According to a Glassdoor report, effective employee onboarding programs increase retention by 82% and boost productivity by 70%. On the other hand, companies that are disorganized, unprepared, and inhospitable can send new hires right back out the door—often within the first 90 days of employment.

As the war for talent acquisition and retention tightens across the globe, employee experience has become one of the most focused areas of HR Management. One of the critical areas to set the tone for employee engagement and start out on a good employee retention strategy is Onboarding.

Onboarding is the process of providing new hires with a positive first experience and the necessary resources to enable them to fit into the company’s culture. It is a valuable exercise that familiarises the employee with the company’s values, products or services and facilitates a friendly relationship with colleagues. It can last prior to resumption until the employee is confirmed.

Are you wondering how to start? Here are a few steps to follow:

1. Send a welcome message

Classified as a pre-boarding activity, you may send a welcome message to new employees before they start. This gives an impression they are wanted and you are thinking about them and prepares them to know what to expect on their first day which can also save you time in the onboarding process. An introduction can contain but is not limited to the following:

• Starting date, time, and location
• New-hire paperwork/forms
• An agenda for the first day/week
• A list of documents to bring
• Instructions (parking, dress code, and so on)

2. Organize Your New Employees’ Workspaces

It is untidy for employees to resume and their workspace and tools are not ready. It sets a bad tone for frustration and disengagement. Desk setup, official email setup work tools, and as much as the company is able, a welcome package should be made available to employees latest by resumption. This can contain a company’s handbook, a guide with information on lunch spots and coffee shops in the area, office terrain map, an employee ID, access channels, office supplies etc.

3. Meeting With HR

The first point of contact for any new hire is the HR team. Employees should meet with someone from the HR team to review among others, the following:

• The company’s interactive organizational chart
• Any new-hire paperwork that still needs to be completed
• The company’s policies, values, preferences and work expectations and so on.
• Clarify and schedule all necessary training sessions on company tools and software.

4. Show them around the workplace

Set time aside to give your new hires a tour of their new work environment. This helps them learn the layout of the office, warehouse, restaurant, or other spaces where they will be accessing at work. Ensure you introduce your new hires to other staff for a warm welcome and to enhance collaboration in the future.

4. Set them up to meet with their manager

One of the important people the new employees need to meet on the first day of work is their new manager. This meeting should entail alignment on individual interests, review of the job description, explanation of expectations, setting of goals etc. Ensure it is socially engaging and relaxing for open conversation.

5. Offer consistent basic support

New employees require the company’s support when learning their roles and adapting to the company’s culture. During their first week at work, you can check in with your new employees at intervals, send them links to useful articles or e-books that interest them or enhances their work, and be open to feedback. 

6. Ask for feedback

Keep communicating with the new employees to get feedback about how they’re settling into their new roles and the company. You can do this through online feedback forms or arrange physical interactive sessions. Asking for feedback can help improve employee morale and make them feel like a valued member of the team.

7. Follow up on their progress

After three months on the job, new employees may have settled in on the job, and their productivity should have started to increase. Further, the manager may have regularly issued reports of their progress, and development as well as reviewed their goals and achievements. You can request these progress reports to follow up on the new employee and provide support where needed.

With these seven steps, your new hires can have the positive experience, information and resources they need to perform effectively in their job positions.

Thanks for reading!