Onboarding new hires properly is one of the most important responsibilities an HR manager and individual supervisor can have. The first experiences a new employee has at a company will directly contribute to their performance on the job. A pleasant onboarding experience can also reduce the odds that a new hire will seek employment elsewhere, guarding against the cost of high turnover rates.
That’s why it’s a good idea to keep the following onboarding tips in mind. They’ll help you ensure employees your company has just hired have an ideal experience.
4 Tips for Onboarding New Employees Properly
Choose Early Assignments an Employee Can Handle
This is a particularly important point to keep in mind if you’re a supervisor onboarding a new team member. Although you want to provide a new employee with a first assignment that will realistically prepare them for the nature of their job going forward, it’s also a good idea to assign them work they’ll most likely be able to successfully complete.
You want new hires to feel they are competent from the start. Keep that in mind when choosing their first assignments.
Assign an Onboarding Partner
It’s worth remembering that onboarding isn’t necessarily a one or two day experience. The first few weeks an employee spends at a new company will be a learning period during which the onboarding process essentially continues.
Thus, you may want to choose another team member to serve as an “onboarding partner” for a new hire. This should be a strong and experienced employee who is relatively active in the office social life and understands the ins-and-outs of the organization. They can serve as a point of contact for a new employee whenever they have questions. They’ll also introduce a new hire to their coworkers, helping them feel they belong from the start.
Focus on a Sense of Purpose
Research consistently indicates that the most ambitious employees in today’s workforce don’t merely crave paychecks. They also want jobs that offer them a sense of purpose. They need to feel their efforts contribute to a greater cause in some way.
It’s important to focus on this when onboarding new employees. You don’t simply want to introduce them to the way the company operates. You also want to emphasize the company’s overall mission. This is key to ensuring new hires feel motivated early.
Don’t Overlook the Basics
Make sure you address certain basic issues and tasks before a new employee arrives. While it’s essential to offer them pleasant experiences when they first join the company, you also need to remember to secure all necessary tools and resources ahead of time. You don’t want a new employee to feel they’re unimportant because they don’t have the tools they need to handle all their assignments.
Perhaps most importantly, establish a general onboarding process you can modify for new hires based on the specific nature of their roles. Having a basic process established helps you effectively onboard every single new hire properly. That, of course, is key to the company’s success.
