Did you know that employees who experience a structured onboarding process are 58% more likely to stay with the company for at least three years?
Employers can’t afford to lose talented new hires due to a lack of effective onboarding. Employee retention is crucial when so many businesses are struggling to find workers.
But how do you effectively onboard a new hire? Let’s talk about it. Continue reading for a quick onboarding check list.
Pre-Onboarding Checklist
Before onboarding even begins, you have to do pre-onboarding. This happens before the employee ever sets foot in the office or does their first bit of work. Pre-onboarding is an excellent approach to make your new employee feel welcomed and at ease rather than anxious.
Here are a few things to include in the pre-onboarding process for new employees.
Send a Warm Email
It’s always a good idea to send a kind email before your new employee starts their first day on the job. Most of your interactions to this point have been all business, so it’s time to make yourself personable.
While the email should be warm and friendly, you should also make sure that it contains all of the important need-to-know information that your new hire is going to need before they enter the office.
Make sure that you set a clear start time and date. Give them a phone number and email for a reliable point of contact in case they have any questions or concerns.
If your workplace has any specific requirements, such as a dress code, the email is the perfect place to talk about it. Attach an online employee manual so your new hire is prepared.
Prepare The Office
If you have an in-person workplace, make sure that you’ve prepared it for your new employee. You want to give them a dedicated workspace that’s tidy and ready for them.
Make sure that they have all of the necessary equipment for the job.
Talk to Other Employees
Before your new employee arrives, it’s helpful to talk to the other employees that they’ll be interacting with. Talk positively about the new hire so other employees are excited to meet them.
If this employee is going to oversee other employees, make sure that you establish this information right away. Some employees may feel uncomfortable when a new hire is “above” them, but with enough preparation, they’ll welcome the new employee with open arms.
First-Day Employee Onboarding Checklist
So, what happens when the employee starts working?
Remember that the first day of work likely won’t be productive for your new hire. This is when they get to look around the office and acclimate themself to the new environment.
Allow plenty of time for the employee to acclimate, and keep in mind that “first-day” onboarding may continue into the first week, depending on the job the individual is filling. Make sure that this experience is as stress-free as possible for peak employee retention.
The Office Tour
If this is an in-person workplace, it’s time to give your employee a tour of the office. Meet them at the door (or have another representative meet them) to get started.
Even if they’re only going to work in one area, take them around the entire workplace. Show them where all of the restrooms are, direct them to the break area, and show them all of the departments.
Then, take them to where they’re going to be working. Let them know what they’re allowed to bring into their workspace and consider giving them a few minutes to “get to know” it.
If your business has any “fun” sections, be sure to show them off. You want employees to feel excited and enthusiastic about working with you.
Meeting Other Employees
Now it’s time to introduce your new hire to your other employees. As long as you’ve already prepared your other employees, this should be simple.
You don’t have to do icebreaker activities, but consider a small team-building activity or introduction time to get your employee situated.
If your employee is going to be working under supervisors or managers, introduce them privately.
It’s a good idea to pair a new hire up with another employee as a mentor or a buddy. This gives them a go-to person that’s “on their level” that they can use as a resource if they’re confused or have any questions.
Ask all of the employees about their willingness to be a mentor before the new hire arrives so you don’t put anyone on the spot.
Discussing the Job
Once your new hire has met other employees and gotten acclimated to their new environment, it’s time to get down to business. Make sure that you’re still friendly and welcoming during this part of the employee onboarding process, but keep it professional.
Discuss all of the rules and expectations that the employee needs to know. Give them a checklist that they can refer to and keep in mind that it’s likely that they’ll make mistakes while they’re adjusting. Let them know that mistakes are okay and that they can come to you if they have questions.
Use onboarding software to have them fill out all necessary new hire paperwork if you haven’t already done this. Walk them through the paperwork so they’re well aware of everything that they’re signing. Click for more information about employee onboarding software if you don’t yet have it.
If you have an online training portal, give them access to it now. Set up any necessary accounts and walk the employee through them.
First Month (and Beyond)
Onboarding doesn’t stop after the first day. Many employers make the mistake of assuming that employees will be ready to hit the ground running by the time they step foot in the office on day two, but this sets the new hires up for failure.
Although the initial “first-day” onboarding procedure might take up to a week, onboarding continues after that. You should consider an employee fully settled in for work by the six-month mark.
During the first month of onboarding, there are still a few things that you have to do. At this point, your employee will have already learned the ropes of their new position. So what do you do next?
Specialized Employee Training
Once your employee is ready to work and you have a good idea of their pre-existing skills, it’s time to train them. All employees require employee training, so start with the basics and then move on to more specialized training.
All employees need employee safety training and harassment training. It’s helpful to do training sessions for all employees when you onboard a new one.
Then, train your employee for their specific task based on their skill level. Most workers will already have some amount of specialized training when they start working with you.
This is also a great time to bring them into company projects with other employees. Start small and treat this time like a “tutorial level” at the workplace.
New Hire Check-in
Make sure that you check in with your new hire within the first month. Allow them to tell you how they feel about the onboarding process, whether or not they’re comfortable in the new workplace, and what they’d like from you as far as future training goes.
You want to have an open-door policy when it comes to communicating with your employees. This lets them know that they won’t be reprimanded for mistakes when they haven’t yet “learned the ropes.”
It’s also helpful to talk to your other employees about the new employee. Ask them how well the employee has fit into the workplace and where they might need work.
Provide Feedback
After you allow your employee to give you feedback, give them feedback as well. Remember that your employee is still learning the ropes and you want them to feel at ease. Even if they need significant improvement, you shouldn’t reprimand them during this feedback session.
Tell them what they’re doing well first. After you’ve “built them up” a bit, mention areas in which they could use improvement. Again, let them know that it’s important to need improvement when they’re new to the job.
Guide your employee on how they can improve. General advice isn’t often helpful.
After this, give them another piece of praise or support. Ask them if they have any questions before letting them return to their work.
Use This Quick Onboarding Checklist for Your New Hires
Employee onboarding is a lengthy process, but you don’t want to leave anything out. A good onboarding process will help with employee retention and productivity.
While you’re planning to onboard new hires, refer to this quick onboarding checklist so you can set yourself and your employees up for success.
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