Onboarding - Why It's Important To Get It Right
How long has it been since you reviewed your onboarding process? And have you updated it since the widespread change in many working environments?
As in most aspects of life, it is so important to give the right first impression. It is vital that employers take time to consider their onboarding process and make sure new starters feel valued from the moment they enter the company and feel well prepared to ultimately succeed in their new position.
If you haven’t considered providing a new employee with a great onboarding process it really can create a negative opinion within hours of how you chose to operate as a business. Just sitting someone down in front of a computer with a new notepad and corporate printed pen is not going to cut it.
So, preparation is key. Here are some ideas on how to improve your current onboarding process and ensure you impress and retain great people.
PREPARING COLLEAGUES FOR THE NEW STARTER
It is extremely important that all the relevant colleagues within your organisation are fully aware of the employee’s start date and itinerary. Send out an announcement in advance sharing the new employee’s name, role, and a little insight into their experience, as well as what they will be doing within their new role, and how they may need to interact with the wider team. This ensures people are around for the start date, and available for introductions and training where necessary, as well as making the new person feel welcomed.
It’s a great idea to schedule some time for the new employee to meet with key people and visit all departments on their first day, to get an idea of whose who and where they reside within the building. Introductions like this will help them understand how their role fits within the overall organisation, as well as making it easier to recognise colleagues and where to find them.
GET THEIR WORKSTATION AND ITINERARY READY
Sitting down to an organised desk, with the right equipment and information to hand is the ideal way for a candidate to feel immediately settled at their personal workstation. It indicates that someone has taken the time to get things ready and in place for them to feel at home, but also ready to begin. Making sure the employee’s computer, email, employee handbook and office supplies are ready really do make a candidate feel confident they have joined the right company, and if everything is up and ready upon arrival it gives them the best chances to perform to the best of their ability immediately.
CONSIDER ONLINE TRAINING PROGRAMMES
Obviously, it is great to have an itinerary for new starters to meet the wider team, perhaps attend meetings and get a feel for working in their new environment. However, it is very important to consider they will have some down time when their colleagues may need to progress with their own work and deadlines. It is a great idea to have your own online training programmes available for new employees to follow, gain additional knowledge and digest information within their own time and space. It also becomes a great reference library for them during their first few months of learning on the job.
Online training information needs to be punchy as well as educational, it is a much better way to engage new employees rather than providing a large pack of information the size of “War & Peace” for them to flick through for hours and feel like they are drowning in overwhelming information.
There are many companies that can help you set up online training, informative programmes and guides so if you don’t have the time or resources then why not considering contacting a few companies to see what they can offer you.
EATING TOGETHER IS A RELAXED INTRODUCTION
Leaving someone in their first week to sit at their desk with a packed lunch is not the best idea, so why not ensure that every day for the first week they are supported by a team member in going to lunch together and getting to know one another. You could even consider getting the whole team together on one occasion and having a full team lunch. Feeling valued on a professional and personal level is extremely important for any employee and goes a long way to securing loyalty within a company.
DON’T TRY TO DO ALL THE TRAINING IN ONE WEEK
Whilst it’s great to schedule in training sessions for new employees to make sure they are up to speed with any specific programmes you use or just educational information that will assist them with their specific role. It is very important to spread this out over a period of time. Cramming too much information in in one week, will more than likely lead to the new starter feeling overwhelmed and that the company has far too high expectations. Remember training is an ongoing thing
However, having a training plan in place is a vital part of helping new employees find their feet in an organisation. Your training should cover company rules, processes, procedures and expectations. Detailing what is expected for new employees sets a precedent by which they can measure their comfort in their new role.
ASSIGN A MENTOR / BUDDY IN THEIR FIRST MONTH
Organising a “Go To” colleague is a great idea, it gives the new person someone they feel 100% confident in in asking any questions and who can help talk them through procedures and any assignment challenges they may have.
CHECK IN MORE THAN ONCE
Even if an employee appears to be settling in well and doing a great job. It is a really good idea to put a few check in dates in the diary e.g., 30/60 and 90 days. It’s a good opportunity to see how they are managing, as well as ask them questions about the onboarding process and if they feel it was successful for them, as well as any developmental areas that may need to be considered.
Remember a successful onboarding programme will reflect on your organisation from day one. The first few weeks of an employer’s new career are possibly the most influential in terms of how they perceive a company and fellow colleagues. It can set the tone in terms of positive or negative relationships and if not addressed in time, you could face losing excellent people by not considering the importance of a clear and effective new starter programme.
