New Hire Necessities Part 1: Before the First Day
Did you know that 69% of new employees are more than likely to stay at their company for three years if they experience great onboarding?
Even more surprising are the studies showing that companies who invest in onboarding experience 2.5 times the revenue growth and 1.9 times the profit margin of companies who don’t.
The positive business results of effective onboarding programs are well documented, but organizations still struggle to prioritize and implement a successful process for their new hires.
Integrating a new hire into your team can be a hectic, busy time. Whether it’s an unexpected vacancy, an increase in demand, or a need for new talent, the pressure to hire and orient quickly often causes managers to neglect the onboarding process.
While at the time it might seem beneficial to rush through new hire onboarding, in the long run, your business, your team, and your employees will be more successful if you increase your onboarding investment.
We know it’s difficult to prioritize onboarding, but we also know how important it is!
That’s why we’ve written a three-part blog series “New Hire Necessities” to help you achieve onboarding success for your organization before, during, and after your new hire’s first day.
So, what exactly is Onboarding?
Onboarding and orientation are used in conjunction with each other so often that the difference between them can become fuzzy.
You might even be wondering; aren’t orientation and onboarding just two words for the same thing?
Not quite.
Onboarding is the extended process of integrating new employees into your team, and orientation is the first step in this process. Orientation is the new hire’s “first impression” of the workplace and serves as the foundation for a successful onboarding program.
Think of it this way:
Orientation is a one-time event where the new employee completes paperwork, receives office supplies, meets team members, and learns about the company’s mission.
Onboarding is a prolonged series of events that help the new hire understand how to be successful in their day-to-day job and how their work contributes to the overall business.
You can’t have one without the other – the logistics shared in orientation and the understanding gained in onboarding work together to help your team members thrive in their roles.
To get started developing an effective onboarding process for your organization, complete the list of new hire necessities below prior to your employee’s first day!
New Hire Necessities Part 1: Before the First Day
For the Manager:
– Complete your company’s internal hiring process and any required paperwork.
– Connect with your IT department to get your new hire’s technology needs addressed. Don’t forget to get their log-in information for Day 1!
– Set-up your new hire’s workspace and make sure they have the supplies they need – bonus points if you make sure their desk isn’t dusty!
– Create a draft onboarding plan and an agenda for their first week to review with them on their first day.
– Email them information they’ll need for their first day like: a dress code overview, driving and parking directions, who to ask for when they arrive, and if they need to pack a lunch.
– Assign a mentor to the new employee to assist with conducting an office tour and showing them logistics like where copiers and mailboxes are located.
For the New Hire:
– Complete any employment paperwork that was sent prior to the first day.
– Do any self-paced training that was provided – like orientation videos or workplace personality assessments.
– Review the job description, policies, procedures, and company reports or websites.
– Try to settle any scheduling conflicts or personal life needs to assure you’re ready for your first day.
– Make sure you have what you need to follow the dress-code, especially if you’re entering a new work environment or career path.
– Create a draft onboarding plan of what an ideal onboarding experience would contain – try to think of your learning strengths and weaknesses so you can consider what teaching and management methods work best for you.
Pre-First Day Meet & Greet:
A week prior to the new hire’s first day, consider having a “Pre-First Day Meet & Greet” for the new hire and their manager to get to know each other and share an overview of first week expectations.
In this meeting, the manager can answer any questions the new employee may have, as well as review and finalize their onboarding plans.
For an added personal touch, the manager could provide a “quick-start guide” to the new employee that includes the information they’ll need for their first day rather than sending an email.
Making a Great First Impression
Remember that the quality of your onboarding process, specifically orientation, will be the first impression of your workforce that your new hire develops.
The necessities above will help you to introduce your company and your team in a positive way, which is a crucial component of increasing your business’s retention and productivity.
As the saying goes, “you’ll never get a second chance to make a first impression,” so why not try to implement at least 3 of our pre-first day necessities with your next new hire!
In Part 2 of our “New Hire Necessities” blog, we’ll share some tips for providing a successful and effective first day experience!
Do you need help creating a successful onboarding process for your company? We can help! Give us a call at 877-753-0970 or check out our website to learn about outsourcing your employee issues to Integrity HR here.
