You only get one shot at successfully welcoming a new employee to your company with a good first impression. Do it well and it may be the start of a beautiful employee-employer relationship; mess it up and it could see them back out the door and you facing the costly hiring process all over again.
As you’ll probably know, “onboarding” is the term for embedding new hires in the company. But how many best practices for onboarding are you familiar with? And do you know the pitfalls to avoid?
Research by a global advisory firm found that 88% of employees in the US did not have a good onboarding experience – bad for them and bad for business. It suggests though, that if you can get it right, you can also get ahead of the competition. With that in mind, here is our look at the top Do’s and Don’ts of employee onboarding.
Do… Start the process early
We are not talking about starting on day one, but before they even walk through the door. Between you offering them the job and beginning the role, maintain excellent communication.
Let them know what to expect and, if you have it, send out any briefing information so they arrive well-prepared. This is also the time to provide them with their employment contract (on or before their first day) and collect all the references and identity information.
Be clear about location, start date and time to avoid the chance of an immediate embarrassment, and (if ready) a timetable for the first week and list of who they will meet. Ensure the right equipment is ordered and user accounts set up ahead of time.
If you have any workplace events or socials taking place in this period, why not invite them along to make them feel welcome?
Don’t… Change the role before they have even started
Business is fluid, yes, and we can be thrown curveballs, but the onboarding process is a time when two-way trust needs to be built. Onboarding naturally takes place during probation when you are having a good look at them.
But they will be looking at you too and if they arrive and are onboarded into something they were not expecting, that is a sure-fire way to lose their trust, and possibly their services.
Don’t… Overload them with information on day one (or even week one)
While onboarding is unlikely to last as long as the several months of a probation period, neither should it be crammed into a day or even a week. If you try to rush it, it will be much harder for key information to stick and may come across as being chaotic, unplanned… an afterthought.
There is a lot to cover at the start of any new employment. Allow enough time for it to be delivered in a structured manner.
Do… think broadly about what they need to know
Introductions to colleagues, the workplace layout, the correct equipment are all a given. Then there are legal requirements like health and safety, IT use and rules and data protection. They will need a technical introduction to their role and perhaps training and development.
A crucial part of onboarding is getting across your company culture and also your policies and procedures. This will help them understand appropriate behaviour and how to fit in – right from the start.
Do… set goals and KPIs
For all the background things that it is important to cover during onboarding, there is still work to do. There may be training and development to go through, but ensure they have goals to work towards so that they fulfil your business needs and have a sense of purpose from the very beginning. This may be gradual, starting modestly and transitioning to full responsibilities. Factor in that different employees may learn at different paces.
Don’t… Leave them to just get on with it
While few people like to be micro-managed, neither is it appropriate in most cases to just leave new hires to it. Can you assign someone as a mentor or buddy? Are they confident about line management, who they report to, who they can ask for help within the business? Make sure they are properly introduced to key people and know where to turn to for help.
What about remote working?
In the mid-2020s a final mention must be given to onboarding remote workers. This obviously presents additional complications, and where possible we advise bringing them in to a physical location for a period of time to help build a bond.
For the aspects of onboarding that are performed remotely, allow for extra check-ins to ensure it is going well, that they are engaging with the business and have everything that they need.
Onboarding with The HR Dept
While that provides many of the basic principles of successful onboarding, every company is different and you will require something that works for your business.
At The HR Dept, we are highly experienced in providing this kind of help to businesses, to give every new recruit the best chance of success. If you would like help setting up a winning onboarding plan for your business, please contact us today.
