We don’t hire people just to spend the time, money, and effort of increasing headcounts. If that is your business model, we strongly recommend that you change it! We generally open up positions and hire people based on needs within our company, so when we hire new team members we want them to be as successful at their position as possible.
While the effort that they put into their new jobs is up to them, there is a lot that an employer can do to set new hires up for success. Even before their first day of work, a well-done onboarding process can help ease the new employee's transition into your team, and integrate them into their new role in a way that helps them hit the ground running.
Today we will help you understand what a well-done onboarding process should look like.
Most of us with any significant work history likely have bad memories of showing up to a new job on Day One and being hit with a firehose of information that is nearly impossible to retain. Names of new team members, passwords (sometimes several of them), the layout of the new office, the official way that things are done versus the actual way that team members tell us things need to be done, and packets upon packets of rules, regulations, SOPs, or memorandums.
And of course, there’s the endless signing of forms. Too much of it.
With a new hire who is likely to already be nervous given the brand new environment, this overload of information can be extremely counterproductive and the exact opposite of “hitting the ground running.” Most positions don’t begin immediately after the hiring decision is made and the offer is tendered - so why force a deluge upon them on Day One when they could be slowly introduced to their new position and work culture instead?
Between email and Docusign, there is no need anymore to give them forms to sign or policies to read right when they walk in the door on their first day of work. Sending these types of documents in advance of their first day, with plenty of time to actually read and digest them, allows the new hire to actually be prepared for work when they arrive. This could be far more efficient and effective than wasting vital time that they could be learning what kind of work they were hired to do.
Job candidates often put a lot of worry into the first impressions they give off to a potential employer, but the employer should also realize that the hiring & onboarding experience is the candidate’s first impression of your operation.
If that first impression is haphazard, chaotic, or unorganized, what does that say about your company? Would a new hire whose first day seems completely unorganized put as much effort or faith into their long-term prospects with you as one who felt like they walked into a well-oiled machine?
The candidate took the time to make their first impression count, and so should you. Onboarding is your first chance to show the new hire that working for your firm is something that they should consider doing for the long term. By implementing an efficiently-driven and organized onboarding process, the new hire can focus on the tasks at hand rather than wondering if their entire work experience will be as unorganized as their onboarding was.
Humans are social creatures, so having a mentor or buddy to walk new hires through the processes and environment of their new job can be incredibly helpful for their productivity and attitude. Having someone they can turn to with questions or to simply help them feel welcomed into the new environment can help set them at ease and make them more prone to learning what is needed quickly.
These mentors are best to be chosen wisely rather than just assigning someone randomly or having someone from HR do this. Our previous article outlining the use of the DISC personality assessment can help you determine who would be a good fit for this task, as it can determine who has the right personality type to welcome newcomers.
All employees should know what is expected of them in their position, but this is crucial for new hires. Setting and communicating clear expectations and goals for their work can help to set the pace right up front and allow them to put their best foot forward.
This should go well beyond a job description and may be best done through an in-person meeting with their manager or supervisor during the onboarding process. Timelines, reporting processes, KPIs, and other “rules of the road” allow the new hire to know exactly what is expected of them. It will also provide some much-needed facetime with their new boss at the start of their new job.
The “sink or swim” mentality may work in some environments, but the workplace should not be one of them. If we want our team members to excel in their positions and be productive in their roles, we need to provide them the tools and resources they need to do so.
While those who have been with our companies for a long time may already know what resources are available and how to access them, new hires likely don’t. Ensuring that the mentor walks the new hire through these and shows them how to access them when needed can help save time and increase productivity right from the start of their tenure.
The new hire’s superior, supervisor, or boss should be conducting regular check-ins with them. While informal, these opportunities should be used to gauge how well they are acclimating to their new role, and to see if there are any issues that they may have but don’t feel confident raising on their own.
The regular check-ins should be rather informal, but a more formal review after the first 30, 60, and 90 days can help both the manager and new hire understand how well they are keeping up with their stated expectations and goals. These reviews should be very goal-oriented, focusing on those expectations and whether or not they are being met.
If any deficiencies are found, this can be the perfect place to address and determine what may be needed to fix them. Additional training, access to tools or resources, or another issue may be able to correct these deficiencies. In a worst-case scenario, it may be determined that the new hire doesn’t have the proficiency or knowledge needed to succeed in their new role.
If the new hire is performing at or above expectations, this can be an excellent opportunity to deliver positive reinforcement to keep them on the right track.
We want our new hires to succeed in their roles, so we should do what we can to set them up for success. Use the tips outlined above to ensure your culture and onboarding are designed to help new hires put their best feet forward.
