It takes a lot of time and resources to recruit candidates for a position, conduct interviews and background checks, and finally extend an offer. For too many businesses, that is where the hard work stops because management doesn’t understand the importance of an excellent employee onboarding experience. Unfortunately, a poor experience can lead to reduced productivity, fast turnover, and negativity among members of the same department. Below are some ideas for how to do employee onboarding right, so the entire company can reap the benefits.
Take Time with New Employee Introductions
It’s important that others in the department know a new person will be starting well before his or her first day. After a job candidate accepts an offer, a human resources representative should reach out with an email asking for a biography no longer than a few paragraphs. This information should go into an internal employee communication, such as a newsletter or email.
On the day the new employee starts, his or her manager should go around and make introductions with every other person in the department. Having the employee and others in the department fill in some short icebreaker questions in advance can help to reduce awkwardness and facilitate conversations between new co-workers.
Schedule Time for the New Employee to Meet with Department Managers and the CEO
It can be overwhelming as a new employee to come into a company and understand its organizational structure. One way to bypass this is to schedule a short introductory session with each department manager in the area whose work has a direct impact on the department the new employee was hired to represent. This provides insight into the functions of each department and stresses the importance of working together.
If time permits, the CEO should also sit down with each new employee to explain the history and values of the company. This helps new people to connect to a bigger purpose as early in their career with the company as possible.
Assign Someone the Task of Checking in with the New Employee Regularly
When employees who seemed so promising during the interview process don’t make it past the first 90 days, it can come as a shock to everyone involved. Because the first three months are crucial to the employee’s success and satisfaction with the job, one person needs to act as a mentor to answer the new employee’s questions and help him or her obtain necessary resources. New hires sometimes feel hesitant to speak up for fear of looking unqualified for the position or bothering others.
Be Sure to Have the Proper Paperwork Ready
Of course, the new employee will also need to take care of several housekeeping tasks such as completing the W4 and I9 form and obtain information about company benefits. Having this information ready when he or she arrives will make the first day go much more smoothly.
Have additional questions about employee onboarding? Palmetto Payroll handles this and several other functions for small businesses in South Carolina. We look forward to your inquiry.
