Do you remember your first day at your job? I do.
Not only is it memorable, the initial impression of a new work environment will have a lasting effect on employee’s work. Onboarding is a critical window for positioning your employee with the confidence, comfort, and skills to succeed long-term in their position.
While processes will inevitably vary from company to company, there are a few tips to ensure a successful onboarding.
1. Onboard several new employees at a time
If possible, start several employees on the same day. That way they have other people to go through the onboarding process with them and have a “cohort” of new work friends immediately.
There are several reason this will prove useful. Firstly, forming relationships with co-workers will cause employees to feel invested in the company culture from day one. Second, they will have people to turn to for support long after the onboarding period ends.
There is a bonus value if the newbies onboarding together are from different specialties. That way they will have the opportunity to learn what other departments in the company are working on and gain a more holistic view of how the organization functions.
2. Show your appreciation with some goodies
Out of hundreds of possible companies, this person chose to work for yours. Give your new employee a warm welcome and show your gratitude with some swag.
Employees are a great way to get your company’s name out and are probably happy to show off the job they landed — win win. Bring on the logo studded T-shirts, laptop cases, headphones and notebooks.
Let’s be honest, who doesn’t love free stuff?
3. Create an onboarding schedule with realistic goals
Cram too many informative sessions into the onboarding period and you risk mentally overloading your new employees.
Leave the schedule too loose and the result can feel to employees that you do not care enough about their training. There’s nothing worse that starting at a new company that hasn’t thought about what they want you to know.
Build a comprehensive schedule that will ensure your employees get all the important information in digestible bites. Vary the delivery method and topics throughout the day to you keep your new-hires fresh and awake.
4. Meet, greet and eat
Have a group lunch and invite the new employees’ managers. Imagine employees have spent their morning in whirlwind of confusion or stress — and now they are starving.
They are probably new to the area and have no idea where to go to grab a bite or even who to eat with. Planning a group lunch is a great way to ease these tensions, as well as provide the opportunity for the new employees to get acquainted with their managers and new co-workers in a more casual setting.
5. Don’t forget to digitally onboard your employees
No matter the role, for successful onboarding employees need to know certain software in order to perform their tasks. Those will vary from company to company, department to department and role to role — but regardless of which platforms will be used, digital onboarding employees is crucial for their future success.
Consider using a Digital Adoption Platform (DAP) to simplify and accelerate employee software training. Not only will employees be up and running on their digital systems within a much shorter time frame than traditional training — they can also refer back if they forget a process or need technical support.
