How to Onboard a New Employee in 2021
Companies with a strong employee onboarding process improve hire retention by 82% and productivity by over 70%.
Businesses reap many rewards by easing new hires into their organization, but there are crucial steps to follow. Perhaps your current onboarding process isn’t working properly and you’re after a new strategy.
Sounds like you? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Here’s how to onboard a new employee in 2021.
What Is New Employee Onboarding?
If you’re unfamiliar with the term, employee onboarding is where organizations have a program so that new hires feel welcome, comfortable, and confident in their new workplace. This is crucial otherwise your newest employee will feel lost and unmotivated which is the last thing any company wants to do.
Luckily, with the help of sites like Workbright.com and our tips, you’ll learn how to create a smooth employee onboarding process.
Onboarding Before the First Day
Every employee onboarding program must start before the new hire’s first day. This ensures that your team and all paperwork is ready to avoid hiccups. For example:
Prepare for the New Hire
A company, you want to make a sterling first impression so the new employee views you as capable, organized, and passionate about their staff.
The employee onboarding best practices include assigning a desk, company email address, and a security access key for the building. To make your new hire feel comfortable, place a welcome gift on their desk whether it’s a branded keychain or coffee mug.
Send Over Their Paperwork
Using your employee onboarding software, send out paperwork to your new employee otherwise they’ll waste hours on their first day signing contracts. This should include tax documents, company handbooks, and payroll forms.
Sending over paperwork beforehand also gives them time to think of questions or deal with any issues should a problem arise.
Keep New Employees in the Loop
Because the goal of employee onboarding is to make them feel welcome, you must be transparent. Take time to dive into your company’s culture, their job responsibilities, and any events your organization has been involved in.
You should tell new hires what to expect during their first week and ask them to fill out a get-to-know-you survey as it’s a great way to break the ice.
Prepare Your Team
Make sure the office is informed about your new hire because you don’t want them to feel unwelcome. Before the new hire’s first day, tell your team what their role is so no one feels like their job is being encroached on.
You should also show your staff a picture of the new hire along with their name so your team can personally welcome them straightaway.
Onboarding On the Day
There are many ways you can ease a new hire into their role. Don’t get stuck into work instantly, instead dedicate the morning to introduce them to their new workplace. For example:
Show the New Employee Around
Office tours are a fantastic way to introduce your new hire to your organization. You could also try a meet-and-greet with the senior management team, host an orientation day, or throw a welcome lunch with the team.
Whichever you choose, hand over a schedule to your new hire so they’re confident about your company.
Assign a Mentor
Introduce your new hire to their mentor so they don’t feel overwhelmed with the surge of information. Make sure the mentor is on the new employee’s team and answers company-related questions, teach them the basics, and check-in with the employee to ensure they’re settled in.
As long as your new hire has someone to turn to for advice, they’ll learn faster and become more confident in their role.
Ask Them to Shadow Multiple Team Members
Aside from having a mentor, ask your new hire to shadow multiple members. It’s an effective way to showcase your company’s environment and culture from different perspectives. Because of this, your new hire will get more rounded training.
Place Them in Customer Service to Start
Another way to introduce new hires into the organization is asking them to temporarily work in customer service. This will teach them what customers want, need, and expect from your brand. As a result, new hires will become more empathetic with their clients.
Onboarding After Their First Day
Employee onboarding is ongoing progress so it’s important you regularly check-in. There are many ways to do this. For example:
Offer Regular Training
It’s impossible to squeeze employee training into one day because it’ll overwhelm them. Instead, hold training sessions spread over three months so they absorb the information. This includes general responsibilities, company terminology, and software your team uses.
Set Clear Goals
Setting clear goals lets you monitor the new hire’s progress and ensure they’re working towards a target. Make sure they know what they’re expected of and hold regular performance reviews to show your new hire how their contribution affects the entire organization. You should also use these one-on-one meetings to offer constructive feedback so they know what to work on.
That’s How to Onboard a New Employee
Hopefully, after reading this article, you now know how to onboard a new employee.
Take care of admin tasks before their first day, inform your team about a new staff member, and make sure your new hire knows their responsibilities. Employee onboarding is ongoing progress so give them an office tour, assign a mentor, and check-in regularly to ensure they’re happy in their new role. Good luck!
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