Successful Employee Onboarding
Employee onboarding is one of the most important steps you can take to build a strong and loyal workforce. Getting started on the right foot has more benefits than just improved employee relations, as building a successful onboarding process gives new employees a roadmap to success.
Many companies experience a new hire turnover rate of 20% within the employee's first 45 days. These statistics are even worse for senior-level new hires. Around 50% of outside hires for executive positions have reportedly failed within 18 months!
During onboarding, you want to ensure you create a seamless process that will help your new hire adjust quickly to their new role and can hit the ground running. Read on for 5 key steps to employee onboarding.
1. Before day One - Preparation
This stage should take place just before the employee gets started. Prior to your new employees' first day, send an email to confirm information like their schedule, documents they need to bring, and anything else that is important.
Other information you can include is the company vision, mission, charts, employee benefit forms, the orientation process, and a complete checklist of additional relevant information. Ensure you follow up to ensure the new hire received the information. This enables your new hire to review and get acquainted with their role and company for a smooth start.
Once you send the information, ensure you inform your current team about the new hire's start date, their name, job title, who they will report to, and what it is they will be doing. This can help the existing employees prepare in advance for a smooth flow once the new person starts.
2. First Day at Work – Employee Orientation
When your new team member first sets foot in the office or first signs on, your goal is to ensure the employee gets a warm welcome from your current staff. It makes the person feel comfortable and relaxed in the new environment. This can be done in person, or by ensuring team members send a welcome email.
After that, take the employee through various procedures, showing the company culture, organizational structure, customer database of your organization, departmental strategies, and future goals. Take this time to go over anything else you wish to cover. It's important to take your time here and make time to answer any questions your new team member may have.
Take time to tour the building, or if virtual – speak to them about your various departments and members of these departments. Ensure you set the new employees up with the companies virtual communication tools; chat, etc.
3. During the First Week – Integration & Potential
Allow your new hire to meet the leaders of your organization during the first week at work. This can be exciting and challenging to the new hire because change can be difficult for some people. Let your new employee know about what role each leader holds. Use the organization chart to show the company hierarchy. Set your new employee a goal to book meetings with a list of key people in the organization in their first week.
Inform your new hire about company expectations regarding the employee's contribution toward the company, the areas the employee will be in charge of. The goal is to ensure a clear understanding of the company's goals and expectations. Always make it clear that you are there to support your new team member as often as needed.
4. First Three Months - Employee Engagement
Training your new hire is a crucial step that will contribute towards employee onboarding success. You should have prepared a training program to guide you through each process and ensure you cover each item effectively.
The effectiveness of the training you offer to your new hire determines how well the person will integrate into their new team.
Focus on training your new employees about the specific tasks depending on the department or the team. This gets the new hire up to speed with your current progress. The goal is to let your employee learn about the company products or services to understand the typical day-to-day tasks. This helps your new hire focus, leading to productivity within the shortest time possible.
5. First Year – Empower Your Employee
Employee onboarding has multiple orientation levels that can last for a period of time. As the employee continues, keep them empowered to ensure a seamless flow of work and increased productivity. You should always keep following up with your staff to see their progress.
Meet with the employee and discuss the progress highlighting any issues and challenges that the employee could be going through. This is a crucial point that you should encourage your employees to ask any questions and express any barriers.
Not sure where to get started with your Employee Onboarding Program? Get our FREE 'Employee Onboarding Handbook' for a step-by-step guide to Onboarding excellence!
