Having a streamlined and well planned out onboarding process for your business is one of the first steps to success. A highly motivated and driven team will ultimately lead to reduced employee turnover and a happy workforce and you can influence this all from the very first interaction a potential employee has with your business.
Having an onboarding process will allow you to consistently reflect the type of company that you are and ensures everyone gets the same five-star welcome from you and your team.
If you have recruited new starters before then hopefully we can give you some great ideas to implement into your current onboarding plan. If you are currently in the process of growing your business and this is a new area of management for you then we’re sure the following points will help.
For further help with your onboarding plan Whitcombe HR can provide you with templates for each step of the process from your offer letter to your company handbook and beyond. For more information, please email help@whitcombehr.co.uk.
New Starter Check List for Team Leaders
Before your new starter begins it’s a good idea to have a checklist to ensure that all the necessary contact has been made and all of the necessary admin and paperwork (letters, contracts, and forms) completed.
When contacting the new team member, you will want to let them know the following things in advance:
Start date and time
Who they should ask for when they arrive and contact if they have any problems
Documents to bring (including proof of ID)
Schedule for the first day
Link to your employee handbook, with information on key policies such as dress code, lunch arrangements, and performance measures
When it comes to completing all the necessary admin and paperwork this will include documents such as:
New employee details
Non-disclosure agreements
Job descriptions
Copies of certifications
Being prepared for when a new team member starts will not only save you time in the long run, but it will reassure the new starter and give them the best possible introduction to your company.
Welcome Email to staff
Make sure that the rest of your team members are aware of the new starter by sending a welcome email. You will want to include information such as when they will be joining the team, their previous experience and background and the position they will be taking within the company. This will give the new starter a really good grounding for their first day and quickly bring them into the fold when everyone gets to meet them.
First Day/ Orientation
Everyone feels nerves on their first day so making your new starter feel as welcome and relaxed as possible should come as a high priority within your onboarding process.
This is your chance to introduce the new starter to everyone within the organisation properly, don’t rush this stage and think about the small touches that will make a big difference to their day such as a welcome coffee with everyone at the beginning of the day or a team lunch so they can get to know their team well from the start.
Ideally you will email the day’s schedule to the new starter in advance so they know what to expect and you can also help ease their nerves. You will also want to make sure that you have their workspace organised and all logins, accounts, and necessary passwords ready.
Things to cover on their first day include:
Company values and code of conduct
Policies and procedures
Location of Company Handbook
Tour of the building
Meet the team
Team Aims & Objectives
Location of building facilities
Health & Safety
Probationary review requirements and review periods
Buddy System
Choose an employee to take your new starter under their wing. This should be a formal system where the buddy can meet with the new starter regularly, address any questions and help them navigate the company. The idea is that they are available whenever the new person needs help so that they always have someone to turn to.
30/60/90 Day Plan
As part of the onboarding process, we would recommend that you take time over the first 3 months to make sure that the new starter is progressing well and meeting all of their objectives and goals. Far beyond their first day it is critical to make sure that they are integrating well within the team and culture of the business.
Over the first 30 days you will want to cover topics such as:
Understanding the role, teams, products and services
Access to tools, resources and logins
Completing first project or task
Onboarding objectives and goals for the next 3 months
Meetings with all team members and department heads
At 60 days it is important to make sure that they are able to reflect on their first month and begin to contribute to their team and the bigger picture.
Things to discuss may include:
How the role connects to the rest of the business and products
Understanding of tools and requirements of the role
Completion of projects and general day to day operations
Set KPIs
Next steps
By 90 days and the end of their first 3 months you will want to know that they can fully connect with all teams and the role they have been given. Perhaps set them their first big assignment based on the previous success of their first project.
This is by no means the end and you should make sure that you put aside time to catch up every month for regular check-ins. Continue to track milestones, goals and achievements and ensure there is room for continual development.
The whole point of having an onboarding process is to ensure that your new recruit becomes a valued team member as quickly as possible so don’t be afraid to adapt and change things as you see fit.
It goes without saying that you will probably have to adapt certain elements of your onboarding process due to the current pandemic and if you would like help or support then please don't hesitate to contact us by emailing help@whitcombehr.co.uk.
While you're here don't forget to take a look at some of our previous blogs which cover everything from energizing and motivating your team to workplace wellbeing and mental health, redundancy and productivity whilst working from home.