Best Practices for Employee Onboarding

We understand! Hiring new employees for your organization can be a long and tedious task. The process isn’t just time-consuming, but it poses challenges and requires investment. Therefore, it is essential you retain the employees you onboard. To achieve this, consider your employee onboarding process. After all, this is the first real taste a new employee gets of your organization.

Employee onboarding is a process that a company uses to make the newly hired employees socialize and acclimate to the organization’s culture and work-life. The right onboarding process will help lessen new hires’ anxiety and is directly associated with higher employee retention. Therefore, it is only fitting that you try your best to retain the new hire.

 

Here are the four best employee onboarding practices to help you achieve just that.

 

Simplify Employee Onboarding Paperwork

If your onboarding documents are overly complicated, consider switching to a simpler version. Also, electronic format is easier to collect and maintain than printed versions. Ideally, your employee information gathering is performed in one place for employment paperwork, payroll information, and benefits elections. You also want your new hire to be confident in your protection of their private information. An electronic onboarding tool can assist in both areas.

If possible, ask the new hire to complete certain forms or sections prior to their first day. This affords you the opportunity to spend more time on the first day answering assuring everything is complete and accurate for a smooth experience.

 

Make it Personal

When welcoming the employee on their first day, how can you personalize the experience? Consider their first view of their workspace. What a great time to display a welcome packet. A few ideas of things to include may be a copy of the employee handbook, the employee’s favorite snacks, some company swag, or a handwritten note from the company President.

Announce the new candidate’s arrival in advance to the whole company and include a headshot. That way, their colleagues will recognize them and greet them by name when they arrive. Organize a team lunch as a means to enjoy some non-work related conversation for the team to get to know each other. These may seem like small gestures but can make a big impression on a new employee.

 

Provide New Employees with the Right Tools to Succeed

Right from day one, your new hires should have access to all the right materials to perform their job well and comfortably. This includes everything from a dedicated workspace to good equipment, resourceful handbooks, and proper access to systems. You should also assign someone to give the new hires a tour, introduce them to co-workers, and share a meal break to ensure they are feeling content.

When your employees are well-equipped, they are more likely to feel like they are part of a team. Therefore, they tend to be more motivated and productive.

 

Offer Orientation and Adequate Training

Orientation is crucial to help new employees learn the company policies and procedures. If possible, conduct the orientation in person, so the new hires will get a chance to ask questions.

The first few work periods should contain training or meetings to help get the new employees up to the expected speed and comfortable with their role. Failing to provide orientation can result in poor job performance and safety issues.

 

Stand Out With a Stellar Onboarding Experience

Without a doubt, employees are your biggest asset. It’s necessary to put in the right amount of effort to retain them. Getting onboarding right demands preparation, forethought, enthusiastic managers, and smart HR systems.

However, the payoff is enormous. When you effectively onboard employees, they will work harder, increase discretionary effort, and are less likely to leave the company.

 

If you do not have an HR partner, Tandem HR is happy to help.
Fill out the form below or give us a call today at (630) 928-0510.