By the time a new hire starts their first day at your organization, you would have already spent hours interviewing them, vetting them, and preparing paperwork for their arrival. A lot of time and money is invested into a new hire even before they come on board, and this does not slow down when the first day comes around. Having an effective employee onboarding process can make a huge difference for your organization as well as the new employee.
This article will cover questions you need to ask yourself before implementing a formal onboarding process at your organization. Let’s begin.
Q1. What Is the Goal of the Onboarding Process?
The first question you need to consider should be about the goal of the onboarding process. Usually, the goal of the onboarding process is to transition the new hire smoothly, but you need to dig deeper and answer questions about specific goals. For example: How can the process of collecting data and personal information be streamlined?? Is your goal to acclimatize them to the organization and create a positive environment for them? Do you plan on providing a comprehensive overview of the role and ensure preliminary training and induction are completed?? When you identify these goals in order of their importance, you can build a focused and effective onboarding process.
Q2. Does Your Employee Onboarding Process Start with Pre-Boarding?
When employees think about onboarding, they automatically imagine the HR manager throwing endless paperwork and information at them, and this is not the ideal way to kick things off. We recommend employers start the process before the employee’s first day via pre-boarding. You can request important paperwork and information with the new hire over email with one link using onboarding software like Onboarded to orient your new hires with the company. This will allow time for more meaningful orientation/induction activities on the first day, like socializing and meeting with the new team.
Q3. What Are the Must-Have Milestones You Need to Achieve to Reach the End of the Onboarding Process?
Regardless of how long your onboarding process is, you need to set daily and weekly milestones to successfully check off each item from your employee onboarding checklist. Here’s a rough list of milestones you should achieve within the first week and month:
Introductory Phase:
- Begin new hire entry activities (signing paperwork, bank forms, superannuation, etc. and training forms and videos
- On their first day meet the supervising manager, team, key contacts, and department heads
- Allow the manager to set expectations and share job details
Acclimation Phase:
- Ensure the new hire has completed new hire activities and training
- Build a professional network and key contacts within the organization
- Partner with teammates to learn the job and take on tasks
- Begin the employee goal-setting and performance review process
- Understand the probation period and company expectations
If you are a hiring manager we highly recommend using employee surveys after the first week and first month. The answers from these surveys will tell you if things are going according to plan and if the tools you are using are running effectively.
Q4. How Can You Overcome Corporate Silos through the Onboarding Process?
The most important thing is to align all the divisions and tasks. Once you do that, the onboarding process will fall in place and you can monitor where each candidate is in the process. . The best way to get everyone on the same page is to create a centralized resource and then govern its use.
To centralize onboarding, we recommend using an internal source where major company information can be shared, such as Onboarded’s HR onboarding software. It can keep link all the required documentation, check references, conduct VEVO checking and allow you to see the full process ensuring compliance for employers and agencies.
You also need to find ways to ensure onboarding tools and resources are being utilized effectively. The best way to do this is through new employee feedback. Ask the new hire questions that will help you zero in on the parts of the process that are working well or those that need improvement. Their answers can help you determine the success of your onboarding efforts.
Q5. How Long Should the Onboarding take?
The length of the onboarding process is also important. For some companies, employee onboarding takes one day and for others up to three months. You need to plan your onboarding phase accordingly. Ensure your employees have time to adjust and train to do the job well.
Final Words
Your company must meet the expectations of those that they intend on hiring, most forms are now completed online and these processes have been streamlined and made more efficient with automation. Review your current process and seek out the best onboarding software platforms to do the hard work and follow up.
