Congratulations! You’ve hired a new employee! Time to sit back, relax, and get back to work right? Wrong!
Hiring is simply the first step in a long list of important items to consider during your onboarding process. Onboarding doesn’t end after the first week of orientation and training.
Employees are each business’ most valuable asset. In order to continue to hire top tier talent and keep employee retention rates high, start by proactively engaging your employees before they even set foot in the office. To maximize engagement with new employees, follow these 10 tips when onboarding.
Eliminate First-day Paperwork
Getting your new employees’ paperwork complete before they start their first day in the office is a great way to free up time so you can start engaging them right away. This will help you and your new employee(s) feel more prepared for their first week.
Create an Itinerary
Make sure the schedule for the first day is very clear. Include detailed introductions, information around tours, meetings, and a brief team summary at the beginning of the day (preferably over email a day or two before their first day) so the employee can develop a clear-cut idea of what to expect and prepare accordingly. This will also minimize the stress for your team if this new hire process becomes the standard.
Meaningful Introductions
Remember how hard it was being the new kid in school? Make sure your new employee is adequately and appropriately introduced to other employees, including leadership, potential mentors or trainers, and especially their new team. To prepare, provide each new hire a current staff directory or organization chart so they can see who works in each department, who the managers are, and who they will be working with directly (and indirectly).
Give an Office Tour
A tour is a great excuse to make introductions are office/worksite tours. Take your employee(s) around to introduce to others, explain functions of different areas or departments, and acclimate them to where they will be working.
Connect on Social Media
Depending on your company brand, it can be a good idea to involve each new employee with your company’s social media. Having new employees engage on the various social media platforms can be a great way to help boost the company brand and encourage new likes and followers through the new employee’s personal and professional contacts.
Set Expectations
Encourage managers and supervisors to schedule a formal meeting during onboarding to set expectations and share company best practices. New employees will gain a strong sense of their day-to-day responsibilities, long-term goals, and any additional tasks or duties not originally outlined. This is also a great way for a manager and new employee to get to know one another and develop a healthy working relationship.
Establish Open-door Policy
Ensure managers of new employees maintain an open-door policy to maximize accessibility and clear communication, especially during those first few weeks. Speaking from experience, no new employee likes having to constantly knock on their manager’s door to ask questions—being available and willing to talk will make this part of the process much easier.
Start a Mentor Program
Many companies implement a “buddy” program to help ease the transition of new employees. This is a great way to offer existing employees an opportunity to shadow a seasoned employee in a leadership role, as well as give new employees a support system to expedite their transition into their new role. A mentor program can also alleviate unnecessary pressure on management. For example, if new employees have a go-to person to answer simple questions without having to bog down their supervisor with clerical or administrative questions, the employee will quickly begin to feel more comfortable.
Involving New Employees
Start involving new employees by giving them at least one simple task every day of the first week pertaining to their role. These tasks should be easy and accessible enough for them to check off their list providing a sense of productivity and the feeling that they are contributing right away. Early-stage involvement can help new employees feel valued and eager to come back with more confidence as the week goes on. The momentum that this creates will carry on well past that first week, and give employees more to look forward to as their career continues with your company.
Collect Feedback
It is vital to gather feedback both current and new employees. Collecting suggestions and criticisms regarding the onboarding process will help employees feel heard and improve the organization’s long-term retention rates.
This engagement process is an important investment of your company’s time; if your employees aren’t feeling engaged and valued from day one, chances are they won’t be there for the long haul. It’s in your best interest to cultivate meaningful engagement during your company’s onboarding process in order to experience long-term success through your employees. Consider distributing a brief survey for your new employees at the end of the first week to gauge their progress and improve your onboarding process for future employees.
Trust The AccessPoint HR Management Team
Are you and your management team feeling overwhelmed with HR related initiatives like new employee engagement? Give our team of experts a call and see if AccessPoint can help your company grow with confidence.
Disclaimer: Our firm provides the information in this blog for general guidance only, and does not constitute the provision of legal advice, tax advice, accounting services, investment advice, or professional consulting of any kind. The information provided herein should not be used as a substitute for consultation with professional tax, accounting, legal, or other competent advisers. Before making any decision or taking any action, you should consult a professional adviser who has been provided with all pertinent facts relevant to your situation. Tax articles in this blog are not intended to be used, and cannot be used by any taxpayer, for avoiding accuracy-related penalties that may be imposed on the taxpayer. The information is provided “as is,” with no assurance or guarantee of completeness, accuracy, or timeliness of the information, and without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of performance, merchantability, and fitness for a purpose.