You started your business because you wanted to be your own boss. You wear every hat. Now, you’re at the point where you’re ready to welcome some helping hands.
Chances are you’ll be facing the task yourself. You may be thinking, “Where do I start?” or “How do I find the right people?” You want to surround yourself with top talent, people who share your mission; and of course, people who can help take your business to the next level.
Let’s have a look at eight essential tips to smooth out the process for both the employer and employee.
1. Don’t rush the On-Boarding process.
Your company’s on-boarding process is going to determine how successful your new hires will be. Even the most skilled and experienced candidates you hire are going to need to learn about company processes and protocols and will need to understand your organization’s mission, vision and strategic goals. Unfortunately, many companies rush through the new-hire process because they want to get their new staff members working right away.
Making your training process too brief or too incomplete in the name of getting your new hire to start working sooner is likely to backfire and impede productivity.
2. Create a New Hire Checklist
A new hire on-boarding checklist helps managers and HR make sure they are covering all the necessary steps to prepare for on-boarding a new employee and guide them through the process of becoming part of a successful team.
The first days after a new employee starts will set the tone for their time with your company; and determine if your investment in a new hire will pay off.
3. Ensure Employee Handbooks are readily available or accessible.
Having a comprehensive employee handbook is a must for any company. Outlining every organizational policy provides your team members with answers to common questions and conveys workplace expectations and conduct.
4. Ask your new hire about their prior On-Boarding experiences.
Candidate experience has a direct impact on business from an organization’s reputation to its profitability. For both the new hire and the employer, there is a lot riding on the first day. Either all the expectations and promise of the interviews will come to fruition, or hopes will be dashed.
Candidates share their positive recruiting experiences with their inner circles (family, friends, & peers) over 81% of the time and their negative experiences 66% of the time. Candidates also share positive (51%) and negative (34%) hiring experiences via social media.
5. Have all paperwork ready (i.e. W-4, I-9, Non-Disclosure Agreement, Non-Compete Agreement, etc).
A well-organized essential document packet will give the employee confidence that their employer is detail-oriented and efficient and that all legal and financial documents are in place.
6. Have the employee’s workstation ready and waiting.
Having a “home base” that is ready for your new arrival is crucial to an employee’s first impression of your company. As a new employee, nothing is worse than not having the tools you need to be successful. Setting up the new employee’s computer, email and phone numbers, providing any necessary office supplies ahead of time can help a new colleague feel valued from day one. This gives the new employee the tools to perform at their best.
7. Lay out your expectations.
Expectations are extremely powerful. If you hold a different set of expectations than the other person, then the personal or business relationship is doomed from the start. The key is understanding the power of expectations to help yourself and avoid that sinking feeling that things aren’t getting done properly.
8. Have projects ready for them to take on.
To put this tip into prospective, the following quote shall prove valuable to you and your business:
“Operations keeps the lights on, strategy provides a light at the end of the tunnel, but project management is the train engine that moves the organization forward.” ~ Joy Gumz
By having assignments readily available for your new hire allows you to see first hand how they can benefit your organization from their beginning and also allows them to prove their worth to the team.
- Eight Essential Tips To Smooth Out The Onboarding Process - February 25, 2019
