Submitted on Tue 11 Oct 2022
Onboarding is a term that has been around for many years, so whilst we can agree the concept isn't anything new, it's something that is often either overlooked or even neglected completely.
More recently however, we're seeing in a shift in more companies wanting to step up and improve their onboarding processes to win the war for retaining good talent.
Companies are starting to realise that in order to further cement loyalty and longevity of the new employee, there must be an effective onboarding program in place to successfully integrate them into the culture.
Ultimately, onboarding is a critical part of affirming a new hire’s decision to join the organisation.
In this article, we discuss some best practices for onboarding your new employees.
1. Keep the new hire engaged prior to the start date
Just because the contract has been signed, doesn't mean the work is done. Far from it actually, and from an HR perspective, you're really only just getting started! The period of time between a new hire accepting the role and actually starting is usually the most delicate. So it’s important to provide regular contact to keep them engaged in the lead up to their start date.
This could be done be checking in on them to see if they have any questions, sending them interesting information about the company or outlining the onboarding process that is yet to come so they have an understanding on what to expect on day one.
You might even consider going one step further and implementing tools into your business, such as our Video Recruitment Toolkit to help assist your organisation with the critical stages of the onboarding process.
2. Give them a warm welcome
First impressions are crucial, so making your new team member feel calm, valued and welcomed is key if you want to help build a positive culture and increase engagement.
Not only does welcoming your new employees reduce their stress, but it can empower them early on and create a massive impact on their performance at work.
Some of the ways in which you might do this could be:
- By preparing a welcome video (prior to their start date) from your company’s boss and colleagues telling them that they are excited to have them on board.
- Curating a welcome package filled with anything from healthy treats to office supplies and branded company gifts.
- Organise a team bonding activity like a lunch, happy hour or coffee break (or all three!)
It’s also a good idea to prepare the team in advance prior to the new hire’s state date. You don’t want to put them in an awkward situation if your new hire shows up to start work and their co-workers have no clue who they are or that they were even coming in.
3. Have a well-structured plan
A survey done by TinyPulse showed that 69% of new hires are more likely to remain in a company for 3 years if there is a well-structured onboarding program.
Starting a new job can be a stressful time for a lot of people, so having a structured plan can give employees a sense of structure and purpose, as well as help ease any feelings of anxiety and make your new hire feel at ease. Not to mention, it will lead to higher productivity levels, faster knowledge acquisition rates, and higher retention rates.
As you can see, making improvements to your employee onboarding process doesn’t need to be complicated, but taking some time to really have a think about how you want to structure it and putting the right steps in place can be one of the most important investments you make in your business.
Remember, onboarding a new employee does not just start on the first day. It starts well before your employee’s first day and should continue long afterwards as well.
If you are looking to engage a recruitment agency to help hire amazing people for your awesome company and you’d like to start with a chat, then call us today on (02) 8346 6700 and speak to one of our recruiters or send us an email to [email protected]
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