Are You Neglecting the Most Important Step in Hiring?

Given that unemployment is at historically low levels staying competitive within the market is crucial for employers if they want to consistently attract and retain the right talent for their organizations. Recruiters spend so much time sourcing, interviewing, and evaluating candidates that by the time someone signs an offer letter everyone breaths a sign of relief and pats themselves on the back for a job well done. However, our jobs are far from done at that point because new hire onboarding, when done right, is as much a part of your recruitment process as is it a part of your employee engagement and retention strategies.

The way you onboard new employees can have a deep impact on an employee’s perception of the company which can affect how well they are integrated into the culture, as well as how successful they will be within their roles. More often than not though, new hire onboarding is treated as a transactional series of HR, IT, and Payroll processes and not what it should be, which is a tool to further engage and retain the talent that you worked so hard to get through the door.

Get the basics down to a science

While we shouldn’t look at new hire onboarding as only a series of HR, IT, and payroll processes, even though carrying out those process correctly and consistently is really important. Ensuring that new hires are set up correctly for payroll, and have an email and computer on day one is really important.  However, the administrative aspects should be as automated as possible so that managers and those who support the new hire process can focus on more on the employee’s new hire experience and less on the basics.

Onboarding starts way before day one

There is a very nebulous time from when a candidate signs an offer letter to when they walk in the door where communication can cease to happen. At the very least an employee should receive an email that tells them what time to come in on their first day, but too often that’s the only thing they receive. Try your best to engage your new hires during this pre-boarding time. Whether that’s giving them paperwork to complete, inviting them to team or company events, or just checking in to see if they have any questions or concerns. This is also a great time to send a welcome gift to the new team member if it’s within your budget to do so. Flowers, company swag, or a handwritten card from their manager can really go a long way to make your new hire feel welcome and cared for during the onboarding process.

Do your best to not incur team debt

Those who work in tech will be familiar with the term “technical debt”, which is the idea that there is a cost to doing things the easier way instead of choosing a more effective, sustainable approach that would take longer. Software Engineer Kate Heddleston introduced the idea of “team debt”, which is similar to technical debt and occurs when new members are haphazardly onboarded onto teams. Kate writes, “It’s the idea that when employees aren’t properly trained, integrated, or managed, they are operating at less than optimal efficiency and ‘team debt’ is accrued. Each new employee that is added without being sufficiently trained and integrated increases that debt. “

A good way to proactively manage and avoid team debt is by planning as a group of how each member of the team will be helping to onboard the new team member. This is also a good time to check in and see who or what projects need extra support during the period where the new member is not fully operational. Once a new hire starts, aligning expectations, reiterating values and goals as a team will not only help the new member better integrate onto the team, but it will also allow the team to welcome and include its newest member.

Give new hires a memorable first day experience

First days are usually complete whirlwinds for new hires.  Many employees won’t remember what they did on their first day, who they met, or even what they learned, but they will remember how it felt. When a company doesn’t have a structured and cohesive onboarding process a lot of things can go sideways, making it feel chaotic and unsettling to a new hire. Communication and planning between the managers and others who support the new hire process are key to giving employees a great first day experience. It’s important to give employees the information and tools they need to begin onboarding without burdening them with too much on day one.

Set expectations early and often

Even in the most structured roles and organizations there can be a lot of ambiguity about exactly what a new hire is responsible for, and what the organization expects from them. You can manage this by creating an onboarding plan for each new hire that outlines their general role and responsibilities, as well as how they will be contributing to the team. This document should also outline useful information including key contacts, people that an employee should meet with during onboarding, and what they can expect their first week. This document can also be used as a starting point for creating a 30 / 60 / 90 day plan which helps to communicate and align expectations while allowing for check-in points to ensure the employee is becoming fully operational in their role and delivering on goals.

Contact Reverb and we can help set up your customized onboarding plan at your company.