Employee satisfaction and retention are crucial concerns for modern organizations. Hiring and training new people costs money and makes turnover painful for a business. The way you treat new workers decides their longevity in the organization. So it makes sense to go the extra mile with their onboarding experience. Once you find great fits, make sure that you onboard them well. If you ace on this front, you can keep them for the long haul. But most organizations fail to realize the significance of a top-notch onboarding experience. Luckily, you need not do a lot to optimize it. Follow these best practices, and you can have a good one.
Communicate beforehand
It is easy to be out of sight after giving a job offer. But isn’t the best way to bond with potential employees. It presents a callous picture of your organization. Making efforts to communicate with them even before joining does just the opposite. It ensures they come in on a positive note. HR managers must stay in touch with new hires and keep them informed about what to expect during the first week. They will join all set and ready to get to work.
Provide a welcome kit
Another thing to do before joining is to provide the potential hires with a welcome kit. Essentially, it should include literature that defines your company, its culture, processes, team, and goals. Share it well in time so that the new hire can go through it thoroughly. Knowing the company well before coming in makes people more comfortable, and they blend in easily.
Automate the onboarding process
The actual onboarding process involves multiple processes, and it is easy to miss out on one or more steps. Things can get challenging for an employee who just joins if they do not get proper orientation. Likewise, the repetitive and time-consuming steps can be burdensome for your HR team. You can adopt an employee onboarding platform for automating the process and reducing the administrative burden. Conversely, HR managers can focus on the human element of the job, helping recruits feel comfortable in the new environment.
Define success metrics as a part of training
Another best practice to fine-tune the onboarding process is to define success metrics early. Let the recruits know what you expect them to do, from their goals to timelines and work processes. Integrating the information into the training process is a good idea as people do not feel overwhelmed with expectations. Ensure to give them relevant KPIs to help them measure their performance and give their best.
Pair every new hire with a work buddy
Blending in becomes easier for fresh recruits when they have someone to guide them. You need not assign a mentor right away, but pairing them with a work buddy is a good option. Ideally, it should be a team member who can show them around and address their concerns. New employees will be more comfortable when they have someone in a similar role around at all times.
Employee onboarding can make or break their initial experience with your company. So it deserves all the attention you can give. Following these best practices can keep you on the right track with it.
