Onboarding new employees is an important process for any business and an important step in getting new employees acclimated to their new job and company. It sets the tone for their entire employment experience and lays the foundation for a productive, positive work relationship. When done correctly, onboarding helps new employees feel welcome, supported, and prepared to do their best work.
Here are five quick tips for onboarding new employees:
- Ask your team members to write up a short bio about themselves. Provide it to your new employees on their first day. This allows the new employee to quickly identify commonalities with the people on the team and helps create a space where the new employee and veteran staff can quickly build rapport.
- As a first assignment, ask new employees to write up a bio about themselves, add it to the team bio, and redistribute it to the team. This allows your new employees to introduce themselves with the information they would like to share about themselves in their own voice. It will also be a first assignment, which helps the new employee feel productive on the first day.
- Clearly communicate expectations and duties from the very beginning. New employees should know exactly what is expected of them and what they can expect from their co-workers and managers. Discuss the schedule for the first week and ask about everyone’s preferred communication style on day one.
- Make yourself available. Do not wait for new employees to come to you with questions. Seek them out at least once daily to find out how they are doing.
- Provide opportunities for new employees to learn about the company’s culture, values, and history. They should feel like they are part of something larger and understand the company’s mission and goals.
- Give employees the tools and resources they need to be successful in their new roles. This might include access to training materials or introductions to key people in the company.
- When checking in with new employees, keep your questions open-ended. For example, instead of asking a yes or no question like, “Do you have any questions?” try the open-ended version: “What questions do you have?” New employees often have plenty of questions, but they may not say so for fear of seeming incompetent. By asking questions in an open-ended way, you let them know that questions are fully expected. Here are some helpful open-ended questions to build rapport when onboarding new employees:
- How does this compare to your previous experience at your last job?
- What was the most valuable part of the training/shadowing you experienced today/this week, etc.?
- What questions do you need to ask to understand better…?
- How do you see the things you learned today connecting with the job description of your position?
Remember: The first month of onboarding new employees is about building rapport and trust.
Done well, onboarding helps new employees hit the ground running and provides a strong foundation for a long, successful career with your company.
This post was proofread by Grammarly