You’ve devoted endless hours and invested heavily in finding the right person for the job. But what then? You still need to onboard them. And If you fail to have an onboarding plan in place, you may leave them less than impressed.
Where would that leave you?
If they’re as good as you think you are, they may just reconsider those other opportunities that popped up on their feed. And if they leave you for greener pastures, there you’d be…right back at square one.
A quality onboarding plan is essential for other reasons, too. It can help the employee grasp team dynamics, build relationships, and feel like a part of the team.
Yes, onboarding a new employee can be a challenge. Fortunately, there are ways you can give your new hire a positive experience to set them up for success.
The Onboarding Process
The onboarding process begins when the recruitment phase ends. Here’s how to create a smooth onboard experience, from the first contact with your new hire right through until their first day.
Paperwork
Once you’ve selected your employee, your HR manager should send them a welcome email that includes essential onboarding documents, such as the offer letter, policy documents, and links to any forms that require their digital signature. You can also go over any self-serve onboarding procedure you may have set up.
By getting this done as soon as possible, the employee will know your company is on the ball and will feel confident in your ability to get things done in a smooth and timely manner.
Make it Official
Once the employer has formally accepted the offer, you should schedule a call to review the onboarding documents, policies, and benefits.
By continuing to engage them, you’ll increase their confidence that they made the right decision and strengthen the bond between them and you. You should also briefly go into what they should expect during their orientation.
Training and Orientation
By arranging for the new hire to take part in orientation sessions, they can get an overview of your company’s culture and goals. This will enable them to learn about the various teams, such as finance and payroll, and how they operate within your company structure.
Many new hires require training. This could simply be to pick up knowledge specific to your company, such as how to use your custom-built CMS. You’ll want to schedule this training so they can learn the ropes quickly.
But what about other skills?
With a skills assessment, you can quickly get to know their abilities and knowledge. You can then build a tailored training plan specific to their role and in line with their current skill set.
The First Day
Your onboarding plan doesn’t end when the new hire shows up on day one. This is an important day to get right. A new hire can feel a mix of emotions on their first day. They may feel happy and excited but also nervous and anxious.
The HR manager should do what they can to make them feel as comfortable and as welcome as possible. By helping them fit in with the company culture and the team around them, you’ll also help them feel more focused and committed to their work.
One way to help the employee feel more confident that their first day will go smoothly is to assign them a mentor. This person can handle any queries or issues the new hire may have and just generally be there for them.
Another way to make their first day go smoothly would be to use a new hire checklist. This will help your HR manager ensure that nothing has been missed and avoid anything going wrong. More on this shortly.
Your Onboarding Plan and Your New Hire Checklist
Your onboarding plan is a critical component of your company’s success. Not only can it help you impress your new hire, but it can also boost staff engagement and reduce turnover rates and hiring costs.
We’ve already mentioned that a new hire checklist should be a part of your onboarding plan. A new hire checklist can make your HR manager’s job easier and impress the new employee. Here are just a few items to include on the checklist:
- Gather and prepare all onboarding documents
- Have the orientation schedule to hand
- Assign hardware and software assets (workstation, usernames and passwords, etc.)
- Acquire required office supplies, if necessary (desk and chair, access card, keys, etc.)
- Set up an account with payroll
To help you with this, the team at Onfolk have put together a new hire checklist you can download right now. You can immediately use this resource as a part of your onboarding plan and retain the talent you worked so hard to attain. You can download the free Onfolk new hire checklist here.
You’ve devoted endless hours and invested heavily in finding the right person for the job. But what then? You still need to onboard them. And If you fail to have an onboarding plan in place, you may leave them less than impressed.
Where would that leave you?
If they’re as good as you think you are, they may just reconsider those other opportunities that popped up on their feed. And if they leave you for greener pastures, there you’d be…right back at square one.
A quality onboarding plan is essential for other reasons, too. It can help the employee grasp team dynamics, build relationships, and feel like a part of the team.
Yes, onboarding a new employee can be a challenge. Fortunately, there are ways you can give your new hire a positive experience to set them up for success.
The Onboarding Process
The onboarding process begins when the recruitment phase ends. Here’s how to create a smooth onboard experience, from the first contact with your new hire right through until their first day.
Paperwork
Once you’ve selected your employee, your HR manager should send them a welcome email that includes essential onboarding documents, such as the offer letter, policy documents, and links to any forms that require their digital signature. You can also go over any self-serve onboarding procedure you may have set up.
By getting this done as soon as possible, the employee will know your company is on the ball and will feel confident in your ability to get things done in a smooth and timely manner.
Make it Official
Once the employer has formally accepted the offer, you should schedule a call to review the onboarding documents, policies, and benefits.
By continuing to engage them, you’ll increase their confidence that they made the right decision and strengthen the bond between them and you. You should also briefly go into what they should expect during their orientation.
Training and Orientation
By arranging for the new hire to take part in orientation sessions, they can get an overview of your company’s culture and goals. This will enable them to learn about the various teams, such as finance and payroll, and how they operate within your company structure.
Many new hires require training. This could simply be to pick up knowledge specific to your company, such as how to use your custom-built CMS. You’ll want to schedule this training so they can learn the ropes quickly.
But what about other skills?
With a skills assessment, you can quickly get to know their abilities and knowledge. You can then build a tailored training plan specific to their role and in line with their current skill set.
The First Day
Your onboarding plan doesn’t end when the new hire shows up on day one. This is an important day to get right. A new hire can feel a mix of emotions on their first day. They may feel happy and excited but also nervous and anxious.
The HR manager should do what they can to make them feel as comfortable and as welcome as possible. By helping them fit in with the company culture and the team around them, you’ll also help them feel more focused and committed to their work.
One way to help the employee feel more confident that their first day will go smoothly is to assign them a mentor. This person can handle any queries or issues the new hire may have and just generally be there for them.
Another way to make their first day go smoothly would be to use a new hire checklist. This will help your HR manager ensure that nothing has been missed and avoid anything going wrong. More on this shortly.
Your Onboarding Plan and Your New Hire Checklist
Your onboarding plan is a critical component of your company’s success. Not only can it help you impress your new hire, but it can also boost staff engagement and reduce turnover rates and hiring costs.
We’ve already mentioned that a new hire checklist should be a part of your onboarding plan. A new hire checklist can make your HR manager’s job easier and impress the new employee. Here are just a few items to include on the checklist:
- Gather and prepare all onboarding documents
- Have the orientation schedule to hand
- Assign hardware and software assets (workstation, usernames and passwords, etc.)
- Acquire required office supplies, if necessary (desk and chair, access card, keys, etc.)
- Set up an account with payroll
To help you with this, the team at Onfolk have put together a new hire checklist you can download right now. You can immediately use this resource as a part of your onboarding plan and retain the talent you worked so hard to attain. You can download the free Onfolk new hire checklist here.
