There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to hiring and piecing together the perfect team. However, to truly build great teams, you need to examine your onboarding process and provide everything your staff requires to succeed. Here are some of the top tips for onboarding and how they can benefit your organization.
Onboarding can begin before the employee steps foot in the building. Many companies make the mistake of piling everything on their new hire the day they walk through the front door. Instead, use the technology available to you and start interacting with new employees as soon as they accept your offer. You can begin communicating information about the role, send over paperwork, and introduce them to key members of the staff virtually via email. Some companies may also start adding them to communication platforms and getting them access to other company materials early on as well.
When a new staff member joins your team, there are a lot of “housekeeping” tasks that need to be taken care of. Get those things out of the way first, so they aren’t hung up in the process. Give them an introduction to your workspace, where the breakroom and restrooms are, and find the employee directory and other key information. You can get an idea of what information you should include during onboarding by asking your current team what they wish they’d known on their first day.
Build time for interacting with other employees and networking into your onboarding process. This will help them get to know their fellow coworkers and make them feel valued as individuals in your organization. Additionally, it will give them access to people with who they can communicate and ask for help should a problem arise.
Another good tip to implement in your onboarding process is involving more senior members of your staff. While getting to know their fellow employees is a great onboarding tool, giving them insight into who the company leaders are is a good idea too. Even if these individuals can make time to be part of the individual onboarding process, set up a one-on-one meeting with them and the new hire within a month of them starting. It decreases any intimidation there may be between higher-ups and new team members.
Ask your employees, both new and existing, what they thought of the onboarding process. This can give you key areas to improve on and an idea of what you’re doing well. For example, you may find that you can improve on training materials or be more welcoming during the onboarding process. With the feedback you receive, you can make changes and truly get onboarding right.
Another final tip for a successful onboarding process is to provide regular refresher training. When you invest time and money into training your team, it can help them keep their knowledge of the job updated. It also helps your staff truly understand their roles within the company. Again, this is a great thing to do for both new and old employees.
Getting help from a staffing agency can also help you with your hiring and onboarding processes as well. Contact Timpl to see how our team of professionals can assist your company.