10 Tips for Onboarding a New Hire
By Employers Corner

Onboarding a New Hire in especially in a country like Nigeria can be a daunting task for recruiters. This is naturally due to ineffective planning or a proper laid down employee onboarding processes. The onboarding process should start far before the new hire’s first day.

“Onboarding” refers to the all the processes involved in integrating new hires into the organization. During the onboarding, new hires go through an orientation process. They also earn about the organisation’s structure, culture, vision, mission and values. It is important to onboard effectively, so new hires can be well integrated into the system.

Here are 10 tips for onboarding a new hire that we compiled:

1. Send them a welcome message:

Also known as pre-boarding, you should send a welcome message to new employees before they start. This can help them prepare and know what to expect on their first day. It can also save time in the onboarding process. An introductory email is important as this can make the new hire enthusiastic about the job.

2. Develop a complete set of guidelines and expectations:

Job seekers tend to apply for as many jobs as they can, so you may want to be as concise as you can. A job description should include:

  • Job title, work hours, remuneration
  • A clear objective of the job which explains general roles and descriptions
  • Education, experience level and skills required for the job

Without clear job expectations and goals, hires can get confused about their roles on the job. This can make them quit within a short period of time.

3. Introduce them to the team:

Make sure to introduce the new hire to everyone they will be working with. This gives them an opportunity to meet, speak with them and get to know them. Making the new hire feel welcomed on the first day can build confidence during the difficult training period and make them feel comfortable.

Include their roles, and maybe a photo along with some background information so that other employees know who they’re meeting.

4. Ask Your Team For Input:

Ask team members about their experience during their onboarding and review the feedback that you get. This will help to identify areas you need improvement.

For example, maybe new hires indicated that they wish some company ethics were documented during their time. In this case, you could work on creating an handbook.

It is important to continually strive to improve your onboarding process so you can prepare and set up new hires for success.

5. Use automation to fasten your recruiting process:

Using automation to organise and manage the manual and administrative tasks associated with talent recruiting helps fasten the whole process.

An applicant tracking system with recruiting technology makes the candidate experience better, saves time, and helps attract, manage, and secure top talent.

Tracking applicants, sending emails, scheduling interviews and posting job updates is made easier.

6. Spend enough time onboarding:
Avoid making your new hire get to work immediately, without effectively onboarding them. Taking enough time to onboard gives them ample time to get accustomed with the role and organization too. Onboarding a new employee should be a long-term process and to make it smooth, stretch out the information and acclimation.

7. Teach them team dynamics:

New employees should be taught the inner workings of both the company and their team as early as possible. Each team in an organization has its own policies and dynamics. Teaching the new hire all of these policies will help them work better on the team and with team members

8. Check in with them regularly:

Onboarding doesn’t all happen in one day or even one week. Creating a multi-week onboarding program with as many check-ins as possible gets new hires fully immersed in the business, their colleagues and their objectives. The hiring manager should schedule a regular time to have a check-in with the new hire. This could be once every two weeks for the first three months of work. Listening to employee’s feedback during this period will help improve their experience.

9. Allow time for adequate training:

New hires can tend to leave when they become unclear of expectations and are unable to reach the proposed goals. To help them reach these goals, it is important to give them some training on how to go about their roles in an organization like yours.

Led by the new hire’s manager, a conversation where goals are defined and there are follow-ups and check-in meetings should be held. This can be done to look out for feedback and support.

10. Create a personnel file for them:

Keep all of their important information and details in an HR file. This can include tax paperwork, application letter, medical notes, feedback notes, employment eligibility etc. Reviewing the file early can set a precedent of documentation and review.

 

These few tips will in many ways help you give your employee the best experience joining your organisation. Onboarding is important as it can be likened to building a great foundation for a building you would like to stand the test of time.