How to onboard employees like a pro?

For this week, we will be talking about how to make the onboarding process seamless for your employees.

Hey there!

Autumn is just next door and the new season always calls up new opportunities. So, why not amp up your employee onboarding? In this edition, we will be talking about how you can improve your employee onboarding experience and help them retain in your organization. As we bring this edition to you, we would love to hear your valuable feedback via mail. Drop us a note at bulletin@acadle.com

We have all seen employees joining for a month or two and leaving abruptly. Also, employees leave after six months or so. This leads to excessive cost consumption for employee onboarding.  When looked closely, employee onboarding also plays an important role in retaining employees. As 93% of the employees feel their onboarding process plays an important role in whether they want to stay in the company or not. (shortlister.com)

Depending upon the organization, employee onboarding can last from 1 week to 90 days. The whole process comprises closing all the formal documents, introducing employees, and extending all the resources important to work done within this period.

Also, we all have been introduced to the hybrid mode of learning amidst or after the pandemic. Due to the change in the workplace environment, onboarding a new employee has also become a task. It has become difficult to give a personal experience to the employees and help them adjust. So, let us see how you can provide your employees with an excellent onboarding experience!

Things to remember for a personalized onboarding experience

1.     Don’t wait to sign the documents:

There are many things happening between accepting the offer and signing the documents. The foundation of your employee onboarding lies in the days between the days an employee accepts the offer letter and he signs the formal documentation.  It may include the following steps:

·       Feed important information like bank details, training and qualifications.

·       The option to read and confirm the documents

·       Study the overview of the organization

·       General information about the office environment

·       Share the internal channels for all the social media channels.

If you utilize an online learning system such as a Learning management system (LMS), you can give access to the resources to the employee on the day of joining. The employee can learn about the office’s environment or policies with self-paced learning. So, before joining the office he/she will be aware of the environment he can anticipate.

2.     Always prioritize the employee’s experience:

During your employee onboarding, your employee experience should be your utmost priority.  It is also important that you make your employees comfortable, which can be aided with the help of different methods like:

·       You can share your employee success stories

·       Arrange formal and informal meetings with colleagues

·        Introducing the team so the employee can have team lunch on the first day.

3.     Keep the process simple:

Every employee has their own pace or process to adjust to a new working environment. Make sure the employee onboarding process is not complex and the employee does not feel overwhelmed with all the formal procedures he has to go through.   Every step of your onboarding process should benefit you or the employee and ideally, it should be both of you.      

These were some important things that you should always keep in mind while onboarding your new employee! But what should be designated tasks that one must follow?

I have prepared a list of steps that needed to be followed to have a seamless onboarding experience for the employees.

Let’s see the steps to perfect employee onboarding!

1.     Review employee exit interviews:

Before you onboard a new employee, it is important that you review your old employee’s forms and suggestions they had for the position. Search for patterns in each employee's exit form and try to make your process better or make any sort of improvements.

2.     Preparation before the first day:

Before you board any employee, ensure you have all the paperwork prepared.  You can start organizing tax forms, employee contracts or handbooks. Arrange all the resources needed for a perfect workstation.

3.     Outline your goals:

Set defined goals in a definite time period for your employees to ease the tasks.  Outlining the goals will help in making the employee’s jobs easier and they will know what they have to do in the organization.

4.     Establish good communication with the new employee:

Once you hire a new employee it is important that you establish communication with them so that you can know their requirements. It becomes more essential when the employee is leaving another job as they will not be able to join immediately.

5.     Use onboarding software:

An employee onboarding software will help your organization with seamless onboarding. The software will enable the employees to give every piece of information they need to know beforehand. Plus, it’s not boring! With the features like gamification, live chat and interactive learning the training has become much more enjoyable. Other than utilizing the software, you can also automate the processes that you can like giving them access to weekly newsletters.

6.     Prepare your existing employees:

For a good onboarding process, it is important that your existing employees also participate in the process equally. They should make the new employee comfortable and contribute to making his/her life easier in the new workplace.

7.     Prepare a schedule for them:

Create their personal itinerary for the first few days. Ask your HR department to do so. It will help them adjust to the new environment easily.

8.     Ask questions and listen

The most important thing to do is to ask questions about how your new employee feels about the onboarding process. You can ask for their suggestions and also any improvements they want on the go. Review meetings are one essential part of the process!

No one expects you to hold a banner to welcome the new employee! But a sensible onboarding process to help them understand the environment.

Onboarding a new employee is like welcoming a new member to your family formally. For retaining the employee or wanting him to stick with your organization it is important that you provide a comfortable environment for them.

I hope this edition helped you and will guide you to onboard like a pro!

For more, you can our website and share this bulletin with your friends https://bulletin.acadle.com