New Employee Success: The Ultimate Guide To Employee Onboarding, Part II

Welcome to the Team!

Hiring a new employee and getting them from “newbie” to “ready-for-work” can feel like a daunting, time-consuming task. Human resources has taken care of the legalities and formal onboarding, but department managers now have to get the new hire up and running.

To ensure that your new employee is going to be successful, you need to develop a plan that can be replicated and used for all new hires in every position. Doing this work upfront will make the onboarding process so much easier for everyone.

Create a Checklist

The checklist should include informing IT of the new arrivals start date so that a workstation can be set up appropriately for the new employee before arriving. As IT is setting up the technical side of the new workstation, will the new employee need supplies? Does the person in charge of company supplies need to issue equipment for the new arrival?

Depending on the job, the new hire may need:

• Email account
• Business cards
• Name tags if applicable
• Keys or password access to the building and secured facilities
• Access to company portals (timesheets, reference docs, programs that are necessary to complete work)
• Passwords for websites
• Log in information
• Temporary passwords

Once you’ve tailored this list for the new employee, create a checklist and an assignment grid:

Don’t Skimp on the Swag

A swag bag that includes company branded pens, hats, shirts, mugs, mousepads will help your new hire feel welcome and part of the team. These items also up your branding and marketing game.

Meeting the Team

Introducing the new hire to the leadership team is a smart move. The new employee may be overwhelmed, and introductions to the colleagues help them feel accepted and empowered to do their job.

If necessary, schedule meetings in advance with the appropriate department heads. These scheduled meetings will save time and annoying reschedules.

If You Fail to Prepare, Prepare to Fail

Even if you have a formal onboarding and training program for new hires, a job duty list is vital. Many companies forget to use this powerful, overlooked tool. Base the duties and responsibilities on the job description. Create checklists for all positions. Once you have this list, a great way to start is to:

1. a) Have their immediate supervisor go over the list with them; and,
2. b) Assign a colleague to be their point person for questions after a job shadow period.

Depending on the job requirements and expectations, allowing time for a new hire to job shadow a colleague for a couple of days is ideal. This process eases the new employee into the role and adds to the quality of their work.

Important Note: Select your colleague matches very carefully. There should be a few people who are very professional and who excel at their job to call on for this role. Although it would be ideal to meet with the mentoring colleague about the new hire’s progress, it is best to have the mentoring colleague fill out a prepared checklist created to support the new employee’s growth at the company. This avoids any loaded and personal opinions that may create tension between all parties.

Attention all Staff!

Be sure to introduce your new employee to the group in your weekly newsletter or a staff email. Include their name, job title, extension, office location and email address.

The key to onboarding new staff is proper planning, and to have systems in place before the new hire shows up for their first day. Onboarding a new employee half-heatedly can lead to poor job performance and unclear expectations. Having a checklist and a definite plan of action will lead to a smoother process for everyone and will it will help your new employee be productive quickly.