The following is a transcript of our podcast conversation with Sarah Wilkins and Lindsay Foley. You can listen to the full episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Sarah Wilkins
Hello, and welcome to Humans Beyond Resources, an HR podcast by Reverb, where we cover topics from culture to compliance. Reverb believes that every decision a leader makes reverberates throughout the organization, from hiring your first employee to training your entire workforce. We believe in building healthy, inclusive cultures that engage your team. I’m your host, Sarah Wilkins. Thank you to our Humans Beyond Resources podcast sponsors, Parker Smith & Feek, AHT, and Joshua Brittingham of Carney, Badley & Spelman.
It’s super fun today to have Reverb’s own people and culture manager, Lindsay Foley, on the podcast today. You probably heard Lindsay’s voice on other podcasts, but really excited to have her join me today. Lindsay’s super passionate about creating a healthy, inclusive workplace. And one topic she’s particularly focused on is new hire onboarding experience. You know, we only get one chance to make a first impression. And so it’s so important to be intentional with new hire onboarding. And I’m really excited for Lindsay to chat with us about that. Welcome, Lindsay.
Lindsay Foley
Thanks, Sarah. Thanks for having me.
Sarah Wilkins
So you know, I just share a little bit about you. But before we dive into our topic, tell me more about your background and how you found your way to HR, which I think is fun.
Lindsay Foley
Yeah, you know, I did not have a normal career path to HR, which I think many consultants and HR professionals find that to be true. I studied marketing in college and held positions in marketing, sales, operations. I joined Reverb about over five years ago at this point, and I started out the office manager, and I was supporting things like onboarding and offboarding and events and things like that. Moved into account management for a bit, went to employee experience, learning a little bit more about HR, and then landed here as the people and culture manager. So now I’m looking over and supporting the full spectrum of HR for Reaver, which includes everything from like what we’re gonna talk about today, onboarding, employee experience, consultant capacity, and things like that. So yeah.
Sarah Wilkins
Wonderful. I love kind of the varied career paths, and like you said, It’s often with some of the small businesses or startups we work with that that’s how people find their way to HR. How do you think that varied experiences across, you know, roles and functions and companies has helped you in your role today?
Lindsay Foley
Yeah, I think it’s so important. It gives me a wide lens of how everything works. I can be more, you know, thoughtful when working with individuals that are in the account management team or an operation, understanding how, you know, the whole company works versus just one role, I think is a really valuable skill and something that you typically will learn in startups, which I really love.
Sarah Wilkins
So yeah, absolutely. I was a career consultant before finding my way to people operations and then, you know, my role today, but I did when I moved into people operations after being a consultant for, you know, more than eight years. I found it to be so helpful because I understood what it was like to be in those positions, right? And how we could maybe support those teams better. And so yeah, I agree. It’s nice to have that experience going into the HR role. So let’s dive into the new hire onboarding. Why do you think it’s so important to the overall employee experience and, you know, satisfaction that employee has with the company?
Lindsay Foley
Yeah, you know, there’s a stat that I pulled while thinking about this and it’s around 70 % of new hires decide whether a position is a right fit for them within a month. And then 30 % actually decide in the first week of starting a job. That’s, that’s huge, right? So and that all boils down to your onboarding experience, right? How are you how are you welcoming your new hires into your company? Those first impressions matter. And so they have a direct impact on, you know, the tension, tenure, employee investment, engagement, all those things are true. So employees and company success go hand in hand. So we need to be prepared to welcome our employees with a strong start. organization and give them a great onboarding experience. That’s what’s really important. So at a hundred percent is it matters. Yeah. Yeah that’s 70 % in the first month.
Sarah Wilkins
So if it goes poorly and you’ve invested all the time in hiring and you know getting them up to speed but it’s not a you know they deem it not to be you know a good experience. Exactly. Yeah. It goes apart quickly right and we know. Right. It’s not good for the company or for those people that go through that.
Lindsay Foley
Exactly.
Sarah Wilkins
Right. I think a lot of people think about onboarding as, you know, that first day and just kind of like, here’s your computer and here’s, you know, fill out your I -9 and write all the paperwork that has to be done. But you know, what do you consider to be, you know, new hire onboarding?
Lindsay Foley
I think that onboarding has a lot of paperwork involved. There’s no way around it. We have to get that stuff done. But onboarding really should begin and start right after the offer letter is signed. And I like to actually almost call that pre -boarding and folks can get in there, start the paperwork, but that shouldn’t be all they’re doing, right? We need to diversify it. We need to include some trainings, one -on -one meetings, some team engagement, some culture aspect in that onboarding, that’s what really is going to stand out to employees and make them feel welcome. So I think onboarding too, it can last for six to 12 months if it has to. I mean, that’s all dependent on rules, the company, how your training is structured. But I don’t think it should just be a first day thing. I don’t think you should just check off the orientation and call it good. I think you need to develop a process and a plan so you have that in place and employees have time to breathe, you know, appreciate a company for what it is. You don’t want to live with paperwork only. That’s not the fun stuff.
Sarah Wilkins
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, you kind of went into some of the steps, but yeah, what are some steps you can take to make sure that there is a great onboarding experience, you know, beyond some of those things you just shared?
Lindsay Foley
Yeah, I think we can all think of, you know, really good onboarding experiences we’ve had and some not so good ones. And I think what stands out to me as being like one of the best onboarding experiences is that welcoming team aspect, receiving a good sense of a culture, the opportunity for regular check -ins with your manager or HR, being asked for feedback, which is huge. Yeah, that mentorship, if you’re able to do like a new hire buddy, I think that stuff really sets you apart. I think establishing some framework is a good best practice. Making sure you automate some of that paperwork so you’re not boggled down in that and you can really focus on the employee really helps. Having an HRS is a great step to kind of get started with that. I know Bamboo HR is an HR asset that Reaver personally uses. It really helps us onboard our consultants quickly and efficiently and gives us that special touch. I also like including the team on the onboarding, including your peers, the leaders, the stakeholders. Everyone should have a part in onboarding a new employee. It shouldn’t just be thrown on HR or the manager. or make it a team aspect to make sure everyone’s involved and getting time to meet that employee and welcoming them.
Sarah Wilkins
Yeah, so you shared a couple of things Reverb does, but what’s a typical Reverb onboarding like? And I know this is an area that you’ve been enhancing over the last few years and working on. And so, yeah, what is a typical onboarding like at Reverb?
Lindsay Foley
Yeah, I mean, like I said, onboarding starts right after the offer letter is signed or the consultant agreement is signed. And we do have a lot of paperwork. There is, you know, agreement to be signed and things like that. But once that’s complete, we kind of dig into the culture, we dig into our values, our mission, what we’re here to do. We, you know, give you resources to look at trainings involved. We heavily use Slack. So we have the new employees set up on Slack to kind of meet everybody. They meet with myself and our HR admin to kind of go over some things. They’ll meet with their manager as well. So it’s a really, you know, high touch, but also efficient onboarding, I think. And that’s not to say it’s perfect. I think we’re always changing it and there’s nothing wrong with that. I think we constantly ask for feedback. What went well? For example, we recently just added some mentors, especially for our new people, Ops Consultants on board with us. We found that it’s tough to be a new consultant and it’s tough to work with clients for the first time. So how can we make that a little easier for them? And we found some mentors that were available and able to kind of shepherd them through those first couple steps, so.
Sarah Wilkins
That’s great. And you mentioned kind of the early stuff, But there’s more that you put in place for 30, 60, 90 days. You want to talk a little about this?
Lindsay Foley
Yeah. So and these are also in our HR starter kit. But it’s just it’s a simple process about checking in with the employees. So after 30 days, the employee gets some time with myself and sometimes Sarah or Michaela as well. Join me on that call just to kind of go over how things have gone. You know what? They started at a new client, kind of hearing how that’s been what they need, what they’re missing. I typically find that when you’re first onboarding an employee within those first weeks, they’re just consuming the information, right? Questions don’t typically pop into their head around that 30 -day mark. When they’re starting to get settled, they’ve had time to kind of look everything over and then they’re like, okay, wait, what about this? And that’s when those questions come up. So holding those 30 -day check -ins are really valuable. You also have a 60 -day check -in, which, you know, we mix up. We sometimes say, if you’re unavailable to meet with us, you can do a quick check -in survey. It’s an option. Another check -in, just to kind of see how things are going, what they’re missing. We’ll include the managers often within that 60 -day check -in. And then 90 days as well. So the 90 days is kind of our last official check -in, with the employee kind of seeing overall feedback of their experience, how things have gone, and again checking in on any questions that have come up for them. That’s great. Yeah, I really
Sarah Wilkins
appreciate those. And you do both survey so people can be candid, but then also spend the time live in case there’s more discussion that, you know, gets brought out just so people feel safe bringing whatever they need to bring in either avenue, right? Exactly, yes. Yeah. You mentioned the starter kit, which is great, which Lindsay, we have our starter kit, and you know, it includes all areas of, you know, HR, the fundamentals, but Lindsay put together our new hire onboarding experience section in there. And one of the things you listed in there, just some things that you can do to go, you know, above and beyond with onboarding. And do you have some, you know, tips you’d want to share there on those above and beyond things?
Lindsay Foley
Yeah. Yeah, I think, you know, making sure they feel prepared, supported, connected to your organization, right? Those are your key foundation elements. And beyond that, there’s special little touches you can make to kind of, you know, so they don’t feel bogged down in the details, make it a little bit more fun, show off your culture. You know, if you’re a virtual company, maybe sending like a little care package, little startup office set up to their home is a nice gesture, welcoming them with like an email with some fun question and answers. I know we do that at Reverb. What’s your bucket list item? You know, it kind of opens up and shows us not just the business side, if you will, of an employee, but we want to get to know you. So if you’re in person, I think taking them out for lunch on their first day is a really nice gesture. You can take you know, you can go for a walking meeting or coffee chat, just getting out of the normal paperwork and things like that to kind of show them that you care about them as a person. You know, these are people after all, and we want to be heard and accepted for our whole self. So we want to dig into the person a little bit more. And I think that’s a nice way to do it.
Sarah Wilkins
Yeah, I love the email. And I think it builds connections amongst other team members, right? So Somebody shares what they’re reading right now or what’s on their list to read in their kind of new hire onboarding email that we have. And then people are like, I love that book. But like, you know, and so it does build that connection amongst team members to be sharing that information, which helps to kind of feel like a new belonger that you are a part of a team, which is really nice to build those connections. And then one of the things when we were hiring some new staff members that I really liked and they did as well as we offered. So our interview process was all virtual. And they, we had offered or maybe they brought it up like, Oh, it’d be great to meet, you know, before we start, because even onboarding was virtual. And, you know, we have team members that are all kind of co located in the Seattle area, and we just got together for a coffee outside. I think, you know, that’s been shared as like a really helpful thing just on a Friday, I think we, you know, met somewhere in the middle, gave them a little, you know, bag with Reaver water bottle and something in it. And just, you know, we’re, we’re able to welcome them to the team and they got to kind of put real faces outside of Zoom and kind of build those relationships before they kicked off their onboarding, which, you know, you talked a lot about the pre -boarding, which I thought, you know, that was super helpful for team members
Lindsay Foley
sometimes. Yeah, build those relationships. You know, having a friend and a buddy at work makes things, you know, significantly better. I think, as we all know, right, we look forward to going to work, we look forward to the projects we’re working on. And so, you know, making sure you’re getting to know your co workers is important. So, yeah, yeah. And obviously,
Sarah Wilkins
we just talked about the new hire onboarding experience that yeah, made me think too, about the continued onboarding or re recruiting that is required, right to keep the team, you know, happy. And I know you just completed our engagement survey, which is so important to us. And maybe we’ll talk about that on the podcast one day. But you know, how important those feedback moments are where you can hear from others and, you know, make sure that people are still happy and things are going well and if they’re not, are there things that can be changed to support a better work environment? Yeah, kind of
Lindsay Foley
like everboarding. I heard that. I was like, oh, it is kind of like everboarding. You know, onboarding never stops, really. We’re always learning. I learn every single day in this role something new, which I love. But yeah, we’re always onboarding.
Sarah Wilkins
Yeah. Everboarding. I really like that term. Yeah, any, you know, closing thoughts before we wrap up? Yeah, I would say to close up, you know, be creative, try
Lindsay Foley
something new. Nothing is set in stone. There’s going to be times where things don’t work out, go back to the whiteboard, change it up. It’s okay. Do things to improve. Ask for feedback is the number one. Don’t leave the onboarding finished without asking for that feedback. That is your power. That is what you want us to soak up. So don’t be afraid to revamp your processes. Try something new. Your people are your biggest asset. We need to make sure they’re cared for, make sure we onboard them to ensure that they have success in your company. So yeah, so be sure to try something new, I think, is what I’ll close out with.
Sarah Wilkins
Awesome. Well, thank you so much. Super fun. Such a fun topic to be getting to talk about onboarding and bringing new team members on. Thank you for sharing.
Lindsay Foley
Yeah, thanks for having me.
Sarah Wilkins
Thank you for listening to this episode of Humans Beyond Resources. Visit ReverbPeople .com to find free resources, subscribe to our newsletter, and connect with our team. If you haven’t already, subscribe to stay up to date on all of our upcoming episodes. We look forward to having you as part of our community.
Thank you again to our podcast sponsors. Joshua Brittingham of Kearney Bailey Spellman is a seasoned employment lawyer, and he works with entrepreneurs and business leaders, especially in construction, hospitality, and financial services to help them handle sticky employee situations so they can thrive in a complex world. Joshua is also a professional speaker, panelist, and teacher on the topic of all things employment law. AHT Insurance is an insurance brokerage and consulting firm offering property and casualty employee benefits, retirement, private client, and international services for clients throughout the United States and 42 other countries. Supporting numerous industries and boasting national recognition in the technology, manufacturing, government contracting, and non -profit practice areas, AHT offers clients highly customized solutions to identify and help mitigate risks they may face. Parker, Smith & Feek is a nationally recognized, privately held brokerage firm. They offer a full range of services including employee benefits, commercial, and personal insurance and everything in between. The depth and breadth of their staff experience sets them apart as they provide stellar service and imaginative solutions for all clients.
