in advance. This will significantly contribute to the new hire feeling welcomed.
#2 Prepare the workstation for the new employee
An employee’s initial impression of your business depends on having a “home base” that is prepared for their arrival. Nothing is worse for a new employee than not having the resources necessary to succeed.
A new employee will feel appreciated from the start if their computer, email, and phone numbers are set up beforehand and that they are given access to any necessary office materials. The new employee now has the resources necessary to work well.
#3 Ensure that your new employee has access to any required software
Make sure the new employee has access to any applications, software, or electronic files they will need before their first day of work, along with making their workstation ready.
Skipping this process could hinder the new hire’s training, delay their start date, and negatively impact their opinion of your business.
#4 Introduce yourself
On their first day, meetings for the new employee to meet with important individuals and departments should be arranged. This will offer them a solid idea of where to go in order to receive what they need, even though they might not remember everyone’s names.
They will gain a better understanding of your business’ operations and their place within it thanks to these introductions.
#5 Arrange a team lunch
Within the first week, schedule a lunch meeting or an after-work get-together for the new employee and their immediate team members. This will facilitate ice-breaking and give the new employee a laid-back setting to get to know their new coworkers. Employees can bring their laptops to this step without even leaving the office.
For this phase, staff can bring their lunch and congregate in a conference room without even leaving the office. Spend some time getting to know your new hire outside of the interview process.
An employee is more likely to remain with the company over the long term if they feel valued by the team on both a personal and professional level.
#6 Give training plenty of time
Training should take up the first week or so with the new employee. Even if the person has worked in a similar position before, there will inevitably be variances across organisations. A training program is essential for assisting new hires to settle well in an organisation.
Your training should go through the policies, practices, and expectations of the business. Setting clear expectations for new hires creates a baseline against which they can gauge their comfort in their new position.
By providing them with someone who is prepared to respond to their queries and guide them through some of their duties, assigning a mentor from the employee’s department can also aid in their adjustment to their position.
#7 Remember to follow up
The most crucial stage is also the one that employers frequently skip over. Make a commitment to checking in with the new employee after 30, 60, and 90 days. Meet with the employee even if you believe they don’t need an appraisal because they are performing well.
This is your chance to understand the onboarding procedure at your organisation from the viewpoint of the employees. Find out what aspects of your procedure people enjoyed and disliked, then adjust as necessary.
The time and effort invested into effective onboarding processes are reflected in them. Do your research and be thoughtful when you have the time.
The first few weeks have the biggest impact on a new hire’s perception of your firm, whether that perception is positive or negative. It also sets the tone for their long-term engagement with your organisation.
In summary, the onboarding process is often overlooked but actually plays a critical role in helping new employees to adjust and adapt well in the organisation. Ensure that you give sufficient time and effort to the onboarding process for better employee retention in the long run.
