Are you planning to make changes in your onboarding process? No employee deserves to arrive excited at the new workplace only to find no one waiting for them or, even worse, come across a locked door. Consequently, one’s excitement will immediately turn into frustration and stress.
Employers should invest their best efforts to make the onboarding journey of employees a real treat from the moment they accept the job position. Newcomers should be socialized promptly, as such practices increase the rates of retention.
The detailed guide below will introduce you to the main onboarding phases.
Pre-onboarding
The initial phase of employee onboarding is called pre-onboarding. It commences from the moment a candidate accepts a job offer till their first working day. During this phase, it’s vital for the future employer to keep in touch with its future employees regularly and to provide them with a reason to feel excited about their new job role. Check out twelve ways to make new employees feel welcome.
The greatest risk throughout the phase of pre-onboarding is for the new employee to lose the feeling of eagerness and excitement related to the start of the new job. A person might become less excited and eager when the notice periods are longer than usual, such as several months. Employers are suggested to send welcome packages to new hires full of branded items, such as branded mugs, T-shirts, etc.
Apart from sending new hires a welcome package, company managers are expected to communicate with future employees as much as possible by sending them company news updates, introducing them to the projects they will be joining, and most importantly, sharing the steps of the onboarding process. Another vital aspect of the pre-onboarding phase is for employers to encourage socialization.
Most new hires feel stressed about meeting so many new people on their first day at work because of being unable to remember all their names and faces. Therefore, by inviting new employees to team lunches or corporate events prior to their first day, they will be able to meet most of their future colleagues in a more casual setting. On the first day, they will be greeted by faces they know.
Welcoming new employees
The second phase of the onboarding process is welcoming new hires and helping them adjust to their new workplace. They should be provided with onboarding packages to make them feel valued and welcome. Besides the standard items included in onboarding packages, you should include an information sheet, an agenda for the first day/week, information about the mission, vision, and culture of your company, a personal welcoming message from the CEO, etc.
Even though some employees prefer sending a welcome package to new hires in the pre-onboarding process, others give such packages to new staff members on their first day. There are numerous informative blogs, such as the Teamly blog, providing leadership, teamwork, productivity, culture, and project management and articles. Such articles can teach you what items to put in welcome packages, including key chains, clothing items, company products, a champagne bottle, etc.
Another way to make employees feel welcome is by scheduling coffee dates with different staff members on behalf of new hires. Although it’s crucial for newcomers to get to know the other members of their department, they should meet people from other departments as well. For instance, introducing a mentorship program is likely to make relationships between employees deeper.
Moreover, sending a welcome email is another way to inform everyone at the company of the presence of a new hire. Make sure newcomers have a photo taken in front of the sign or logo of your business. Consequently, all team members will have matching photos on LinkedIn. Also, the workspace of newly employed people should be set up with a desk, computer, and all the tools they need. Do not forget to ask them questions about any special items they might want or need.
Training
The training phase is crucial for the future success of employees, as it has an impact on how well they acquire their new roles. The training program should be meaningful, comprehensive, but not too complicated and overwhelming for staff members. Employers should identify the task and procedures newcomers should know and identify the person who will conduct the training. Follow this link, https://www.wikihow.com/Train-New-Employees, to see four ways to train new employees.
Assigning a mentor to each hire is recommended over assigning one person to train all workers in every skill. Prior to the training, make sure every recent member of the personnel is provided with resources and supplies in order to accomplish their tasks. The ultimate step would be checking for understanding to see if individuals understood the material or they need more training.
Transition
The ultimate phase of the employee onboarding process is facilitating the transition of individuals into their new roles. Employers should keep checking whether their employees are happy and satisfied with their performance. Asking for feedback on their onboarding journey will provide you with useful insight on how to optimize this process for future hires.
In addition, career guides are informative and are of great importance to newcomers. These guides inform them about the competencies and training they will need to move up the corporate ladder. Read here about the meaning of the corporate ladder. Workers can only be motivated and satisfied by knowing which steps to take to move forward in their careers. Make sure the promotion process is loud and clear for employees to take a proactive approach on their path to success.
The transition process shouldn’t be hasty, as every individual requires enough time to adapt to the new environment. Some companies facilitate the transition by outlining a ninety-day onboarding process for newcomers, which provides them with sufficient time to adapt and acquire their roles.
To sum up
Individuals who receive a warm welcome into an organization feel appreciated and respected.
Every business should invest in a better onboarding process!
