How to Onboard a New Employee

The onboarding process is essential in determining whether an employee will flourish at a company or leave within a few months. It’s a chance to make a strong impression and introduce them to the company culture. 

New hires must feel welcome and assured they’re in the right place, and by setting a strong and clear foundation, employees will feel confident in their new role. Onboarding is meant to provide employees with the necessary resources to be successful in their new positions and increase employee retention and productivity. 

Learn about the process and how to onboard a new employee below.

What Is Employee Onboarding?

Employee onboarding is the process of integrating employees into a workplace. While it usually occurs after recruitment, onboarding can involve new hires or current employees taking up a new role. 

Typically delivered by a human resources member, onboarding provides employees with an understanding of their new role, expectations, and work environment. It can include introductions to coworkers or a tour of the office to make employees feel more comfortable working with other team members. 

The onboarding process can last a few days or even take up to a year.

Why Is Effective Onboarding So Important?

Effective onboarding sets an employee up for success. If new hires struggle to settle in or don’t fully understand their new position, the company can lose out on top talent. Effective onboarding makes employees feel welcome and accepted. 

It promotes communication between colleagues, ensures compliance with company procedures, and encourages productivity. In-person or virtual, successful onboarding provides the tools for employees to complete tasks proficiently and fulfill company expectations.

10 Steps to Successfully Onboard New Employees

Pre-boarding

Several documents need to be reviewed and filled out before employees’ first day of work. Pre-boarding involves emailing new hires a list of documents they must bring, the paperwork they need to complete, and general information regarding company protocol. The paperwork should be sent to new hires before onboarding begins. 

Pre-boarding prevents new hires from spending their first day filling out tedious forms instead of settling into their new work environment. This step also means ensuring their work account and email are set up and their office space is prepped.

Pre-boarding is also meant to prepare you for onboarding. Have a clear plan and set goals before meeting with your new hire. Knowing your goals for the company will help you visualize what a successful onboarding looks like. 

Consider using onboarding software to streamline the process and reduce the time spent manually filling out paperwork. Automation can prepare you for onboarding by keeping your documents organized and accessible.

Give a Tour

Employees adjust to a new company better when familiar with their workplace. Provide a tour of the building so they can get used to their surroundings. Advise them on which spaces they will use more often and common spaces like the break room. Tours can also include parking lots and the surrounding areas.

Employees also benefit from familiarizing themselves with other departments, even if their role doesn’t pertain to those areas. Walk them through these spaces and give them an idea of the work to prepare them for the inevitable day they work with other departments.

Make Introductions

It can be nerve-wracking to introduce yourself to strangers, and some people aren’t as inclined to introduce themselves to new colleagues. New hires will feel more comfortable meeting their coworkers when introduced by someone they know. Creating a welcoming environment will calm employees’ nerves and motivate them to work together. 

Introductions can occur when you come across people on an office tour, or you can set up a group meeting for formal introductions. If you’re working remotely, consider hosting a virtual meeting where everyone can introduce themselves and share some details.

Schedule a Meeting with Their Manager

Arguably, the most important introduction is with the manager, and meeting the manager can be intimidating. By scheduling a formal introduction, there will be less anxiety about running into the manager in the open and trying to nail a first impression. This meeting will allow the manager to voice their expectations and help new hires set goals. 

Similarly, the new hire can share their expectations and what they hope to learn from working at the company. By knowing the new hire’s work goals, the manager can know how to help them reach them.

A meeting with the manager is also an opportunity for both parties to get acquainted. Learning each others’ backgrounds and interests will help them see each other as unique individuals and not as cogs in a machine. While this meeting will be far from casual, the next step will allow new hires a chance to loosen up.

Go to Lunch

Schedule a time to go to lunch with your new hire. Extend this lunch invitation to the employee’s colleagues, manager, and anyone else they will be in close contact with. Lunch is often when new hires feel a little out of place.

By having lunch with them, you will make their first-day worries fade and build stronger relationships between team members. Meeting outside the workplace allows them to open up and be more comfortable in social settings. Alternatively, you can have lunch in the office cafeteria or break room to give new hires an idea of where they can eat their lunch.

Conduct Interviews

It’s important for your employees to feel heard, and there’s no better time to instill that feeling than on their first day. Entry interviews are useful for new hires to share any needs or concerns. 

They may be hesitant to speak up at first but will be more inclined to speak their mind when invited to share their thoughts. By making it clear from the beginning that their voice matters, employees will feel more comfortable asking for support or submitting feedback in the future.

Also, schedule an exit interview if a new hire decides to leave. While their time at the company didn’t pan out, it is helpful to understand their reasons for leaving. Learn whether or not they were unconvinced by the onboarding process or didn’t see themselves fitting in.

Provide Resources

You won’t be able to cover everything during onboarding, and it would be too much of a hassle for employees to track you down when they have a question, so providing them with resources will help them become more acquainted with the company. Resources should include an employee handbook, a guide on company culture, and a map of the office.

Some resources can be personalized to each employee. While all hires should receive a universal list of helpful information, try to find specific details that will be helpful in each new hire’s role. For example, if hiring a writer, provide a writer’s manual or writing samples to help them capture the company’s voice.

Explain Their Role

Employees’ performances come from their understanding of their roles. Expectations must be clear, and objectives must be defined. Their conversation with their manager should have given them an idea of their responsibilities, but their concerns should be clarified.

Employees benefit from understanding their role as individuals, but understanding their importance in the bigger picture can make a difference. While they’re asked to focus on a project or within a department, they should understand how their work relates to others’ work.

Set Goals

Staff benefit from having benchmarks and goals they can work toward. Collaborate with your employees to ensure their goals are practical and aligned with their objectives. For new hires, set goals focused on grasping basic concepts or settling in. For more experienced employees, set goals centered on branching out to new roles or moving up in leadership.

New hires should have an idea of their goals and benchmarks to set after speaking with their manager and other coworkers. While most of the goals you will discuss are work-related, encourage your new hires to set personal goals. These goals will ensure that while they perform well for the company, they are also happy and fulfilled in their work.

Follow Up

The first week of work can be overwhelming for new hires. Because they are taking in a lot of information and trying to find their feet, it’s important to check in to see how they are doing. Schedule a meeting with new hires to see how they adapt to their new role and handle their workload. 

The follow-up is their chance to ask questions, seek support, and voice their concerns. Reconnecting with employees shows that you’re within reach to assist them and value their feedback.

Follow-ups should also occur throughout the year, usually after the first ninety days. You’ll establish that communication is key to their success and that of the company. You’ll also better understand how the employee has settled in, and their experience will help refine the onboarding process.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are the 3 Most Important Elements of Successful Onboarding?

The three most important elements for successful onboarding are acclimation, engagement, and retention. The onboarding process may need refinement if you don’t feel candidates are comfortable in their new environment, more productive and active, and want to stay at the company after ninety days.

Is Employee Onboarding Only for New Hires?

No, the onboarding process also applies to current employees changing roles. These employees are familiar with the company culture but will require assistance understanding their new position. The onboarding process for current employees may be less extensive, but the goal is the same: to provide resources for them to succeed.

Final Thoughts

Introducing new hires to an organization is an exciting process that brings many unknowns. You won’t know if the employee will succeed or commit, but a successful onboarding process can make all the difference. Successfully onboarding an employee will make their work experience more enjoyable while ensuring your current employees don’t need to pick up any slack.

Your onboarding process should evolve alongside your workforce, becoming more efficient with each refinement. Focus on the steps that best reflect your company’s mission and streamline routine tasks like gathering applicant information and conducting background checks. For seamless, reliable background screenings that set your team up for success, trust ScoutLogic to handle the details. Get in touch with us or request a quote today.

David Garcia

David Garcia, co-founder and CEO of Scout Logic, is an industry leader in the bulk background check world. With his strategic acumen and expertise in the HR sphere, specifically in hiring, recruiting, legal compliance, background checks, and resume screening, he’s an invaluable asset and consultant.

David's counsel extends across the boards of ScoutLogic, YipitData, and Supplier.io, drawing from his impactful stints on the boards of Infutor and Avetta. With an extensive 25-year journey, he champions unparalleled B2B commercial leadership within data & analytics, significantly shaping the HR landscape.