Congrats on your new hire! But remember, your job is far from over. Following the recruitment of a new employee, the worst thing you can do is neglect the importance of the onboarding process.
Onboarding is crucial to the longevity of your new hires as it helps to acclimatise new employees to their roles, and the culture of your company. A thorough onboarding process engages employees, creating workers that are committed to the success of your business and improves your retention rate by making them feel like a true member of the team.
Here are a few tips to ensure an effective onboarding process for your company's new hires.
Clearly define expectations
It would be useless for employees to start working before their employers have established clear expectations. If they receive the correct guidance, they are able to answer the following three questions: What should I do? What approach should I take? How can I feel motivated to achieve my goals?
It is important that you define what their goals should be and the timelines for achieving them, as well as the measures you will use to evaluate their progress. Be specific about which strategies they should use to achieve the goals, including what activities should and should not be prioritised. In addition, this involves communicating the organisation's vision to new hires and helping them understand their role in accomplishing this vision.
It is important to hold an in-depth conversation as soon as new hires are onboard to ensure that there are no misunderstandings regarding what is required of them to be successful.
Understand the challenges they face
One of the most difficult aspects of transitioning from one job to another is onboarding. But why, you might ask? Despite having considerable professional experience, new hires are unfamiliar with the business, lack understanding of how things actually operate, lack established relationships, and need to adapt to a new environment. Even when they appear to be confident on the surface, new employees have a lot to learn and may feel quite overwhelmed.
It may be tempting for some to play it safe and stick to what they are familiar with, while others may overcompensate, acting as if they have "the answer," instead of asking questions and attempting to add value. For that reason, it's crucial that bosses reassure newly hired workers that learning comes before doing in the beginning.
Provide them with assistance in adapting to your culture
During onboarding, the focus is not solely on the technical aspects of the new job; the new employee must be able to successfully integrate into the organisation's culture. If you are developing an onboarding program for new employees of any level, ensure that they have access to resources and relationships that will assist them in understanding the written and unwritten norms for success within the organisation.
Ensure that all tools and resources are available
Provide the new hire with the resources and tools they need to succeed. You will find some people immediately want to get up to speed. Having the right tools and resources will help them do this. It is very discouraging to work for a company that is not prepared for your first day at the office. So, make sure you are prepared for your new employees.
Bring them into contact with key stakeholders
The new hire will likely have several additional stakeholders outside of their immediate team who will be crucial to their success, not only at work but also to their learning. Identifying these individuals, understanding why they are important, and interacting with them may not always be apparent.
The best way for leaders to facilitate these connections is to create a list of names, along with a brief description of each, and then introduce them, explaining why they should get together.
An effective onboarding program can ease employee concerns, ensure employee success, and make it easier for them to take ownership of their roles. If you need any assistance, reach out to one of our friendly team today and we'll be happy to help you.