Joining a new company can be a daunting experience for anyone. The process of onboarding is designed to make the transition as smooth as possible and should leave your new recruit feeling welcomed, valued and an integral part of the team. Get that right and chances are you’ll have a happy employee who’ll stay with you for the long-term. Read what RE Recruitment’s People Development Manager, Lucie Dowie, has to say about successful onboarding… 

How to have a smooth onboarding process

“Effective onboarding is more than conveying information and ticking boxes, it’s about creating a positive environment that makes new employees feel welcome and engaged from day one. Here’s how to do it well:

1. Set clear objectives

What do you want your new employees to get out of the process? And equally, find out what your new starters want to get out of the process themselves. Onboarding should be a two-way procedure where any questions and concerns are dealt with so that once the onboarding period is over, your new employees should feel that they have everything they need to get on with the jobs they were employed to do.

2. How long is the onboarding period?

Set a clear structure for your onboarding process and get feedback at the end. This will help you improve the process for other new recruits. Provide the new starter with a schedule or timeline that lays out what will be covered and what to expect. Our onboarding procedure is typically three weeks but you can create your own time frame depending on what you need to cover.

3. Onboarding starts before day one!

The wait between accepting a job offer and actually starting can be daunting. That’s why it’s a good idea to start your onboarding process early, to keep the momentum up and to start building that important employer-employee relationship. Send out paperwork, keep in touch and explain what they can expect on day one. Identify what the new recruit will be provided with (laptop, phone etc) and what other things the company provides.

4. Tailor the onboarding to suit the individual

It’s good to have a standard onboarding structure but it should be tailored depending on the job role and needs of the individual. In our three weeks of onboarding, all new starters will cover standard modules but then other modules will be scheduled depending on their job role and experience.

5. Identify essential onboarding  

Every new starter should get an overview of the company culture and values, an explanation of the structure and the key personnel. Go through any benefits packages and HR procedures. Introduce recruits to their team and key personnel and encourage current staff to take time to check in with new employees. Check their access to and understanding of company resources, IT systems and tools. Identify gaps and arrange training and development in essential skills and tools so they can ‘get off the ground’ quickly. Essential training should be part of the initial onboarding with the option of ongoing training sessions subsequently. 

6. Regularly evaluate the effectiveness of your onboarding process 

Poor onboarding can leave your employees with lower confidence in their new roles, worsened levels of engagement, and an increased risk of jumping ship when they see a new, more exciting position elsewhere. If you want long-term commitment from staff, you should never stop ‘onboarding’ your employees. That means arranging regular catch-up sessions, appraisals, training opportunities and celebrating key milestones in an employee’s career.

 
If you would like to know more about how to instigate a smooth onboarding procedure at your company, talk to RE Recruitment’s People Development Manager, Lucie Dowie. Lucy has written a blog on our website about Talent Development Strategy and has a wealth of experience with onboarding procedures and can advise you on how to make your new recruits feel welcomed and valued from day one.