Tips for Onboarding New Employees
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An employee’s first day and the onboarding process at the office is a pretty big day, for everyone involved. The company has invested a lot of time, energy, and money into finding this employee, and wants to get them off to the right start. The employee, on the other hand, is jumping headfirst into a new culture and environment and is eager to prove themself and start adding value to their new employer.
Hopefully, it’s the start of a mutually beneficial relationship. But how you handle that first day could determine whether your new employee is able to hit the ground running. Otherwise, they’ll stumble with a rocky start. If the onboarding process is bad enough, your new employee may even start thinking that this job choice was a mistake; that turnover could prove very costly to you.
Here are some of our best onboarding tips for setting everyone up for success.
Be prepared.
One thing’s for sure, you don’t want your new employees sitting around twiddling their thumbs while you scramble to pull together an employee handbook, a tax form, and a mouse for their computer. Be prepared! Have copies (printed and digital) of all necessary forms, and anticipate questions your employee might have about filling them out. Have any internal training documents (like a handbook or policy sheet) ready to go as well. Make sure you’ve created a space for the new arrival, with all the right equipment accounted for, and an Internet connection ready to go. Be sure to set them up with logins they’ll need to access company information. This level of preparation won’t only keep things running smoothly, but it’ll show your employees that you were as ready for them as they were for you.
Make introductions.
Don’t introduce your new employee to “the team” and call it good. Make individual introductions, pointing out who the employee will be working with directly. Make a big deal out of their first day: announce it in your morning meeting, take everyone out to lunch, or set up a happy hour get-together after work. Give them plenty of opportunity to start building relationships with the rest of your workforce.
Be (super) clear.
If you don’t want your employee to leave their first day feeling confused and overwhelmed, then you need to be abundantly clear with them from the start. What company policies do they need to be aware of? What are their primary responsibilities? Who do they report to? Who should they ask when having questions? Knowing things like this will help an employee feel empowered, rather than lost. You could even consider assigning a mentor to your new employees.
Give a tour.
Remember, your new employee doesn’t know their way around the office yet. Take a few minutes to give them a thorough tour. Break rooms, restrooms, conference rooms, copy rooms, mail rooms, and so on. They’ll be grateful that you took the time to show them around.
Check in regularly.
Onboarding isn’t “done” after day one. You’ll want to check in regularly with your new employee and ask how they’re doing and what questions they have for you. They will feel valued, rather than feel a number being pushed through the system.
Treat your new employee how you want to be treated on your first day. Set your new employees up for social, professional, and personal success on their first day, and you’ll be well on your way to a strong relationship that will benefit everyone involved.
For help finding the right IT, EDI, or Healthcare/Admin talent, contact EDI Staffing. Our experienced team can help bring you qualified talent to meet your specific needs and simplify the overall hiring process, saving you time and energy.
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