Why You Need an Onboarding Process

Making the decision to hire a new employee takes a lot of time and consideration. You have to determine what skills you’re looking for, how much you’re willing to pay, where they’re going to work, what type of benefits you are going to offer, and so much more. After all that time and preparation, you can still end up hiring a bad candidate, which is exactly why you need an onboarding process.

Having an onboarding process can help you determine if a candidate is right for the job. With an onboarding process in place, you can better engage with new hire, and create schedules for employee reviews. The onboarding process will help new hires better acclimate to their new work environment and in turn create a better work culture.

Onboarding is Cost Effective

No one likes to make a bad hire, but it happens from time to time. An onboarding process can help you in this situation a few ways. Through this process, you can determine early on if an employee is going to be a great fit. Rather than investing a few months’ worth of salary in a new hire, your engaging onboarding process, will help you determine if the new hire is a good fit. Another way you can save money is by having set plans in place. When you have set plans in place, each hire will go through the exact same steps, which means the process will become easier for you over time.

Onboarding Allows for Employee Engagement

Employee onboarding paperworkOne of the crucial steps often overlooked when a new hire starts is engagement. This step in the onboarding process goes beyond filling out paperwork and showing them to their desk. It involves making sure you’re prepared for them, helping them settle in, and introducing them to people in the office. By engaging employees during this process, you can help make them more comfortable in their new work environments. Check in with them a couple of time during their first day, and continue to check in with employees after 90 days.Employee Engagement

Onboarding Helps Create Culture

It’s no secret that company culture is hot topic these days, but many don’t understand that it’s really a result of the onboarding process because when you help ease people into your company, they can more easily become part of your culture. When they are comfortable, they can expand your culture, transform it, and even improve upon it, which will result in a better work place and create happier workers.

What does your onboarding process look like? Do you have any advice about onboarding new hires? Leave your suggestions in the comments below!

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4 Ways to Make Your Employee Onboarding Successful

Whether you want to admit it or accept it, your company has an employee onboarding process. While this process looks completely different from company to company, it is important for every company (no matter how large or small) to nurture and define their employee onboarding process. So how do you make sure your new hire onboarding process is going to be successful?

It really isn’t as complicated as it may sound. In fact, following four rules when it comes to onboarding can help increase your employee retention, improve your employee engagement, and boost office moral.

Here are four ways you can make your employee onboarding successful:

1. Prepare for the new hire.

When the new hire starts, you need to be there and ready with all the necessary forms and paperwork they need to fill out. Instead of waiting until you meet with the new hire to print off any forms they need to fill out, have that ready to go so they aren’t waiting on you. Anything you can do ahead of time is going to make the entire onboarding process go smoother and it’s going to let the new hire feel like you are excited and ready for them to start.

2. Be open and honest with the new hire.

When it comes to letting a new hire know what is expected of them, it’s crucial that you are open and honest. This part of the onboarding process actually needs to start long before you hire. You might consider writing a description of job duties and expectations for them. When you advertise a job opening, make sure you detail the job and inform potential candidates of what will be expected. But more than that, you need to make sure the expectations you have for the new hire align with the information you gave candidates at the beginning of the process.

3. Establish a calendar.

You may think the onboarding process starts with morning coffee and ends at the end of the first day, but the onboarding process can (and should) take months to fully complete. Your calendar should change depending on the role and how much direct contact you will have with the employee, but as a rule of thumb, you should establish a calendar that allows you to check in with the new hire. You need to at least check in at 90 days, 6 months, and 1 year, but you may want to check in even more often. No matter how you choose to establish your calendar, just be sure you share it with the new hire.

4. Explain the company culture in as much detail as possible.

When a new employee starts, you have to keep in mind that they are going to be nervous and have lots of questions. As the person walking them through the process, it’s your job to give them insights and details into the company culture. Introduce them to the people they will be working with, show them around the office, and help them establish their role and fit into the culture.

Your employee onboarding process is crucial to the success of your company and your employee retention. When you have a well-established process, you can more successfully engage and retain the people you are hiring.

What questions about onboarding do you have? How can we help you become at engaging with your employees? Leave your questions and stories in the comments section below!

 

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