The Five Areas to Cover When Onboarding New Employees
Onboarding a new employee is the process of introducing a new employee to your company and is a crucial part of running a successful small business. Although the sting of “The Great Resignation” has cooled in recent months, the need to recruit and keep good employees continues to grow and makes a solid onboarding process essential.
According to a recent report, 50% of new hires are fired or quit during their first six months. The reasons include the candidate being a poor fit for the job, lack of company culture or receiving a better offer to work elsewhere. Regardless, onboarding programs can improve new hire retention by 82% and productivity by over 70%. Small business owners must master the onboarding process to save time and money.
What makes a good onboarding process?
Even before an employee’s first day, you should implement a solid pre-boarding process. This consists of things like ensuring your new hire’s workstation is up and running, any materials they need are ready, and all the necessary payroll paperwork has been completed or is on hand. Once you’ve accomplished your pre-boarding tasks, you’re prepared for a successful onboarding experience.
Five areas you should include in your onboarding process
1.Technology and tools
Training new employees on technology and tools is an ongoing process, but don’t wait to get started. The sooner you can bring a new hire up to speed on tech, the quicker they’ll be able to jump into their duties and the less likely they will feel overwhelmed. Arming them with the tools they need immediately will help them understand processes and procedures more readily. Remember to introduce them to applications they will use regularly and brief them on anti-virus systems and cybersecurity protocols.
2. Procedures (SOPs) and processes
Make sure to provide an employee handbook to your new hire. The handbook should include the company mission statement, compensation policies, company holidays, and human resources policies like dress code, work hours, and procedures to request time off. You’ll also want to provide standard operating procedures (SOPs) for tasks the employee will be performing regularly. An SOP is a document with detailed step-by-step instructions for performing a technical, repetitive job.
3. Office/shop/store tour
Give new hires a tour of the office but let the rest of the employees know you’ll be doing so. Allow new hires to see where critical contributors that they will work with are located. Show them the supply room, the rest room, and the kitchen, but also share spaces around the office where they can gather with others to collaborate or find a quiet little area. You want to make them feel comfortable so try not to rush through it. This will help them feel welcomed quickly.
4. Meet the team
Introduce your new employee to the team, and if it makes sense for your business, schedule meetings for them to meet team leaders with whom they will collaborate. You could also organize a team lunch on or off the property. They will potentially be meeting many people, so creating multiple opportunities for them to interact with the team is recommended.
5. Set expectations
It’s important your new hire knows what’s expected of them and although you may have already covered it in the job description, make sure to revisit it again. The onboarding process is the perfect opportunity to run through their duties and what you expect from them. Conversely, share your work process, business mantra, and a few objectives you’re working on. This sets them up for success and gets them excited about what’s next.
In the long run, investing your time to create an effective, meaningful onboarding process for your employees will save you both time and money while building a team that’s invested in the success of your small business.