How to Make Employees Feel Welcome Through Incredible Onboarding
First impressions are lasting impressions. Your new employee is starting on Monday. You've worked hard to make sure you've found the right person to be a rock star in your open position. Are you really ready for them?
If you are smart, you will greet them with a fantastic onboarding experience.
Organizations spend countless hours, money, and resources to hire the best and most qualified candidates for their jobs. It only makes sense then that once the candidate is hired, the company continues the celebration party by putting time and effort into incredible, impactful, and efficient onboarding.
GO BACK IN TIME
Think back to your first day on the job in your current role and/or previous roles. What do you remember? What made a lasting impression (good or bad) on that first day?
Starting a new position at an organization is a wonderfully exciting time, but it can also be nerve wrecking, ambiguous, and filled with fear. A meaningful and informative onboarding process can accelerate the acclimation of the employee and put him or her at ease. More importantly, the effort to make someone feel genuinely welcome creates a lasting impression of the company.
So, what are some best onboarding practices you can implement in your organization?
1. Communicate with employees before their first day. Whether it’s sending them onboarding paperwork to complete ahead of time, or having HR and/or their manager call them and walk them through what their first day will look like, communication with your new hire is key. You don’t want to leave your new employee hanging or left in the dark during the time period after they’ve accepted the offer and before they arrive for their first day of work.
2. Make their first day a memorable one. The onboarding process may be memorable in a negative way if your new hire spends countless hours filling out paperwork. As mentioned above, it’s a great practice to send onboarding paperwork electronically beforehand so they can complete most of it before they even arrive. Here are some additional ideas to help create a memorable first day:
Send a company-wide email welcoming your new hire. Include information about the person, what their new role at the company is, and a photo of them. Encourage employees to stop by and introduce themselves throughout the day.
Have their work space set up and ready to go. Make sure their computer and other technology and equipment (email, software/system login, etc.) is ready before they arrive. Stock their desk with basic office supplies.
Schedule lunch with some of their team members. Treating your new hire to lunch on their first day is a great welcome to them, and it gives them a chance to know their coworkers in a more social setting.
3. Develop an onboarding team. It truly takes a village to get a new hire transitioned in their position smoothly and effectively. Members of the onboarding team should include HR for compliance, IT for technology and equipment, their supervisor for training and performance expectations, and coworkers for additional training and day-to-day knowledge. Establishing an onboarding team and communicating needs with that team before your new hire comes in the first day will help ensure your new hire has everything he/she needs AND it will give the impression that the organization has put thought into their start date.
4. Communicate company culture. This is a great time to communicate your company culture and expectations. Give new employees an honest and realistic view of what it means to be an employee at your organization. Talk about what’s important to the organization and what the organization values. You can discuss any rewards and recognition programs, fun company events, volunteer opportunities, or anything else that may set your organization apart from others. You have someone coming in with a fresh perspective, so it’s important for them to get a holistic picture of the organization.
The onboarding process is certainly an important component when hiring employees. Don’t be afraid to implement unique and creative aspects to your organization’s onboarding process. Remember, it’s beneficial to make this practice a memorable one in order to set the tone for your new employee’s role within the organization.
Are you interested in creating or revamping your onboarding process? Let us help! Click here to explore our website. We'd be glad to set up a consultation call with you.
Whitney Ohmer is a Talent and Organizational Development consultant for the Corporate Talent Institute. To learn more about her organization, visit www.corporatetalentinstitute.com
