Top 5 Tips For Onboarding New Employees

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Bringing new employees into a business is an exciting time for both the company and the individual. Done right, it can be the start of a successful relationship for both parties, an opportunity to build and strengthen teams and to define the company culture.


Weather you're the employer or the employee, first impressions are important. And for every employee, the first few days and weeks are crucial. A good experience means better retention prospects, which are good for you and your business. To help you make a success of employee onboarding we’ve put together our top five tips.

1. Make them feel welcome

Welcome new hires with open arms, and make sure your team does the same. Transparency across their reporting structure is important from the outset, as is encouraging an open relationship with HR. Having an open door policy is an easy way to create that environment, particularly if your layout includes private offices for managers and/or the company board. As well as encouraging open communication, this gesture serves as a symbol of the company’s commitment to openness, innovation, and collaboration.

Assigning new hires a buddy is another great way to bring them into the team. As well as demonstrating your commitment to their integration, this shows your existing employees that you value their input. By encouraging them to have an open relationship with their colleagues, your new employee will know you have nothing to hide.

2. Start before they do

Get things moving early. Integrating them into the company culture can be done in a variety of ways, from infographics and videos to a more traditional handbook. Giving them some time to prepare before their first-day induction/onboarding means they will arrive fresh and excited to learn more about the company.

Getting things moving internally is also key, to avoid any delays when they start. For example, ensure their profile is set up on your system, and that they have access to the equipment and desk space they need. Arriving in the middle of chaos can leave a new employee feeling like you weren’t quite ready for them, or even that they are intruding, which of course isn’t the note you want to start with.

3. Make the admin easy

No new employee wants to spend their first days filling in forms, producing paperwork or sitting in long, boring training sessions. Communicating with them early about what’s required is one way to make this easier, and presenting your necessary admin in a user-friendly way is another. Using a business process management system can make your life easier in this respect - particularly one like Polydojo that can be easily customized and adapted to your needs.

4. Involve them in the process

Show your openness and commitment to employees by requesting regular feedback and initiating and developing conversations with new starters. Ask for their feedback on your approach to onboarding and more generally on how you run your business. Coming from a different environment, they bring their own unique experiences and views with them, and that variety can truly benefit your business. Seek feedback from current employees too, and look to build it into your appraisal process where you can. If it's easier to track, consider automating the conversation (though never underestimate the power of human interaction).

Be responsive, too. Nothing shows you care more than a follow up to thank them for their suggestion, an email to inform employees about the progression of a particular project, or even a handwritten note.

5. Take time out

You can learn a lot more about people in a relaxed setting outside of the office than you can within it. Arranging drinks with a new starter on the week of their arrival (or, even better, before!) or taking time to have lunch with them sets a great tone.

As always, it’s easy to lose sight of the best way to do things when caught up in the excitement of the moment, or when it feels like the to-do list is never-ending. One way to make this easier is to have your process written down or automated. Not only does it make things smoother right now, it can really help in the future as your business grows.

Polydojo is an online platform for creating forms and workflows. It offers a multitude of benefits for workflow management and an easy way to optimize business processes. Why not start a free trial and see it for yourself?

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