Onboarding a New Team Member? Here’s What You Need to Know
The pandemic has shaken all the companies around the world. Focusing on strategies to control the present situation is the top priority of most companies. However, the companies who want to come out of the crisis as a victor and continue leading the industry in the future are still hiring talented employees. If you are onboarding new employees, you must arrange a seamless hiring process. Proper communication, showing empathy, giving freedom, and putting your new employees in the right teams can help you attract the best talent and stay ahead of your competitors. Keep reading to find five actionable tips so you can get onboard the right people for your team.
1. A Warm Welcome
Making your new employees feel at home is the most important thing. Remember that you are hiring an asset. You have to ensure that you build a connection that lasts for years, not for months. Think about the first job you did; you were very overwhelmed and worried on the first day, right?
If you make your employees go through the same trouble, you are not doing anything good for your organization.
Send the documentation to your employee before they join your team. On the day of joining, decorate their desk or give them a round of applause so they can blend in with the environment. Tell them about your company’s goals, your organizational ethics, and focus on how you want your employees to reach their full potential. And try to make the first working day short, let them rejoin you with a clear mind the next day!
2. Set-up The Desktop
Your new employees will be spending most of the time on their computers. Ensuring that their desktop is ready for work is an important part of the onboarding process. When you set up all the tools on the first day of the job, tell them where to log in to report their daily tasks and how to communicate with your team, it shows them that your company is serious about what it’s doing.
Some companies think that they have hired smart people to figure out the cybersecurity essentials on their own. This is a grave mistake that can put your company at stake. You should plan things like account creation, authorizing access to sensitive files beforehand. You can also encrypt their internet connection with a VPN as it is one of the best cybersecurity practices.
3. An Achievable Plan
If you trap your new employees within their desks doing tedious tasks, they will start doubting their decision of joining your company. Don’t give yourself the wrong idea that your newly-hired people can complete all the pending tasks on a whim.
Remember: You have to build a long-term relationship with your employees, and therefore, you should focus on engagement and communication instead of forcing them to do things.
Give them the right guidelines but don’t put a heavy workload on them. Make them understand the needs of their position and how they should approach the tasks their team lead assigns them. Follow these tips to give them the right working plan:
- Give them easy goals at the beginning.
- Arrange regular meetings with them.
- Introduce them to the right resources.
4. The Environment
If you want to stay one step ahead of your competitors and become the thought-leader of your industry, you should hire thinkers instead of people doing repetitive tasks. But training your employees to think and execute properly isn’t a pipedream.
Guidance, enthusiasm, teamwork, and motivation go hand in hand to build the right mindset in your new employees. Your employees should feel that the company is willing to see them grow. They should clearly understand that they can do work and have fun in your office at the same time. Give them breaks, reevaluate the working hires, fulfill their needs to make the right working environment.
5. Get Feedback
If you value your employees and prioritize the work ethic, you want to ensure that your employees enjoy their time working for you. But your new employees might not feel the same. That’s where the importance of getting proper feedback kicks in!
You should plan a cycle of getting constant feedback from your new employees. Asking them about their experience in your company can help you measure the outcome of your efforts to employ the best onboarding process in your company. In the engagement survey, ask your employees if they felt welcomed, found proper guidance from coworkers, and whether they like working in the company or not. Don’t shy away from the fear of getting harsh responses. The honest feedback can ensure that you weed out the problems in the hiring process.
6. Conclusion
Your onboarding process makes you dominant in the industry and helps you attract the best people. Welcome the newcomers, organize their desktop, set realistic goals, give them the right guidance and get feedback about your efforts. And don’t forget about assessing your current onboarding strategy and take time to implement your new plan. Happy hiring!