Onboarding best practices for new employees
2024-08-15T00:00:00Z
job and career tips
Getting new employees settled in is crucial for their long-term success and happiness at your company. So how can you create a positive welcome from day one? This guide will walk you through the key aspects of onboarding, from preboarding to day one to help your team members integrate smoothly into their new workplace.
Preboarding
Preboarding is the process of preparing new employees for their new roles before they start. The goal is to ease the anxiety which is often a part of starting a new job, and for setting them up for success as soon as possible. This starts with knowing the right paperwork, which helps to save time and ensure a smooth start for the new hire. Relevant paperwork includes:
- Personal identification: A government-issued ID is essential, such as a passport or driver’s licence. This is to verify the new hire’s identity.
- Banking details: Needed for salary purposes to make routine payments to the employee’s bank account.
- Emergency contact information: Crucial for health and safety purposes in the case of emergencies.
- Signed job description: Clarifying roles and expectations, a signed job description prevents misunderstandings and sets clear objectives from the start.
Welcome packages
Modern welcome packs shouldn’t just be a bunch of forms to read over and fill out, they should be more than that - giving new starters the resources they need to stand on their feet quickly and securely, all the while easing anxiety.
Traditional welcome packs were often a dull affair, a stack of papers to fill out for new starters. Now, however, they are designed to ingratiate new starters into the company and elucidate company culture.
Core items which should be included:
- A customised welcome message
- A description of the role and an employment agreement
- Necessary documents
- A profile of the company
- Details about the team
- Access and IT Details
- Health and Safety
- Guidelines
- General Information
Job shadowing
Chances are you’ve experienced job shadowing when starting a new role, which is where you closely follow your manager or another experienced colleague who shows you the ropes. It’s a great, natural way to learn how to do a job, and you get to see firsthand how things are done and, in some cases, learn while you work - all while building rapport with your team.
Clearly outline success in the role
It’s important to define what success looks like in the role. This can mean setting measurable goals, such as project milestones, sales targets, or customer satisfaction scores, to make the path forward as concrete as possible.
A detailed job description needs to be provided to ensure the new starter has a firm grasp of their responsibilities and key performance indicators (KPIs). Expectations on everything from workplace behaviour to company policies should be clearly communicated.
Regular check-ins are a great way to make the new starter feel seen and supported, and they’re also essential for reviewing progress, offering feedback, and addressing any challenges. These meetings help the new employee stay on track and make adjustments as needed.
Open communication, and encouragement of open communication, is the grease that keeps everything running smoothly. The best environment for an employee to thrive is a supportive environment, where they feel comfortable asking questions and seeking assistance.
Embodying culture
Positive working culture – every company aspires to it, and every company claims it has it. But is your company embodying its culture, or does it remain only on paper? There should be tangible evidence that company culture is in effect.
Leadership needs to constantly integrate the company culture into daily operations. This includes incorporating culture in team meetings, recognition and rewards for employees who exemplify company values, and employee engagement activities that promote team bonding.
Creating a supportive environment where employees feel comfortable asking questions and seeking assistance is crucial, as is maintaining open communication through feedback mechanisms and internal communications.
Regularly monitor and evolve the culture through employee surveys and culture audits to ensure it remains vibrant and relevant. By staying proactive with company culture, you can create a cohesive, motivated, and high-performing team.
Gradual workload
Starting a new job can be overwhelming, from learning everyone's names to understanding new processes and software. Overloading new starters with work within the first few days is one way to set the wrong tone. Rather, their workload should be gradually increased so they can ease into their role. Remember, new hires aren’t just adjusting to the work itself, but the environment, culture and people too.
Flexibility
Flexibility is a soft skill that managers would do well to hone. When it comes to onboarding, flexibility is key. They aren’t going to know how to do everything, which means you will have to step in and give a lending hand. By remaining flexible, you give the new starter the best chance at getting up to speed as fast as possible, which means the weight can be taken off your shoulders as quickly as possible too.
Office introductions
Have you ever walked into the lunchroom and seen an unfamiliar face using the microwave? Avoid awkward encounters by making the appropriate introductions between the new hire to everyone in the office (and include their role in the business). This way, the new starter can start building rapport with people they’ll be working with, and also understand who they can speak to if they have certain questions about the business.
Review the onboarding process
Even the best onboarding processes need to be reviewed. Once your new starter has settled in, look at what went right and what could have been improved, and make notes. It’ll make the next time around that much easier.
Wrapping up
The onboarding process is your chance to make a great first impression and set new employees up for success. By focusing on efficient preboarding, providing thoughtful welcome packages, facilitating job shadowing, and clearly outlining what success looks like, you can create a welcoming and productive environment right from the start.
Don’t forget to foster open communication and really embody your company’s culture - make it something everyone can see and feel every day. Regularly reviewing and tweaking your onboarding process ensures it stays effective and continues to meet the needs of your new hires. By doing all this, you’ll help new team members feel supported, valued, and ready to thrive in their roles.