When recruiting and onboarding new staff members, it is essential that the process is done right. If done badly, the costs are not just financial, but could damage the company’s reputation and the reputation of those involved. To make sure that this doesn’t happen to you, below I have written 4 tips to follow to ensure successful onboarding.
1) Announcement.
After you have made the decision to hire a new employee, make sure that your existing team members know by announcing your decision. Let your team know a little about who he or she is, why they have been given the job and the role that they are undertaking. Don’t leave it all up to the new employee to make friends, throw a ‘get to know each other’ lunch break and gather everyone together.
2) Prior to day 1.
Before your new employee starts, it is a good idea to keep in regular contact; send across any paperwork that needs completing, so as not to slow down their first day. Let the new hire know what’s going on before they officially start and keep them in the loop with work communications so that they have a rough idea of what’s been happening before their first day. Another good idea is to send a friendly email such as “Have a good weekend”, before they start so that you are building a sense of community and belonging before they have even stepped through the door.
3) Jargon Busting.
Most companies have their own terminology and jargon for office processes. Therefore when a new employee starts it is wise to create a translation dictionary / handbook so that new employees can have some contextual background on why certain processes are dubbed what they are. If an employee doesn’t understand the terminology that you are using it will drastically slow their productivity; filling them in will help them get up to speed with the rest of the team and feel involved.
4) Sweating the small stuff.
Be careful not to under-estimate the ‘small’ questions that need addressing when there is a new staff member in the office. Questions such as ‘which number is used to dial the outside line?’, ‘where is the coffee machine?’, where are the toilets?’ ‘when are lunch breaks taken?’, are all important – especially when trying to make a new staff member feel comfortable and at ease. It’s often the little questions like these which are commonly forgotten but are the most frustrating for a new employee as it can sometimes feel awkward or rude to ask.
What tips do you follow when onboarding new staff?
Further Reading:
M. Barrett (2015). ’10 Tips For Successfully Onboarding Your New Hire’: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/247166
