You’ve managed to successfully hire the top talent your company so desperately needed. That’s the first step – now comes the job of successfully onboarding the new talent so that they can hit the floor running.
Reducing the time it takes for a new employee to reach an optimum productivity level is a huge money-saving advantage for companies. To achieve this, savvy companies create onboarding strategies that ensure people get oriented and trained as quickly as possible.
On-boarding goes beyond simple orientation. The initial days are the most crucial ones in a new employee’s career with your company. How the transition is managed from fresh hire to productive employee affects the employee’s comfort level as well as the company’s performance. Here are some workable strategies to achieve successful onboarding:
- Curate an employer brand that excites potential new hires and sends the message that your company is vibrant and innovative.
- Don’t hand your employee too many forms to fill out on the first day. Spread it out or use a digital onboarding system so they can fill things out as they have time.
- Include all relevant information in a handbook and provide it to the employee when they accept and return the offer letter. This saves a lot of precious time during orientation.
- Make sure that your company’s website has a robust career page that explains your company’s culture, dress code, perks, entertainment options, training facilities, and anything else that might be of interest to a new hire.
- Use automated technology to integrate different departments’ features into the HR department’s software. You can include tabs for financial information, pay slips and tax, HR notices and forms, and a host of other necessary information.
- Make resources available that describe your company’s overall strategic goals, your company’s values, and employee testimonials and put them on your intranet. These videos can feature inspirational talks by company leaders and key players.
- Take them around and make introductions personally. This will help break the ice so common when meeting new people on their own. Make sure your culture is friendly and inclusive and encourage all employees to go out of their way to be welcoming to new hires.
- If appropriate implement a shadowing program. Letting a new hire spend a few days shadowing their peers and possibly subordinates will provide them with invaluable company information and allow them to get to know how things work while developing new relationships.
- Configure a computer with email, and necessary tools before their first day arrives. Set up the phone, fax, and other machines they will need, well ahead of time. Do anything you can to ensure sure they feel prepared and appreciated.
- Send out a notification e-mail to everyone in the office so they’re prepared to welcome the new employee.
- Provide the person a first day itinerary that includes all relevant details such as what time to arrive, where to park cars, who they should go to upon arrival, lunch and break details, etc.,
- Dedicate that someone (such as an HR person, or the recruiter) follow-up periodically throughout the initial six months to a year, to track their level of contentment, gauge their feelings of support, and find out if any issues need to be addressed. Make sure you are on top of these reports and address any issues before they can become serious problems.
What are some things you do to ensure a great first-day experience to new hires?