Every business with at least one employee has an employee onboarding process. Small companies may only have a two-step process while larger companies may have a multi-step complex process.
What is employee onboarding?
Employee onboarding is the process a company follows when an applicant is hired by an organization. In fact, this process helps integrate a new hire into an organization. Since the Internal Revenue Services requires certain paperwork for each new hire, every business follows some sort of onboarding process. Steps in an onboarding process can include:
- New hire paperwork (application, W4, i9, etc)
- Benefits enrollment
- Handbook and policy overview
- Company orientation
- Employee trainings
- Team building exercises
- Weekly, monthly, or quarterly follow-ups
Why is onboarding important?
It is important to spend the time to plan out your onboarding process. This is the time when you can provide your employees the foundation they need for long term success at your company. Getting a new hire acclimated to your business’ culture and their new coworkers will help them feel comfortable in the workplace. Additionally, providing the proper company orientation and training gives your employees the foundation to achieve success. Finally, repeated follow-ups by managers over the first few months of employment strengthens employee productivity and boosts morale. A strong onboarding process is the initial step to maintaining and retaining happy employees.
Things to consider when creating an onboarding process
Create an accurate job description
Schedule interviews quickly and be organized during the interview
This is the very first step of your employee onboarding process. Do your research on the interviewee and have detailed questions based on their experience when conducting the interview. Listen to what the applicant is saying in the interview and make sure you give them time to ask you questions. You want the applicant to know that their thoughts and opinions will be heard when they are hired by your company.
Have a plan for day one
Preparation and organization on day one is key to making the employee feel comfortable. Set them up with the proper workspace, provide them with company equipment, and introduce them to their coworkers. An unorganized first day can result in low employee morale and confidence in a business. Your employee’s want to be provided with the necessary tools and trainings to become a long term productive worker for your business.
Automation
A critical consideration for any company’s onboarding process is automation. An automated paperless process can have many benefits to an organization. Automation can reduce wasted time, track and store necessary paperwork to maintain compliance, and increase employee engagement. Subsequently, reducing the administrative burden of your HR staff will foster a more productive workforce.