Did you know that the average company onboarding process contains more than 50 activities for new employees to complete? Every bit of this process is crucial since it helps you transition your professionals into your company so that they can begin contributing.
If you want your business to grow by leaps and bounds, improve retention, and make sure every “i” is dotted and “t” crossed, optimizing your onboarding is the way to go. But how can you do that?
We’re happy to help. Here’s what you should know about improving the onboarding process for your company.
Make Your Employees Feel Like a Welcome Addition
Once you’ve put in the hard work for talent acquisition, it only makes sense that you go above and beyond to make your new hires feel like a welcome addition to the team.
Too many companies make business onboarding, rather than a time to welcome new members to the team and provide them all of the resources they need to contribute. Have a welcome ceremony for your new employees and take the time to get to know them. This is not just a time to go over Human Resources (HR) documents – it’s the first moment of learning what makes your new employees tick, while also introducing them to the company’s culture.
Teach them about any mantras, your company’s mission statement, and let them know that they’re a valued and appreciated new part of the team.
Go Digital Whenever Possible
With that said, your onboarding process can’t be a success without tackling all of the paperwork that you need to legally hire employees and handle their pay, taxes, benefits packages, and other information. All of this can be a chore without an organized way of going about it.
Digital is the way to go, and there are plenty of automated onboarding tools that you can choose between. With the right platform, you can have your employees tackle much of this ahead of time or on their own time so that the in-person onboarding process is more productive. Going digital expedites the process and makes sure that the most important paperwork is handled and gets to the right place.
It’s also eco-friendly, secure, and gives you instant access to everything that you need.
Orient Them to the New Office
Giving the grand tour is a big part of the hiring process. Take the time to show new employees around the office so that they can get comfortable and find where everything is. Let them know which work areas will be their’s, where they can find food, snacks, and coffee, access to the bathrooms, and everything else they’d need for their first day on the job.
The sooner you make your new employees feel comfortable, the less stress and anxiety they’ll have with this new role.
Provide a Unique Welcome Item
Who doesn’t like free things?
Make sure to personalize the experience for new employees by giving them some custom swag to take home with them. Consider your company’s brand, and choose some branded items that can become a must-have for each new hire. This could include things like customized:
- Calendars and planners to help them organize their work weeks
- T-shirts with your company’s logo and branding
- An executive pen with the person’s name inscribed
- Tote bags, backpacks, and other accessories
- Chargers, cables, storage devices, and other gadgets
You might even put together an entire swag bag for new employees. For an added touch, consider offering a gift card for a place they can get coffee or lunch the first week on the job.
Put Together a Log of Essentials
Things can get overwhelming during onboarding, and it’s highly likely that your new employees won’t retain every last detail. Put together a booklet or document that gives a breakdown of the most important things they’ll need to know. This log of essentials can serve as their roadmap as they get acclimated to the position.
Onboarding can and should take a few weeks in most cases, so have this reference at their fingertips will prove invaluable. It should include contact information of the most important resources throughout the company, frequently asked questions (FAQ) documents, login information, and anything else that will help a new hire survive early in the process.
Introduce Them to People Within the Company
Business is all about people, so make sure that your new hires get plenty of face time with other important employees and managers. This is the best thing you can do to ease their concerns and establish a rapport.
During the first few days of onboarding, set aside some time for people in each department to speak or provide presentations. They can offer a spiel on the most important points the new employee should know about their role and can answer questions on the spot. It also allows several important people within the company to put a face with a name and lets them welcome new employees to the team in their own way.
Upgrade Your Onboarding Process
The onboarding process will be effective and productive with the information above. Most importantly, make sure that you allow plenty of time for the process to play out. Nothing kills the productivity of an onboarding process like trying to cram everything into a tight schedule.
Use the tips above as your roadmap so that you can check the most important details off your checklist. Start here and rely on us whenever you want up-to-date information on running a business more effectively.
Alison Lurie is a farmer of words in the field of creativity. She is an experienced independent content writer with a demonstrated history of working in the writing and editing industry. She is a multi-niche content chef who loves cooking new things.