Fall has arrived and hiring is ramping up, so we thought this would a be a good time to share some of the processes we have helped our clients implement that have made a real difference for their new employees and teams.
Employee onboarding is a critical process for setting the tone for your new hire’s experience and their successful integration within your company. We believe effective and innovative onboarding significantly improves employee retention while also leading to more cohesive and productive teams.
To help get you started, here are a few of our favourite onboarding best practices to ensure your new hire becomes a productive and valuable contributor.
Pre-Boarding Engagement
By starting the onboarding process before the first day, your new hires will feel welcomed and prepared. Sending a personalized welcome package that includes a welcome letter and essential information about the first day (e.g. time, location, what to wear, who to ask for, etc.). If your company has an online Human Resources system, provide access to your onboarding portal where new hires can explore company policies, procedures, and organizational charts.
Create a Structured Onboarding Plan
A detailed onboarding plan helps you to capture all the required onboarding steps and ensures that new hires have a clear understanding of what to expect.
- Create a clear written agenda for their first week that includes training sessions, get to know you (GTKY) meetings, and key tasks they are expected to complete. Set clear expectations and initial goals together for their first 30, 60, and 90 days.
- Pair new hires with a mentor or colleague who can provide guidance, answer questions, give them a tour of the facilities, and help them acclimatize to the company culture.
- Ensure their workstation is prepared with all the required equipment and tools, and provide necessary access, logins, keys, business cards, contact numbers, etc.
- Always update existing employees by notifying them of the new hire, outlining what is required by them to help successfully onboard the new employee.
Work Culture Immersion
Immersing new hires in the company culture from day one is crucial. Plan team-building exercises and social events to help new hires build relationships with their colleagues. This can be as informal as a schedule of coffee meetups with employees from across the organization. (Providing a gift card for a local coffee shop helps engage everyone in these meetings, whether in person, or scheduled on Zoom or Teams.)
Interactive and Engaging Training
Interactive and engaging training will help to maximize retention and proficiency. Be sure to break training content down into bite-sized modules that are easy to digest and retain. Remember, they are absorbing a lot of new information quickly.
Technology Integration
Leveraging technology can help you streamline the onboarding process while enhancing the employee experience. Ensure all onboarding materials and resources are compatible with mobile devices for ease of access.
Personalized Onboarding Experience
Customizing the onboarding experience for each new hire can significantly enhance the experience and produce better results. Create personalized development plans based on the new hire’s role, skills, and career aspirations and offer flexible onboarding schedules to accommodate different learning styles and paces.
Feedback and Continuous Improvement
Soliciting feedback from new employees will help you to continually refine, improve and enhance the onboarding process while ensuring effectiveness. Schedule regular check-ins with new hires to gather feedback on their onboarding and work experience and to address any gaps or concerns.
Conclusion
Implementing these onboarding best practices can help you create a seamless and effective onboarding process. By engaging new hires from the start, providing structured and interactive training, immersing them in the company culture, and continuously improving the process based on feedback, our clients are ensuring their new employees are well-prepared, motivated, and ready to contribute to the team’s success.
Would you like more support for your employee onboarding and retention? Contact us today to learn how we can help you optimize your onboarding process and help you to build a thriving workforce!