Management Tips: 4 Ways to Improve Your Onboarding Approach

When onboarding a new hire, as a manager you have an opportunity to set the stage in leading and supporting a healthy, productive employee.

This new position represents a major life change for your new hire, who is sure to be working through a slew of emotions as he or she gets started, ranging from excitement to anxiety. Mishandling the onboarding process can give the wrong first impression of your leadership, your department, or your organization to the new hire, which can set back the adjustment curve.

Help your new employees to quickly adapt to their new work environment and you will set them on the fast track to becoming motivated, productive members of your team.

A few tips for achieving these onboarding goals:

1. Prepare before your employees arrive.

Send a welcome letter, along with any forms and documents they may be able to get started on right away. These materials should include overviews of your company culture, and how your department fits within the company. Outline the employee duties. Provide office guidelines. Any material that helps the employee understand what to expect, and what is expected.

2. Have your employee’s workspace ready.

Have systems access ready if you can. All resources and materials that the employee will need during onboarding and training should be organized and ready. Ensure the employee has resources outlining the need-to-knows as a new hire. Think like a new hire here. Include such resources as benefit enrollment guides, instructions on how to clock in and out, parking information, a local area guide, etc. Make no assumptions regarding what your new hire knows.

3. It’s all in the welcome.

Greet your new hires warmly, introduce them to the members of their team and their resources in the building, and provide a tour of the building before settling them into their personal workspaces. Don’t leave

4. Designate a trainer for the department orientation phase and aim to get the employee working (with guidance and support) quickly.

Giving your new employee some quick wins will help to boost his/her motivation and confidence early on and will produce quality returns later on. Help alleviate the itch to contribute and integrate the new hire into the team efficiently.

Onboarding a new hire requires you to see your department through the eyes of an outsider and to invest in the art of welcoming and assimilation. The better you become at this, the more successful new members of your team will be, which, in turn, means a sooner return on your investment. As a leader, your team needs your commitment to doing this well.

by Adam Vega