Onboarding is a great buzz word from the Human Resources community. The problem is, the word has too many interpretations. Onboarding can be simply defined as the process by which you prepare a new employee to be successful. Therefore, your onboarding process is everything you do for a new employee in order to provide them with the necessary skills and knowledge to be a productive team member. This also includes assimilating him or her into your company culture.
Having an onboarding process allows your employees to adjust and be productive faster. They will adopt the culture to fit right in, understand the role to produce desired results, and engage in contributing to the company’s goals (as long as they are the right fit).
How long it lasts
The whole onboarding process spans from right after the job offer is accepted up until the new employee is considered (or should be considered) a fully productive team member. Now, the phrase “fully productive team member” leaves room for interpretation. Some believe its 90 days, while others believe it takes up to 2 years. Generally speaking, the process last 1 year.
Some of you may now be wondering what do for a full year or two with this new hire. Calm down! It gets easier the longer the employee is there. Just understand that the onboarding process is not just the first day or week on the job.
What to include
There are many variations to the onboarding process. The tasks within the process must be designed to fit the company culture, budget, and type of role. Remember, each task or little extra you can do for your new employee will make a big difference.
Before the first day:
Send all required new hire paperwork to be completed before they come in to work
Prepare desk, supplies, and computer access
Arrange a nice welcome at the desk (sign, note, gift, etc.)
Block manager’s time for the day to dedicate to the new hire
First day:
Have the Manager greet the new employee
Conduct an orientation
Schedule meet and greets with team members and others throughout the company
Provide a welcome lunch
Start training beyond a pile of reading material
First week – 90 days
Continue training
Periodically check on progress, fit, and concerns
Offer assistance to help the employee succeed
90 days
Perform an assessment to gauge progress as well as company and role fit
Set goals for improvement
Offer additional training and assistance where needed
90 days-1 year
Continue with periodic checks of progress, fit, and concerns
Offer additional training and assistance where needed
Express importance of asking for help and expressing concern
Celebrate the 1 year anniversary
Considering the 90 days-1 year timeframe as part of the onboarding process prevents the new employee from slipping through the cracks and possibly leaving. It gives attention to this employee to ensure they are performing at the best level as quickly as possible.
The first day, step by step
It is crucial to set new hires up for success from day one. If done right, the new hire will quickly become more comfortable, knowledgeable, and most importantly a productive member of the team. But how can a small business do that? The answer is by creating a personalized, positive, and informative first day.
1. Block off the Manager’s Schedule
The manager must dedicate a large portion of the day to the new employee. It will show that the manager cares and is committed to their success. A great way to begin is to have the manager greet the new employee at the start of their day. In absence of an HR department, the manager will also be completing the remaining tasks on this list.
2. Communicate new hire paperwork requirements BEFORE the first day
You must ensure all required paperwork is completed on the first day. In order for the new employee to be prepared, it is important to communicate all requirements before that first day. This includes any documents that they must bring such as a valid ID, social security card, passport, etc.
3. Verify the workstation is ready and all needed access is granted BEFORE the first day
New employees can get easily discouraged if they feel the company was not prepared for their arrival. Don’t allow your new employee to come into an empty space! Be sure the workstation is set up and all needed systems can be accessed.
4. Add a welcome surprise to the workstation
Let your imagination, culture, and budget be your guide here. Just a welcome sign will do, but anything that is unique to your company can make it extra special.
5. Provide a brief “orientation” and review job details
Small businesses generally do not have a large amount of employees starting on the same day. Therefore, sitting in a formal 1-2 day orientation is not practical. If your company is like many other small businesses, a less formal orientation works best. The orientation can be as informal as the manager discussing the company background, its clients, and the employee’s role. If you want to be a bit more formal, you can use a video or PowerPoint presentation to also discuss key policies, rules, and regulations. The format and detail of the orientation is up to you. The point here is to provide some company and job information to the new employee.
6. Conduct a tour and meet and greet
It is so important for a new employee to be acquainted with his/her surroundings and coworkers. A tour around the office and a meet and greet with other employees is a great way to build the employee’s comfort level. You can start by just meeting key team members, but it is important to introduce the new hire to as many people as possible.
7. Buy them lunch
Whether you go out, or bring in does not matter. The goal here is to celebrate the new employee’s arrival.
8. Don’t leave them hanging, start training on job duties
There is no argument that training is important. However, training is not asking a new employee to sit at their desk and read a manual. Although the company does not have to give a formal training session, it is important to provide some sort of guidance. A walk through of systems or important processes is a good start.
9. Encourage questions and expressed concerns
Some employees may have tons of questions or concerns while others may have none. It is important to recognize that an employee may not be comfortable asking questions or expressing concerns out of fear. To help, you can encourage questions or expressed concerns by being upfront. Tell them, “I want you to ask questions or let me know if you have any concerns throughout the day”.
10. Give a plan for day 2
A lot of information was thrown at the new employee on the first day. Ending the day with a plan for tomorrow can put the employee at ease.
If these 10 steps are completed with sincerity and personal attention, the newest employee will have a personalized, positive, and informative first day. This will make a tremendous difference to a new hire and place them on a quick path to becoming a successful team member.
Scrap the orientation presentation
Most likely your new hire orientation presentation is boring! Don’t feel bad, the majority are boring, and others are dreadfully boring! Why bother if no one is going to pay attention? Scrap it! Create a video production instead! It is important to keep your audience engaged for the majority of your presentation. Many managers and HR reps work hard to grab and keep each employee’s attention. Even in a very small setting. Why not try something different? Create a video and press play! Creating a production instead of a PowerPoint Presentation will give your new hire something fun and different to watch. This will keep them as engaged in the content as possible. In the long run, it saves time and energy . It also allows these topics to be discussed on the first day , rather than a week to a month after the first day (when a few new hires are scheduled together). What are the downsides? Videos require a bit more planning and time. However, like every other quality product, it takes time to create something great. Don’t worry about how you are actually going to record everything. There are plenty of applications out there that can help you record video, add visuals, and add music. When you are finished, it will be easy to hit play, allow the employee time to watch, and check back periodically. You will be happy you made the switch! What should be included in your orientation video and how do you make it interesting? Use your company culture and featured individuals’ personalities to create the video’s tone. It is critical to add your company’s special style. Remember, you want the employees to remain engaged, so keep it interesting. Switching up formats is also great. This can include messages from employees, role playing, office tours, old photos about company history, charts and other visual aids, etc. These changes to the format will keep the video moving along. You can start the video with a welcome message from the founder(s). This will do two important things. It will give a face to a name and show that the founder(s) care. Your next section can explain company history with role playing and old photos. Anything to get the message across in a fun way can help. To provide more company information, try using visuals such as charts for organizational structure, market share, revenue, etc. Have fun with this as well. Now for the most boring part of the whole thing, key company policies and regulations. To make it interesting, use role playing to explain key company policies. For example, show the dress code dos and don’ts. This is your video, so be creative!