If there is one thing we’ve all had to endure once or twice in our lives, it’s starting a new job. Even most business owners were an employee at one point. Being the new member of staff can be both nerve-wracking and exciting. As an employer, it’s your job to ensure the onboarding process is smooth and as welcoming as possible to help new staff feel valued and engaged from the offset.
Here we will look into ways you can elevate your onboarding process. Doing so will ensure new employees feel supported and empowered as they embark on their new journey with your organisation.
Create a Warm Welcome
In business, first impressions count. Whether you’re meeting clients for the first time, customers, or employees, how you engage can be the difference between employees feeling excited about their new venture and heading to Indeed to look for something else! It’s your job to create a warm welcome for new hires and help them settle in. There are plenty of tactics you can try out. These include a personalised welcome video or email from their manager, a small gift, or a handwritten note.
Simple gestures like these will show that you’re excited to have them on board your business, as well as set the tone for a positive onboarding experience. You don’t have to dig deep into your wallet to create a positive first impression either. Perhaps hand out a branded company t-shirt or mug.
Provide Clear Expectations
When a new hire begins at your company, they need to know what their duties and responsibilities are from the beginning. Therefore, providing them with a detailed job description should be your first step. Make sure you lay out expectations clearly so employees know where they stand and what is required of them.
Providing clear expectations helps your new hire know what their goals are, how their role contributes to the wider success of the team and company, and what not to do within the business. Try not to overload new hires with too many goals, otherwise, they may feel overwhelmed quickly.
Provide Access to Resources
As a new hire gets started with your company, there are a whole load of resources they’re going to need to learn and use to fulfil their duties. Make sure new employees have access to relevant resources, otherwise, they won’t have a clue what to do next!
This involves providing new hires with the necessary software, tools, and equipment. Make sure they have access to relevant documents, training materials and company policies too. If you have hired an employee with a disability, you need to make sure these documents are accessible to all.
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Assign a Mentor
Cast your mind back to when you were the new kid in the office. If you felt out of your depth, knowing there was someone on hand to support and guide you would make a huge difference. With that said, it’s wise to assign a mentor to your new hire. Taking this approach will help new employees feel connected and supported the moment they walk through the door.
The mentor could be a fellow employee who has been in the new hires’ shoes before. They can provide plenty of guidance, answer questions, and help the new team member settle in quicker.
Mentors can also introduce new hires to other employees, help them learn the business’s values and traditions, and be their go-to whenever they need advice.
Offer Training and Development Opportunities
Taking a key interest in new hires and their professional development is vital for success. Once they get accustomed to your workplace culture, you may find that said employees want to move up the ranks and enter management and senior roles. To keep new hires satisfied with their jobs, it’s wise to offer plenty of training and development opportunities.
Whether it’s an online course, teambuilding activity, or training session, all three give new employees the chance to learn new transferable skills, enhance their knowledge, as well as become familiar with the business’s processes and procedures.
Foster Relationship Building
Building relationships with colleagues is a mandatory aspect of onboarding. You need to encourage new hires to connect with their co-workers and other employees. This can be done through informal meetups, social events, and team-building exercises. You could go one step further and host a welcome lunch, so the new hire and employees have the opportunity to say hello, mingle, and form a bond.
Building positive relationships from the start can be brilliant for helping new hires settle in quickly and feel at home within the business. Once they feel more content with their team, you’ll find your new hires productivity levels rise as a result.
Check-In Regularly
Once the new hires first week is out the way, that doesn’t mean it’s time to take your eye off the ball. It’s going to take several weeks or months for new employees to get to grips with how the business operates. With that said, you must regularly check in with new hires to see how they’re getting on.
It’s recommended to schedule one-on-one meetings. These serve as chances to discuss their progress, identify strengths and weaknesses, and hand over feedback. Make sure you ask new employees for their input too. After all, staff like to have their voices heard. If there are any challenges, speaking directly and having honest conversations will mean issues and questions can be quickly addressed and ironed out.
It’s an exciting time when new professionals enter your company. How their onboarding goes will impact how they perform and their attitude to their work. Understandably, whoever you bring into the business, you’ll want them to be inspired, enthusiastic, and ready to get stuck in. For this to happen, paying closer attention to your onboarding process and making relevant changes is key to success.
