Get It Right from Day 1!

Bringing in a new member of the team is always an exciting time. A fresh face and a new personality can be a strange experience as they slowly learn the ropes of your business. While every worker settles in at their own pace, there are several things you, as an employer, can do to ensure the smoothest onboarding possible. 

Think of the following checklist as your little cheat sheet to set your new employees up for success every time and get them to maximum productivity as soon as possible. 

1. Make Them Feel Welcome! 

We have all experienced first-day jitters and know how nerve-racking it can be to start in a new position, so why not take as much stress off your new team member by doing some of the following things: 

• Send them a fun welcome email, providing useful information about their first day, including where to go and who to talk to.
• Make a post about them on LinkedIn to show you are excited about them joining your team.
• Provide their essential paperwork in advance, allowing them to review and fill everything in before starting work.
• Have their workspace/accounts/access set up, regardless of whether your new hire is working remotely or in-office. 

2. Show Them Around! 

Whether working in an office or remotely, taking the time to introduce your newest team member to all the relevant people, tools, and policies is a critical step in onboarding. Firstly, this will allow them to become instantly more familiar with their workplace and secondly will save you from constantly hearing, "Ummmm who do I have to talk to about this?"

• Provide an orientation, guiding them through companies policies, and expectations
• Schedule a meet-and-greet to meet all necessary staff and departments.
• Assign a buddy or mentor who they can go to for help.
• Set clear goals and expectations of what you would like for them to aim for on their first day, week, and month.
   

3. Don't Forget About Them After The First Day! 

A common mistake made by many employers across every industry is that after completing initial induction, some employees are left to their own devices. This commonly results in new employees taking longer to adapt to their workload or developing poor productivity. 

• Schedule regular catchups to see how they are doing with your set goals and ask if they are encountering any issues.
• Celebrate every milestone, big or small. "Completed a difficult task? Congratulations!" "Made it past your probation? Let us grab lunch!" These things will help make your team members feel appreciated and motivated to continue. 
  
  

At the end of the day, this checklist is not meant to be a list of must-dos but a suggestion of things we have seen work repeatedly. We understand that every company is different and may do things differently, but we have seen firsthand that companies that put in the effort to ensure a smooth onboarding for their fresh staff instantly see results in areas such as productivity, morale, and employee retention.