The onboarding process starts the minute a potential new hire signs their employment contract. Every proceeding interaction influences how well they settle into their new role, how they perceive the company's consideration of their needs, career aspirations and well-being and whether or not they successfully integrate into the organizational culture and reach full productivity.
There are many ways companies get onboarding wrong, and it undoubtedly contributes to many failed employee-employer relationships. It's crucial, therefore, to get it right. With that said, below are 4 tips for successful employee onboarding.
Find a Good Contract Software
The onboarding process has become so integrated with many other business processes, including talent management, upskilling and learning and development, that it is crucial to have good contract software in place to help you. Not only does it help extract and manage the vital data that comes out of this important initial phase of employment, but it ensures that both parties, the new employee and the organization, know what is expected of them in terms of their duties towards the others and what they can expect to enjoy in the form of rights and consideration.
Once the contract has been signed, and the onboarding process has begun, employees may want access to their contract to double-check things like benefits, salary and vacation, and to plan out their career development so that they know what to expect and how to negotiate during performance reviews. Good contract management software makes the job of HR so much easier and helps maintain good employee-organization relationships.
Assign New Employees a Partner
The first few weeks and even months at a new job can be stressful, confusing and frustrating. In fact, it has been shown that up to a third of new employees will quit within the first 90 days. Often new workers are brought on during times of flux or particularly busy periods of the year. One of the biggest aids for a fresh employee is a veteran coworker who is able to help guide them during the transition into full productivity and also provide a lot of important cultural education.
A good rule of thumb is to have this partner or buddy relationship last for at least two months. This is the go-to person for any questions about processes, clarification and someone to help alleviate stress. It also gives new people a chance to build important interpersonal relationships on the team. New relationships, whether at work or anywhere else, are always easier when they are made through an established friendship or professional relationship.
Create as Much Standardized Content as Possible
Onboarding, to a certain extent, should be malleable enough that it can be customized to fit the needs of different employees with different professional backgrounds and levels of experience, but standardized content and procedures should make up the bulk of the process. This standardized material includes documents and permissions that employees need to access the software and hardware required for the job; a checklist of daily duties or activities; walkthrough and demos for the various programs and systems used, and, importantly, the cybersecurity best practices that the organization practices.
Organizations that subject new employees to a trial by fire or take a sink-or-swim approach to onboarding may find that some more experienced people are able to get themselves up to speed and navigate this period on their own. However, a significant number of people with a lot of talent and value to add are going to have their first impression be one of neglect and a lack of care. This is obviously not conducive to maximizing employee value or job satisfaction.
Introduce People to Key Employees
One of the fastest ways to make new employees feel welcome and part of the organization is to introduce them to key employees. Make sure you schedule these meetings in advance so as not to disrupt workflow, but absolutely have new hires get to know executives, team leaders, and the key people on teams that are upstream and downstream from their business function.
Even if the meeting is a remote one or involves an email exchange when face-to-face isn't feasible, it sends a strong message to new workers that they are part of the family. Being able to meet important employees also sends the message that even busy, high-performing people are accessible and communicates the value placed on camaraderie, equality and mutual respect.
Conclusion
A successful career starts with successful onboarding and integration into a particular role, team and organizational culture. Careful planning should go into this, as well as empathy and technology will make the contract management and data leveraging so much simpler. From utilizing a good contract software to assigning new workers buddies or a liaison to providing as much informative standardized content and make introductions with key people, all of it combines to create a high-functioning onboarding process.
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