Does your company have a thoughtful, systematic strategy for bringing new hires “on board?” A strong onboarding process can boost your team’s satisfaction and productivity. It’s also been shown to increase the return that companies get on staff training investments.
Without a well-defined onboarding process, important information may be forgotten or missed, leaving new hires feeling confused or even bored. Letting them slip through the cracks at the start of their employment can lead to bad feelings and long-term job dissatisfaction. This is especially true at larger businesses, where the effect of recruitment failures can multiply quickly.
Make sure to document your onboarding processes in a guide so all new employees are treated the same way on their first day – regardless of who is training them.
- Introduce the company and its mission.
- Offer a office tour, including meeting rooms, break rooms, and restrooms.
- Show new hires to their workspaces and introduce them to co-workers, explaining what each person does. Ask your new team members for a few details such as where they’re from or where they last worked and mention them when you meet people who will be working with them closely. These can be conversation starters to help your new hires feel comfortable quickly.
- Ensure that workspaces are ready to go, with a networked computer, phone, working email account, and access to relevant company files.
- Provide immediate training on equipment such as copy machines and email login.
- Review policies for how company information is treated. For example, are employees allowed to take information home? Are there restrictions around what can be shared on social media?
- Clearly define the new employee’s role and responsibilities, as well as expectations for how quickly they’ll be up to speed on specific tasks.
- Provide reference materials for new hires to keep. This should include an outline of what they can expect during their first week of work and who should be helping them navigate their new role.
You can keep onboarding documents on the Internet, in a binder, or make it a part of your company handbook. Establishing clear procedures can save your company time and money, while helping your new team members feel at home. This, in turn, will make them feel more successful, increase their job satisfaction and raise overall company productivity and morale.
Interested in developing an onboarding guide for your business? Download a free copy of A Manager’s Guide to Onboarding.