The failure to integrate a proper onboarding process is one of the most common mistakes that employers make, as well as being one of the most detrimental to retention. The onboarding process sets the stage for success for a new employee, giving them confidence in what is always a stressful situation. Onboarding should always begin immediately with a "Day One" orientation.
Some best practices in orientation are:
- Arrange for the employee to meet the owner or general manager. This ensures the owner meets each new employee when they first start and gives the new employee the feeling they are valued as a member of the organization.
- Introduce the new hire to a contact in human resources so they know who to go to with questions on payroll, vacation, and other related issues.
- Assign them a “buddy” or mentor whom they can go to for answers to questions that may arise. Do a personal “walk around” the workplace, introducing them to their co-workers.
- Ensure that they have a written job description and sit down and review that job description with them.
- Your organization should already have an Employee Handbook in place. If not, this is a good reminder that you should have one. Speak to your HR department about developing one if you don't already have it. They are very useful in answering frequently asked questions and ensuring company policies are fully understood.
Having a comprehensive Day One orientation starts a new employee off on the right foot and helps set them up for success, but you also need a 30-day check-in to ensure things are on-track for them. Some best practices for that check-in are:
- Speak with their assigned “buddy” or mentor and see what they have to say. Find out how your new employee has been adjusting, what questions they have been asking. See if there are any questions or concerns that have arisen that you should step in and answer.
- Be sure to set up the 30-day discussion with your employee at least a day or two ahead of time. That gives the employee time to prepare for the discussion and think about what they may want to bring up.
- Give them feedback on how they are doing – if there are any developing habits that are of concern, you are much better off to address them right away. End the conversation by asking what you can do personally as their manager to help them be successful in their role.
Information provided by Greg Settle, TechForce Foundation
