Recruitment, onboarding and induction are a critical part of the employee experience and integrating new hires.
To successfully bring on a new hire who fits your company culture and the experiences you seek, requires that little bit extra.
Have you ever employed the best person for the role, and after they started their first week you’ve seen them become disengaged, they don’t collaborate with the team, and it’s like they didn’t ‘get’ the company culture at all?
We’ve all been there.
We’ve recruited someone with great potential, but saw our onboarding and induction program fall short. Neglecting our new hire, resulting in them stumbling, losing confidence and crashing out of the company.
Leaving you to go through the whole process again. Dreading the potential of hiring someone new, full of potential who leaves just as quick as they came. Now is the time to ensure you get your onboarding (and induction) right.
Let’s assume your recruitment is working and produced the right fit for the job. You know that your candidates need support and encouragement to become the best they can be, and the way to support our new hires is through a polished onboarding and induction program.
Onboarding and induction are like the ramp your candidate needs as they “jump onto your ship” and into your company – it’s either stable and smooth and they end up integrating safely into your company, or it’s rough and shaky and the whole thing collapse leaving them to sooner or later crash out of your company.
So, what does it take?
1). Recruitment – The wrong person will never succeed
Hiring right. Every time.
No matter how much effort you put into a new hire – be it onboarding, induction or training programs – if you bring the wrong person into the fold, they will not succeed.
Hiring right is the magic we all need to get the best people jumping on board with us. The people you bring on to your team must be the right cultural fit for smooth sailing and have the right technical skills to get the job done.
How do you bring in the right person?
It’s about ensuring you have the right tools throughout the entire recruitment process to help you identify cultural fit, the experiences and skills your candidate brings to your team, and you are confident they align to the company’s future vision and aspirations.
2). Onboarding – Effective onboarding breeds success
Onboarding is a critical success tool.Getting it right ensures your new hire feels part of the team in the lead up to their first day. You can use technology to make the process modern and efficient. Move away from paper-based forms and contracts. The snappier and smoother you make it, the more you can ensure your new hire doesn’t get poached by a competitor as they wait for your paper trail to arrive via snail mail.
But what should a successful, modern and snappy onboarding include?
What to Include In Onboarding:
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Let them know you’re ready:
this helps them hit the ground running. Inform them that on Day One that all the systems and technology they need to succeed will be ready at the right time – be it their IT login, company car, uniforms, or anything they require to do their role successfully. Not only does it help them understand what to expect, but it also places positive pressure on them to be productive and focused on their role straight away.
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Inform all stakeholders in the company about your new hire:
Ask them how’d they like to be involved in welcoming and supporting the new hire into the company.
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All tech systems ready to go:
On top of having all the tech and systems ready to go, help reduce first-day jitters by giving clarity on what they can expect on their first day and week. Have their direct supervisor and team prepare the priorities, this can include having the first-week calendar for meetings with key stakeholders and company leaders, and outlining core training sessions and induction schedules. Be clear with your new hire and provide a clear agenda from Day One. Help give them clarity and show you are prepared to welcome and support them now and into the future.
- Ask them. Show that you care!
You’ve gone through the formal onboarding process, but does Daniel prefer to be called Dan? Can these preferences be included on business cards, email signatures and their company files? Help your new hire feel part of the team by informing their colleagues of key personal preferences before they even start. -
Make a small gesture.
These go a long way to breaking the ice and building an immediate connection with team members. Can you set up their desk beyond the basics? This can be as simple as having a notepad, new pens, a welcome card and post-it notes set up neatly on their desk. Maybe you can go that bit further by preparing a company coffee mug ready for their first team morning meeting. Perhaps yourself and a friendly face from the interview will greet them on their first morning plus have time set aside throughout their first week to talk about their experiences and give them a friendly face to ask questions to during that overwhelming induction process.
3). Induction – Integrating your candidate into the company
You’re prepared. You’ve received all the onboarding information and are ready to start training and welcoming your candidate into their new role.You can hit the ground hard and set a cracking pace.Or, you can build momentum, set expectations, and provide a warm welcome that sets you both up for success.
But what does this look like? How do you welcome your new hire, so they feel included, understood, and positive about their future in your team?
How to Welcome and Integrate A New Hire:
- Organise a team introduction before starting: Meet at your local cafe to give your new hire and the team an opportunity to get to know their new team member before getting overwhelmed with all the information they must absorb in their first-week.
- Expectations: Provide information on what they can expect on their first day, week and month. Giving this to your new employee at least one week before starting.
- Prepare them for your expectations: As well as establishing expectations, help them prepare by sharing necessary company information such as employee handbooks and training workbooks they can complete before starting their first day. They can then build on this basic information when they undertake any formal skills or training sessions.
- Clarity and the feeling of being supported: Helping them hit the ground with clarity and feeling supported can be achieved by sharing information on workplace expectations. What achievements are expected of them in their first week and month, and be clear on how performance is measured. For them, this is a great way to understand how key decisions about their early achievements are monitored.
- The unwritten rules: What unwritten rules can you share to reduce the common stumbles new hires make? This could look like scheduling meetings with key team members to share the 10 things everyone does to build a great company culture, 10 things not to do, or the top 10 local lunch or coffee places to explore near the office.
4). You are the key to success
You are the key to employee success and integrating new hires.
Not only are you responsible for finding the right candidate, but you can ensure there is a robust, effective, and smooth onboarding and induction program. The goal is to use the onboarding to set up your new hires for success. Recruitment, onboarding and induction are a critical part of employee experience. From Day One you have the potential to create a great employee experience, not only in creating an understanding of the company culture and the team they’re part of, but building an environment that cultivates productivity and a sense of purpose in their role straight away.
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