Onboarding is a crucial aspect of talent management—it’s the process of welcoming new employees and making sure they feel informed, valued, and ready to jump in with their teams.
The onboarding journey starts the moment a candidate accepts their job offer and goes on until they’re fully settled in with their crew.
Given the significance of onboarding for long-term employee retention, it’s essential to prioritize the implementation of best practices in your onboarding program.
You can personalize the onboarding experience, but some key methods are essential for helping new hires feel included and prepared for success in their roles.
In this article, we will explore important onboarding best practices that can help organizations provide a meaningful experience for their new team members.
If your company isn’t getting the onboarding experience right, there's a high likelihood that new hires will start scouting for other jobs before even completing their probation period.
This can take a toll on your employer branding and impact your overall HR strategies for the entire team.
Even though it's clear that good onboarding is important, many small businesses without an HR team tend to neglect it.
If that's the case, it can be a good idea to team up with an HR outsourcing partner or hire someone who knows the ins and outs of human resources management.
By following HR best practices for onboarding new employees, your organization can:
Let's explore 5 effective onboarding best practices that can help companies bring new employees on board smoothly and make them feel right at home.
Picture this: it’s the first day for a new employee, and they’re feeling quite overwhelmed in a completely unfamiliar environment.
As they wander around the office, they’re trying to figure out the basics: where’s the restroom, where’s the break room, and what are the company rules?
That’s why getting the onboarding process started at least a week before their first day can make a huge difference.
Preboarding refers to the activities that take place between the signing of the employment contract and the employee’s start date.
Here are some preboarding tasks to help get new employees pumped for their first day:
Starting conversations with coworkers can feel pretty intimidating for new employees.
It's important to create many opportunities for new team members to connect and feel like they belong in the company.
This is part of every onboarding best practices guideline, no matter how big your team is.
Also, think about matching up your new hire with a buddy from the team instead of a manager or supervisor.
This way, they might feel more comfortable asking questions about the workplace, the culture and getting to know their teammates.
Supporting a work relationship among coworkers can boost your team's mental health on the job.
When bringing a new employee on board, it’s important to introduce them to the core values that drive your organization.
To really thrive in the company, they should be aware of the skills or principles that matter most.
You might have a presentation or an email outlining the company values, but just going over them on paper doesn’t always do the trick.
Consider setting up a casual gathering, like a team lunch or coffee, for your new hire (or a group of newbies).
This lets them experience the company culture in a laid-back setting, making it easier for them to settle in and get to know the environment.
In the first month for new hires, set up weekly check-ins with their manager and onboarding buddy.
These sessions are for checking in on how things are going, making sure no tasks are left hanging, and giving a helping hand with their workload.
During these discussions, make sure to go over what’s expected performance-wise. .
It’s also a good time to highlight important goals, like bringing in new clients or sorting out customer issues.
After a month or two, once they’re settling in, you can switch things to monthly check-ins.
Getting feedback from new employees after their first month or 90 days is important for making your onboarding process better.
Consider sending out a few surveys to their email at different times.
A mix of rating scales, Yes / No and open questions can really help you understand how they feel and show that you value their input.
You might want to ask questions like:
If you’d instead get some expert opinions to improve your feedback or another part of your onboarding best practices guidelines, think about contacting a fractional HR service
Effective onboarding practices are essential for keeping the best talent around, lowering turnover rates, improving the workplace vibe, and helping new hires build their career within the company.
If you're interested in partnering with an HR business expert to guide you through this process, reach out to TROIS Collective today.
