Onboarding Tips for the Smooth Integration of New Employees

Positive employee experience through onboarding & induction smoothes out the integration of new employees into their new environment. I’ve got a bunch of onboarding tips for you. First, let’s look at why it’s so important.

There’s a big difference between being thrown in at the deep end of the pool… and sitting in a small raft in the middle of the ocean and expected to get back to the beach – right???

deep_end_onboarding

Well, turning up to the reception desk on your first day only to find out that the reception person neither knows who you are or who your manager is... is not too dissimilar.

Sitting at your desk for the whole week without proper tools, induction, training, expectations or even a warm introduction to the people around you is not fun either!

No wonder so many new hires have so much anxiety about their job security during the first few weeks and even months in some cases.

Almost every employment contract comes with a probationary period, and so this adds additional pressure on the new hires and makes them feel vulnerable. This makes them feel anxious to add value quickly, but they can’t do so if they don’t have the right tools, induction, direction and the minimum required support.

Can a modern onboarding platform help you become more organised? So that new hires feel welcome, have the right tools and ready to add value to your company? Let’s get into those onboarding tips.

Tip #1 – The tools

A new hire without the tools they need to do their job is like a football player watching the game from the bench with utter frustration!

tools

As I mentioned in the intro, their job insecurity compels them to want to add value and quickly… but without having their tools ready, they feel as if their wings are clipped, hopeless and can’t control their destiny.

A modern onb0arding technology platform should allow HR, hiring managers, procurement, IT and the candidate… to all be on the same page so the right tools are available to the new hires when they need them and without delay. A modern recruitment and onboarding software will allow you to streamline the conversation and the acquisition of required assets for a job by keeping everyone on the same page. (1) Hiring managers outline the assets and tools required for the job. (2) procurement get notified as early as the request-to-hire is submitted. (3) the candidate could input their preferences or uniform size etc… and finally, (4) procurement / IT will make sure the right assets and tools are available to the new employee.

This way, the new employee can join the team on the field and start kicking goals. Watching from the bench creates counterproductive anxiety at a time when the new employee is working through a steep learning curve and trying to prove the company made the right choice by hiring them.

Tip # 2 – The sense of belonging – emotional support

Making the right introduction to everyone in their environment not just to their managers and teammates is extremely important because there’s nothing worse than feeling like a stranger and having to ask strangers to learn the basics of your new environment. The sense of belonging is the most important raw ingredient for success – learning a new job in a new environment is hard enough with a steep learning curve! So it would make it a lot harder when new hires have to do it while they don’t feel they belong or they feel as if they’re not welcome.

Tip # 3 – The Environment

Organise someone to show them around to make sure they’re familiar with where everything is. The bathrooms, the kitchen, the coffee, meeting rooms etc.

During your onboarding process, this someone should be nominated, and an event pops up in their calendar. Your modern Onboarding technology should help to organise and schedule all this.

Tip # 4 – Induction/Training

Induction

Now that they feel welcome and that people around them want them to succeed… now and only now let’s start to show them what to do, how-to, and start their training programs.
It’s super important that all their induction/training is already set up and ready to go.

Tip # 5 – Direction and a solid plan

speed_boat

Now that your new hires have adequate induction and training let’s talk about a clear direction, a clear set of expectations, KPI(s) and a solid plan on how to get there.
OK, instead of being floating in a box. The new hire is now aboard a nice speed boat… but they still don’t know where they’re expected to get to and by when.
Let’s now give them as much as possible clarity on that. What do you expect them to achieve and by when? Let’s set up clear KPI(s) for the first day, first week, first month and the end of the probation period.

You can never be 100% sure when it comes to new hires integrating well and succeeding at your company. However, setting them up aboard a speed boat with a clear direction and expectations will most certainly give them the best chance at succeeding! How’s that for some onboarding tips?

The MyRecruitment+ onboarding technology… is digital, paperless. Importantly, it ensures that HR, candidates, hiring managers, procurement, IT… and others are all on the same page! I hope these onboarding tips help you and your business.