The recruitment process does not end once you are able to finalize a good candidate for your organization. They need to understand their role in your organization, the part they play in the success of your business, and their responsibilities. That’s what employee onboarding is all about.
Without it, an employee will be clueless about their roles and responsibilities so they won’t be sufficiently motivated. Eventually, this might lead them to leave the organization too, wasting your recruitment efforts and time.
It’s easy to confuse employee onboarding with orientation. Orientation is focused on introducing an employee to your organization. But employee onboarding goes beyond that. It focuses on building a strong relationship with new employees and making them a part of your culture.
The employee onboarding process can affect the candidate experience and a candidate’s perception of the organization. So if you want to retain good talent, you need to ensure that you have a good employee onboarding process in place.
Here is a quick guide to help you create an effective employee onboarding process for your organization.
1. Don’t Wait Until Their First Day
Before a new employee reports to work on their first day, you need to sort out a few things first. Employee onboarding starts weeks before an employee actually joins the company. First, you need to make sure that you’ve received all of the required documentation from them.
From their tax documents to non-disclosure agreements and past employment details, you need to have every document in order. Send copies of your legal documents, employee policy handbook, and other relevant documents that might need to be signed, in advance.
Also, make sure that employees know whom they should report to on the first day. If you have an orientation planned in the first week, mention the details of these sessions beforehand. Try to provide as much clarity as possible so that employees know what to expect.
If you want to make the process more efficient, you can automate it. Candidate Rewards offers an interactive offer letter that goes beyond informing employees about their compensation and benefits.
It gives you a chance to showcase your work culture by embedding videos from prominent people in your organization. You can customize it the way you want to.
Before employees join, hiring managers will need to make sure that their workspaces have been set up. A clean, organized workspace that has all the required resources can set the tone right for a good beginning.
2. Take Employees on an Office Tour
It’s important to acquaint new employees with coworkers as well as the office space. Show them where the cafeteria is and where they can reach other people from various departments. Familiarize them with their surroundings.
Joining a new office is a lot like going to a new school. New employees are likely to feel nervous and lonely if they don’t have anyone to talk to. So, make sure to ask a few of their coworkers or hiring managers to make them feel comfortable on the first day.
It’s a great time to invite them for a quick snack or a cup of coffee. The goal is to make them feel comfortable and to familiarize them with the office and the work culture.
3. Introduce Them to Their Team
Your current employees might already be expecting a new team member, but it’s important to break the ice for them. Make a formal announcement about the new employee. You can also send an email to everyone on your team introducing the new person. Encourage team members to interact with the new employee on a personal level.
The best way to go about introductions is to let a senior member introduce them to the rest of the team. They could also acclimatize the new candidates with the work culture in your organization. It’s also important to highlight their job role and responsibilities. New candidates need to get their expectations right.
Similarly, existing team members could get a better idea of where the new employee can fit in. It’s important to clarify job roles so that if projects require collaboration and cooperation, there is no confusion regarding job roles.
You could also get a little creative and take this just beyond the office. Organize group lunches or fun get-togethers so that all employees can warm up to the new person.
4. Assign Mentors
Even if your organization has an official training period, a new employee might need assistance when they get to work. Getting used to new tools and software can take some time. Provide opportunities for senior members of the team to mentor them.
The reason for finding a mentor is to make new employees feel comfortable asking questions. They may not know certain company procedures, rules, processes, or might be facing some difficulties in their work. A good mentor will make new candidates feel like someone’s got their back.
5. Give and Ask for Feedback
To make sure that a new employee is happy and engaged, it is important to check in once in a while. You can schedule such a meeting at the end of the first month or even at the end of three months.
Allow for open communication so that the employee can address any concerns. Get to know their pain points. Also share reviews about the work that they have done. You need to communicate what they are doing well and how they can improve where they are falling short.
It’s a healthy procedure that will help you evaluate their strengths and weaknesses. If needed, you could also decide to extend their training program.
Final Thoughts
When a new employee joins your organization, you need to make them feel comfortable. Employee onboarding goes beyond filling out boring forms on their first day. It’s about building strong relationships and integrating them into your work culture.
Organizations only get one shot at making a good impression with employee onboarding. So if you want to get the employee onboarding process right, follow the points mentioned above.
What other strategies can make the employee onboarding process more effective? Please let us know in the comments section below.