Onboarding

What is onboarding?

Onboarding is the process of introducing a newly hired employee into an organization. It’s the perfect opportunity to get them clued up on your values, introduce them to the team and make them feel welcome from day one.

Also known as organizational socialization, onboarding plays an important part in helping employees understand their new position and job requirements. It’s a process that helps new hires integrate seamlessly with the rest of the company.

What are onboarding activities?

There are many steps to work through in the onboarding process, from the job offer to team training to getting your new employee familiar with your employee handbook and policies. An effective onboarding process helps employees get up to speed quickly, with a consistent process that ensures everyone starts their role on the same footing.

Onboarding activities can include:

• Sending a job offer letter
• Compensation conversations and salary negotiation
• New-hire paperwork (make sure this sent before their first day!)
• Policy and culture training
• Specific job-role training
• Employee handbook training
• Benefits paperwork
• Benefits education
• Facility tours
• Executive introductions
• Team introductions
• Ice breakers
• An onboarding buddy
• Provide them with company swag (think pens, a notepad or a mug that they can use with pride)
• Host a welcome lunch
• Announce the hire on social media
• Offer remote employees in-house training
• Support remote employees in setting up their home office.

What is a typical onboarding process?

Onboarding begins the moment a candidate accepts a job offer and ends when the new employee is fully integrated and performing as needed in their role. It can vary, but onboarding typically includes the following:

1. Pre-boarding: The offer is accepted. Here you can send a welcome pack and paperwork and start getting systems ready.
2. Orientation: This covers the employee’s first day. Provide an overview of the business, culture and policies.
3. Training: Depending on the role, you’ll now have an experienced team member work with the employee to get them trained on any systems they need to use. Consider either shadowing them or providing them with an onboarding buddy who’ll be on hand to answer any questions.
4. Integration: Here you can encourage relationships and bonding with the organization. Organize ice breakers and team lunches to bring everyone together.

In a survey of US employees, we found that the quality of onboarding experienced by new employees dramatically impacts their impression on a business. Just a warm welcome could make them more loyal team members.

The best onboarding processes will include relational onboarding, which includes:

• Setting expectations
• Building relationships with other employees
• Creating confidence and trust
• Creating a clear definition of roles and boundaries.

Starting a new job can be overwhelming, and onboarding is most effective when it is spread out over time. This allows employees to better retain information by giving them time to process everything and ask questions as needed.

Should the onboarding process be different for a remote employee?

We’ve established that poor onboarding can have a negative impact on an employee. Onboarding processes that don’t capture everything a new team member needs can result in them feeling disconnected from the team, undertrained and undervalued.

So, when a remote employee starts, keep in mind that they won’t have the same interactions as those based in the office. There will be no team lunches or icebreaker challenges in a meeting room or casual chats at the coffee machine. This is why having a separate onboarding plan for remote employees is essential.

• Build a digital connection. Ensure there is some form of digital channel so they can reach out to other team members. There are around 320 million daily active users on Microsoft Teams. Apps like these can provide a quick and convenient line of communication.
• Offer in-person support. Whether it be social events, seminars or general training, inviting a remote employee into the office or a different location for in-person support can help them feel valued.
• Send a welcome email. Sending a welcome email can help a new remote employee feel part of the team. Consider sending out a “getting to know” type round up and a mixture of background information and fun facts about the new employee so others can learn more about them.
• Use employee onboarding software. Ensure onboarding is as smooth as possible with the right onboarding software. The right platform can help you sort everything in one place, from organizing paperwork signatures to setting up important tasks for them to complete on their first day.