BambooHR conducted a study on onboarding and surveyed over 1,000 people about their experiences starting new jobs and what was most important to them. A startling 31 percent of respondents had quit a job within six months of starting it, with a steady stream leaving from the first week all the way up to the third month. Yikes!
What’s the No. 1 thing new hires want?
- 76% - immediate on the job training. In short, they want to start doing meaningful work and contribute!
Therefore, you must be prepared. Whether it’s your team or the HR department, use the following eight steps to onboard a new employee to help set the stage for a successful onboarding experience and lasting relationship.
8 Steps to Onboarding New Employees
- Prepare for the first day. Make a great first impression by showing that you’re prepared. Confirm first day logistics, such as parking, expected arrival time and dress code. Set up workstations and have all paperwork ready to go.
- Help them get to know the company culture and team. Introduce new hires to their team and mentors during the first week. Mentors make onboarding more effective by answering questions and helping new employees get to know the company and their co-workers.
- Have tools & systems in place. What tools will be used on the job? What programs will be used to communicate with the team? What analytics tools will be used? CRM tools? Marketing Automation tools? What accounts should be set up?
- Map out a training plan and schedule. Create personalized training schedules that outline tasks to learn and who will teach each. Share the schedules and learning materials with the new hire so he/she can prepare for each day. Make sure that trainers block their schedules to avoid distractions and interruptions.
- Define expectations. Sit down with your new employee and discuss current projects and goals the company is working on. This way he or she has an idea of how to contribute or where he/she fits into the master plan. This will get them excited to be a part of the team. You should have come up with a list of goals and expectations for your new hire before the first day.
- Have projects ready for them to take on. This is important because they will feel like they are already contributing to the company, even if it’s a small project. If your new hire doesn’t have anything to do, he’ll end up sitting around feeling unimportant to the company. He’ll dislike the job right away if he feels that his time or work is unimportant to the company.
- Socially integrate new employees into the team. It may be difficult for new hires to integrate themselves into the culture. They may feel the need to stand in the shadows and understand how everyone interacts before joining in on conversations.
- Schedule regular check-ins. Above all else, talk with them! As a rule of thumb, check in with new hires every day for the first week and then weekly for the first 90 days to establish open dialogue from the very start.
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