TIPS FOR ONBOARDING NEW HIRES FOR LONG TERM SUCCESS
As an HR professional, you’ve heard of the 4C’s for onboarding new employees. Compliance, Clarification, Culture, and Connection. Onboarding new hires is critical in retaining the talent you worked so hard to add to your team. The professionals at TalentSource strongly encourage our clients to use the onboarding process as a tool not only for retention, but also for cultivating corporate culture, building a sense of team from day one, and giving your new hires all the tools, they need to succeed.
When we talk about onboarding, we aren’t just referring to the paperwork and technical aspects of adding someone to payroll. Depending on the level of the new hire, onboarding can mean a shift in cultural and procedural norms, which affects everyone in your organization. From day one, it’s critical for your new employees to feel like a part of the team, to start building loyalty, and quickly integrate them into your corporate culture. Don’t assume this will happen organically.
From: page 3 Onboarding New Employees: Maximizing Success from SHRM linked here
TalentSource Expert Tip: Having a written onboarding plan that spans at least the first 6-months of employment is a key factor to employee happiness, loyalty, and long-term success.
From: page 2 Onboarding New Employees: Maximizing Success from SHRM linked here
Here are 5 simple tips to begin crafting your onboarding process:
1. Have weekly itineraries – write out a weekly to-do list for every new hire. This will include everything from basic paperwork, setting up email accounts, cleaning and organizing the workspace that the new hire will occupy, system(s) training, and defined expectations. Also include and meet-and-greets that need to happen internally and externally. Not only does writing this out help you make sure you haven’t missed anything, but it gives your new hire a sense of what is going to happen when.
TalentSource Expert Tip: Since much of this process has to do with paperwork, use a multi-modal process. SHRM suggests using video, in person talks, classroom lectures, written presentations, and online learning in the onboarding process. This will help to engage your new team members with the information.
2. Mission, Vision, and Values – The first thing a new employee should know about your company is the mission, vision, and values. Of course, during the interview process, this was a topic of conversation, however it all means something different now that that they are part of your team. Explain where the MVV statement derived from, how it guides decision making, and how it is a part of everyday business.
3. Get To Know You meetings – Schedule get-to-know-you meetings with key employees. These might be informal lunch meetings. Also encourage interaction between the new employee and their direct supervisor. How comfortable new employees are with their manager / supervisor is in direct relation to long-term success. Do what you can to foster that relationship from day one. Encourage touch-point weekly meetings between them.
4. Employ the buddy system – Assign a ‘buddy’ or partner for the first 90 days. This might be someone who has been with the organization for a long time and is familiar with processes and personalities. This will be someone to go to with questions, clarification, and direction. This individual shouldn’t be someone in the same department as the new hire.
TalentSource Expert Tip: we suggest this buddy be a support person in another department, or someone who is at a senior level from a different team.
5. Get Feedback – Include feedback on the onboarding process during annual reviews. There may be something you inadvertently missed. Feedback will also help you determine what part of your plan is the most effective.
The Society of Human Resource Professionals has developed a comprehensive and detailed guide to onboarding. We strongly encourage you to download it here: https://www.shrm.org/foundation/ourwork/initiatives/resources-from-past-initiatives/Documents/Onboarding%20New%20Employees.pdf
Smart Recruiting is about the entire recruiting process. TalentSource’s Smart Recruiting system has measurable success we’d love to share with you. Contact us at 574.968.8676 or contact@TalentSourceStaffing.com to schedule a discovery call.