You spend time wording an advert to find the perfect employee for your business. You spend time editing it to ensure prospective employees understand exactly what the position entails. You spend time placing the ads for maximum exposure. You spend time on telephone interviews, short-listing candidates. You spend time interviewing. Until eventually you believe you have found the best person for the job. Time is money.
Unfortunately, for a lot of companies, there’s no plan for bedding the new employee in and making them feel welcome.
We’ve put together a free guide on onboarding new employees so that you can retain talented members of staff and improve the morale of your workplace.
The beginning is not the end:
After all that cost, doesn’t it make sense to mentor your new member of staff for a time? This way, you don’t have to go through the whole time-consuming process again three months down the line. The beginning of your new employee’s employment shouldn’t be the end of your involvement. Now is the time to start the on-boarding process, and help your new staff member settle into their role within the company.
Day 1 should be all about induction
In the most successful companies, the most productive and forward thinking companies, the old them-and-us attitude died years ago. Nowadays, from the CEO down to the factory cleaner, first name terms are the norm.
A new employee’s first day is always one of jangling nerves. While it might be easier to ask the office secretary to escort Mr Smith to your office, instead, ask whoever interviewed him to meet him in reception. A familiar face helps calm the butterflies.
Introduce the new face
After the office meet, having handed over ID card, door opening codes, passwords and paperwork, it’s time for the staff to meet their new colleague. A full company tour, from start to finish, with introductions along the way, will help your new employee feel part of the organisation, and not just a cog in the wheel. It also gives him the opportunity to ask any questions about the different processes he will be involved in, and to view the finished product.
Workspace Induction
After lunch – yes it’s going to take all day – introduce your new hire to his workspace and close workmates. It’s also time to introduce him to the guy who will be mentoring him through the initial settling in period. While you go visit the coffee machine they can run through all the software, machinery or other processes your new staff member will be working with. It gives them a chance to get to know each other, and your new worker the opportunity to gain greater insight into what is expected of him. End of day one.
Quality on-boarding should be part of company policy:
In the last 40 years, workspace in office, manufacturing, and retailing has changed almost out of recognition. Light, bright open-plan offices with glass partitions separating offices from production and manufacturing areas are the norm. So too the working relationship between senior management and office and shop-floor staff has improved. Greater productivity and creativity has been achieved because of happier and more contented workers.
On day two don’t message over the tannoy for John Smith to come to the office, so you can ask how he’s getting on. Walk down to his workspace, ask how he’s doing, chat with his mentor, and show you are genuinely interested in how things are going. And do it on a regular basis, until you are sure he feels comfortable and settled in his new working environment.
Although it seems like everything we’ve said is common sense, you’d be surprised at the number of companies that neglect this monumentally important stage of an employees career.