According to a report by Clear company, companies that ensure an excellent onboarding process experience an increase of 52% in the retention rate of new employees. That means onboarding is vital to the running structure of a business, as doing it incorrectly can lead to an endless and tiring process of hiring and rehiring workers. Employee onboarding helps new staff adapt to their roles and the work atmosphere while making sure that every material needed to carry out jobs efficiently is available.
Since an adage says the first impression lasts longer, you should ensure that employees don’t see your organization as one in which they can’t flourish. This is why you need to provide the necessary training when they are immediately hired to help them master the work culture and put on the required and right attitude for discharging their duties. There are actionable tips you can use for onboarding employees in your business.
Some of these tips are as follows:
1. Begin Before the Starting Day
Some companies make the mistake of waiting until employees resume at their workplace before they let them know what they want to do. To ensure your new hires are well prepared for their roles, you can provide them with handbooks, email, and where they should report. This helps to ensure that they aren’t looking lost and can find their way around easily upon resuming on their first day of work. They can experience a smooth onboarding process without having much doubt about an organization.
2. Set Up Employee Space and Plan for Introduction
Since they already have roles, the next thing is to set up their workspace so that by the time of resumption, they can immediately hit the ground running on their first day without facing issues. Also, they are new hires, which means they are new to the business and will need to know the folks around them. You can organize a meet and greet for them with leadership teams, teammates, and other employees present in the organization. New employees can find settling down and kick-starting their duties relatively more straightforward.
3. Assign a Buddy
No company owner wants to bring in employees that will take time to adapt to the culture of their enterprise, which is why designating a mentor for a new hire is essential. According to ClearCompany, 91% of employees participating in a mentorship routine during their onboarding process are likely to stay in their jobs. That means assigning a mentor to new hires can help them integrate fast into the work environment. Mentors help new employees get familiar with the workplace, understand some regular rules, and check on them.
4. Create a Schedule and Provide a Clear Role Description
There’s a need to create a plan that can outline the activities of the employees for the first one or two weeks to help an employee experience a smooth onboarding process. The schedule may include training sessions, introduction to essential team members, and acclimatization to the new role. Also, providing employees with a clear description of their roles helps them understand what they should do and their responsibilities. New hires can avoid disorientation or confusion as they continue their duties.
5. Offer Training Resources to Employees
There are periods when new employees need resources to aid their growth and increase their abilities within their little time working in an organization. Offering training resources that include materials and company manuals to employees can help them feel empowered and encouraged. You can provide new hires with training materials by organizing classes in the first week using a new employee template and informing them of the time to complete their learning. New hires with access to training resources can avoid complications about their duties.
6. Set Realistic Expectations
Before your new hires get neck-deep into their roles, you need to set realistic expectations so they can know what they are to achieve. Ensuring new employees are committed to realistic goals can help them move in the right direction and make them work on it right from their first day in the company. You can set goals for them that include performances to expect, meeting project deadlines, and the number of hours at work. Ensure to add only a few goals to what they can work on to avoid burnout or dissatisfaction with the job.
7. Establish Communication
It’s expected that when employees come into an organization, they should be settled and get accustomed to their roles and the work environment. However, as they are settling into the organization, it’s time you speak with them to know how their experience with the job has been so far. Some of them can openly talk about what they are doing well and areas where they still struggle, which you can provide a response to address their statements. By doing this, you can instill in them the attitude to ask questions and speak up about what they are facing, which can help your business progress favorably.
8. Provide Feedback and Recognition
New employees need feedback more than ever to ensure that they can improve and perform better in lacking areas. You’ll build trust and increase the harmony rate among your leadership team, and the new employees if they get regular feedback on their activities and the support to keep working well. Also, celebrating the milestones and achievements of new employees does go a long way in ensuring that they feel valued and appreciated within your company. Doing that often helps to improve their morale and encourage positivity within the work environment.
9. Give Chances for Growth
To ensure that new employees can contribute effectively to your company’s success, you have to provide growth opportunities, including training and development programs. Also, ensuring that new hires upskill can help reduce the rate at which they resign. You can also attract top talents to your business since most employees love to join a terrain that encourages their abilities.
Conclusion
According to a study by Businessnewsdaily, companies with well-structured onboarding systems have a 50% rate of retaining new employees. Putting the necessary structures in place can help you bring in new employees and keep them for a long while in the workplace. Some actionable employee onboarding tips that can help you keep new hires include starting before the first day, setting realistic expectations, and providing feedback and recognition.