Onboarding: The Importance of the Process and How to Prepare for It
In this article, we’ll try to emphasize why the employee onboarding process is so important and tips on how the company can prepare for successful onboarding.
The meaning of the successful onboarding process
As mentioned before, a successful onboarding process guarantees that the new employee will feel welcomed and an equal player in the new team. This guarantees a feeling of belonging and could be a beautiful start to some meaningful work relations.Onboarding also introduces the values and the purposes of the company so that the new employee can see if the values match him or her. The employee learns what the company can offer to the team or the clients, and how the success of the employee can be measured in your company.
In addition, onboarding should also boost new employees’ motivation and raise the level of productivity.
Simple steps on how to prepare for successful onboarding
- Start preparing as soon as possible. As soon as the potential employee accepts the job offer, start to prepare for day 0. Ask the future employee to submit the necessary documents (health check forms, personal identification documents, etc.,) and prepare the documents necessary for the employment – employee contacts, NDAs, tax forms, and other documents needed according to your company‘s policy.
- Send the necessary information before the first day of work. Inform the employee about the location of the workplace (if the work has to be done physically or if you have the office), the parking, when the employee should show up or when should the employee go online (if the job is remote). If the job is remote, you should ask for the address to which the work equipment should be presented.
- Prepare a welcome package. If it‘s according to your company policy, prepare a welcome package with the company merchandise – it‘s a great way to promote your company and send a message to the new joiner about the importance of the brand. If you don‘t have any merch in your company, a small gift and a personalized note will make the new employee feel welcome.
- Send a letter to the whole company about the new addition to the team. Inform the company about the new addition to your team on the new employee‘s first day! This letter should include the position of your employee, most of these letters also include a fun fact about the employee’s hobbies or personality – this could be a great conversation starter between the new person and the rest of the team.
- Introduce the new team member to the rest of the team. In the best-case scenario, set up a live meeting with the team in the office or another workplace. If your company doesn‘t have an office or you still work fully remotely, an online team meeting will do.
- Appoint a mentor. If you won‘t be able to train and help the new employee, you should assign one of your other team members to help the new joiner to learn everything he or she needs to in order to do their job correctly. This practice is becoming more and more popular in companies. In case you cannot assign anyone for some reason, prepare clear notes so that the employee can learn from them and prepare for the questions that will occur to the new employee.
- Clear responsibilities and goals. In most cases, the responsibilities for the positions are described in job ads or during job interviews. But make sure they are reminded of the new employee. Also, make sure that the employee knows about the personal or team goals.
- Constantly keep in touch with the new employee. Set weekly meetings with the new employee so that you can know all of his or her successes and struggles. This will show your new employee that you really care about him or her and that you want him or her to succeed and improve. Also, constantly share feedback on the process of the new joiner – this will help him or her to understand what he or she is doing correctly and which spheres demand improvement.
- Give time and stay patient. Everyone is different, so everybody needs different periods of time to break through and learn the most important material for the new position.
- Meeting at the end of the probation period. The end of the probation period usually indicates a salary increase, but it is not just that. Your rookie needs feedback and the guarantee that he or she has lived up to your expectations as a manager.
