Those very first days of starting a new company or role can be the most telling, as far as first impressions, so whether you’re the new employee or the employer, you’re going to want it to be amazing. Speaking from my experience, those initial impressions go on to make lasting impacts – both positive and negative and can shape long term commitments… and I’ve seen so many people get it totally wrong!
So, what does it take to create a warm, welcoming and supportive onboarding processes? In this week’s blog I’ll be looking at some practical considerations for creating a successful onboarding process for all recruits.
Communication is everything – I say this a lot and that’s because when it comes to your people it’s about getting the foundations rights. When communication channels are clear, concise, and consistent it allows for more open conversations to occur. My top tip: using a checklist for your onboarding process can help avoid you missing any information that’s needed (and there’s usually a LOT!) – if you’re in our subscribed membership we have everything you need for a slick process on the platform.
Consider using technology to automate your processes – Using an online system not only saves time but can tick off things like compliance and GDPR too! It also gives you an opportunity to see what is being accessed and if all the relevant requirements are being read and understood.
Top tip: the first few days of a new hire are crucial, have a plan for their time, include key people they’ll need to meet/work with, any courses/material they’ll need to read etc. All too many times have I felt (or witnessed others feeling) like a spare part or in the way. Companies who haven’t really organised things for the new employee and they end up sat on their own for hours or just shoved into a corner to read a load of paperwork – put effort into creating a warm and engaging first few days/weeks/months for an employee.
No detail is too small – Whether it’s communicating dress code, restaurant opening times, transport routes, or a welcoming email introducing them to the team, do them all.
Computer says no! – Is there anything more frustrating than starting a new role and not having access to the systems you need? It is one of the biggest peeves I have, as someone who likes to have ALL the info, not being able to access what I need to complete tasks is more than annoying and when it comes to onboarding, it also comes out on top of surveys with new recruits too! Get your access and passwords sorted out for your new recruits!
The first few weeks are an opportunity to build that trust and confidence for sustaining a long term 2 way relationship. You want the employee to impress you and work hard for you but equally you have to impress the employee and get them bought in to the company from the start… it’s often the simple, little things that are really the big things! Remember that 😉
