First impressions can have a lasting impact. Your company’s employee onboarding process is your chance to make a good first impression with new employees. This process should be about making the new employee feel welcomed, valued and prepared to succeed in their new role. A recent report by the Society for Human Resource Management showed that 1 in 25 employees leave their new jobs because of bad onboarding experiences.
Poor onboarding can have many disastrous effects. It can set a new employee up for failure, inhibit workplace efficiency and change an employee’s outlook on your company. The result can be high cost and even higher turnover rates.
Here are seven ways to improve your onboarding process for employee success.
1. Prepare for the new employee
A great way to prime your team for the new hire is to do a little pre-onboarding. Send your new employee an email they can voluntarily readand to let them know you’re excited to welcome them to the team, and provide a brief overview of how their first day will go. Be sure to announce the news to all employees, either in-person or via email, welcoming and preparing the new team member to their role, sharing a bit about their experience and what they’ll be doing, and encouraging employees to welcome them aboard.
When employees are aware of a new team member ahead of time, they can be prepared to assist them on their first day. This will go a long way in making the new employee feel welcomed and it’s one of the most crucial steps in the onboarding process.
Make sure you have all documents, forms, and notices that are required to be completed by, provided to, or acknowledged by the new hire ready on day one, such as the Form I-9, Form W-4, benefits notice and information, and Wage Theft Prevention Act notice, if applicable.
2. Have the new employee’s workstation ready to go
Having a “home base” ready for your new team member is crucial to an employee’s first impression of your company. As a new employee, nothing is worse than not having the tools you need to succeed. When employees don’t have an area to call their own, this can quickly make them feel as if they are not a part of the team.
Setting up the employee’s computer, email and phone ahead of time, and providing any necessary office supplies, can help a new colleague feel valued from day one and allows them.. This gives the new employee the tools to perform at their best.
3. Make sure your new employee has access to any necessary programs
In line with getting their workstation ready, be sure the new employee has access to any programs, software or electronic files they’ll need on their first day. By having a binder or electronic document ready for them to refer to, they won’t feel like they’re waiting around for the next set of verbal instructions. Overlooking this step can impede the training and onboarding process for new employees, stall their ability to get to work and, in turn, affect their outlook on your company. Although you shouldn’t go overboard with the to-do list on the first day, giving them access to essential programs and documents from the beginning helps them see your organization as prepared and professional.
4. Make introductions
Do your best to help new hires foster meaningful connections with their coworkers. Schedule some time for the new employee to meet with key people and departments on their first day. Although they may not remember everyone’s name, this will give them a good overview of where to go to get what they need. These introductions will also help them understand how your company works and how their role plays in the overall picture.
