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4 Ways to Improve The Onboarding Process for New Hires

Today’s marketplace attracts smart, dynamic individuals. You want to get the most out of these potential superstars. To do that, you need to set the tone on Day One with a stellar onboarding process.

Creating programs to introduce and orient your incoming hires generates significant value for your organization. It doesn’t just set the stage for the specific employee to succeed. It also leads to benefits for the company as a whole.

A study conducted by Glassdoor attempted to put some numbers on these advantages. It showed that a well-developed onboarding strategy boosted employee retention by 82%. At the same time, it increased productivity by 70%.

And yet, the vast majority of companies don’t get the most out of this opportunity. In fact, some statistics suggest that nearly nine out of 10 organizations (88%) don’t onboard effectively.

How can you avoid this fate? Here are four ways to improve the onboarding process for new hires:

4 Ways to Impress Your Organization’s New Hires with a Smooth Onboarding Process

Start Before the First Day

Don’t wait until your new employee officially begins work. Get as much of the mundane paperwork and orientation complete ahead of time.

This way, you can jump right into the more interesting aspects of onboarding when that formal start date comes. You’ll also get the added benefit of streamlining the process.

At the very least, keep the lines of communication open ahead of the first day. Welcome your new employee and make yourself available for questions. Layout how the initial process will work and provide informational materials for your incoming employee to review.

Create an Organized Process

Keep in mind that your new hire is walking into an unknown environment. That can create an intimidating situation. However, you can take steps to minimize the stress involved.

Put together a transparent, organized process for onboarding. Try to use the same model for each employee, so you can have some quality control about the outcome.

Here are a few specific tips to consider:

  • Don’t Overschedule: Don’t overwhelm your new hire. You don’t have to finish every aspect of onboarding on Day One.
  • Provide a Timeline: Let your incoming employee know what to expect. Give them a step-by-step timeline so they don’t feel adrift in their new role.
  • Automate What You Can: Speed people through the paperwork by using online tools and automation.
  • Take a Long View: Hopefully, your incoming employee has just begun a long tenure at your company. The goal of onboarding should be to set them up for a successful future. Keep that in mind as you organize your procedures.

Offer a Personal Touch

An organized approach to onboarding helps with efficiency and can make incoming employees feel secure. However, taken too far, this approach can create a bureaucratic vibe. This can be alienating.

Prevent this by adding a personal touch. Find ways to make human contact between your incoming worker and your existing staff. At the same time, express your excitement about having your new employee join the team.

Here are a few steps you can take:

  • Include some fun activities
  • Introduce coworkers
  • Assign a mentor

Provide for Two-Way Communication

Onboarding shouldn’t seem like a series of lectures. You are forming a relationship with your new employee. As such, the interaction should feel more like a conversation.

Encourage your incoming worker to ask as many questions as they can. Check in on them to see how they are doing. Prompt them to offer feedback, so you can see how well the onboarding worked.

Getting your new team members off to a good start sets them up for continued success during their stay at your company. It helps to have the right support and guidance during the onboarding stage.

Looking to Attract Top Professionals to Your Company? Elby Professional Recruitment Can Help!

You can get this with Elby Professional Recruitment. You’ll find the right candidates for your operation and get the information you need to integrate them seamlessly into your operation.

Contact Elby today to learn more.

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