How to Create the Perfect Onboarding Process

Having an inadequate, undeveloped or inefficient company onboarding process will result in many different issues for your organization in the future. If new hires and employees do not get the proper information or enthusiasm they deserve after they come onboard, they might walk out without even a backwards glance. 

In fact, reports show that:

• About 50% of new hires are fired or quit within their first six months
• 40$ of new CEOs will fail in their first 18 months
• Up to 60% of newly hired management employees will also fail within their first 18 months

In many cases, the recruiting process has become expensive in more ways than one. Not only can it be financially draining to hire, but it also lowers employee morale. The good news is that you can prevent these mistakes from happening if you implement a successful onboarding process. 

A bad experience early on can lead to higher employee turnover, but a great experience can kick off a happy and fulfilling, long term career. 

The Steps to Creating the Perfect Onboarding Process

A good employee onboarding process is carefully planned out so that new hires can get the information, tools and make the relationships they need to feel comfortable and confident that they can excel in their new role. The onboarding process will set the tone for the employee’s tenure with your company, and sometimes even their entire career. 

Successful onboarding requires well thought out steps. You can follow the steps outlined below as the starting point on which you can build your own perfect onboarding process. You can layer in smaller substeps that are specific to your own company culture to make the process unique and reflective of your company’s personality. 

Best Practices to Recruiting New Employees

The recruitment process needs to leave new employees with a good sense of what your company is looking for in a role and who you are as a company (what your missions, values, culture, and people are like).

Be sure to review your website, job descriptions, interview questions, and any other prospective employee touchpoint to ensure clarity, accuracy, and tone. Consider giving your potential new hires a task or test to see how they work and so that they can also observe how you would expect them to work should they get the job.

Make sure you are transparent with your company policies surrounding scheduling, remote work, and vacation policies since all of these deeply impact employees.

New Hires’ First Visit to the Office

During your new hires’ first visit to the office, your goal should be to give them a transparent view into a day in the life at your company. Being compatible within the work environment as well as with colleagues has a huge impact on employees. This serves as an indication of whether or not a candidate will mesh with the company culture and work style. 

When they visit, show them where they would work and what tools or equipment they will be using to do their work. Give them a tour of the entire office while giving them a chance to ask any questions, and introduce them to the people who pass by. Show them spaces that are practical, but not necessarily exciting, like the parking garage, restrooms, elevators or supply rooms. 

Early Onboarding

During the early onboarding stage, you should be getting your new candidate excited for the job. Your onboarding process commences as soon as the candidate signs your offer letter. This window between the offer acceptance and the start date gives you the opportunity to engage with your candidate, so you should make the most of it. 

Encourage your hiring managers to get your new candidates excited for their new role by sharing role-relevant information and documents, including any important background details. However, you should avoid making them feel pressured into reviewing them and explain that you simply want to share this information for more clarity. 

It’s also a great idea to provide an itinerary for at least their first week with you, as well as set them up with their company email address or phone number, and access details for any of your company’s communication tools. And, if you can, provide them with a checklist that outlines their assignments and goals for their first week. 

Ask your new hire’s new team to send out a welcome email. It can include things like why they love working for your company, or why they might be excited to meet and work with the new hire. Continue to reach out to the new hire to address any of their concerns or answer any questions. 

Ongoing Employee Engagement and Team Building

While you can’t control exactly how your new hire will socialize and network in your company, you can definitely make efforts to help them along by providing opportunities here and there to build key relationships and make new connections across the office. 

Check-in with your new hires after their first week, then again after the first 30 days, and lastly after their first 60 days. Ask them how they feel overall if they need specific support, resources, or equipment to be able to work more efficiently. 

Ask your direct managers to create a regular check-in schedule, which is not only important for new hires, but with all employees. You can also offer plenty of recognition or on-the-spot rewards using platforms that can track their progress, such as 1Huddle. 

Level Up Your Team With 1Huddle

1Huddle can help you and your team stay ahead of the learning curve. We offer cloud-based employee gamification software. You can customize your content for a seamless experience and all of your employees will be able to access their training anywhere, anytime and at the push of a button. You can use our game platform to measure their performance and make key decisions on where you should take your gamification strategy next. 

Do you want to learn more about how 1Huddle can help you level up your own workforce? Talk to us today.