What Are the Most Important Elements of Successful Onboarding?

As employees begin their new journey with your organization, all parties must get off on the right foot with successful onboarding.

First impressions are critical in employment relationships, and having employees who are confused or stressed right off the bat can be challenging to come back from.

Given these stakes, your workplace should highly prioritize a well-thought-out onboarding process that helps new hires hit the ground running and feel comfortable from day one.

Key Strategies for Successful Onboarding

When composing or revisiting onboarding practices, consider the following:

1. Get a head start. Once you’ve officially hired someone, you may be able to start acclimating them in advance of their first official day. Consider sending them company gear or apparel, encourage them to ask questions, and compose an itinerary for their first day to help alleviate anxiety and stress. Additionally, you may want to send them paperwork, including tax forms and direct deposit forms, in advance to keep them from being bogged down with such tasks on their first day.
2. Make introductions. Don’t rely on an employee or their new teammates to introduce themselves. Have new hires’ managers, supervisors or assigned mentors introduce them to the department and any other personnel with whom they will regularly interact. This can help cultivate a sense of inclusion and comfort from day one.
3. Keep it active. Do not bog down new hires with busy work or learning materials on their first day. If possible, spread such tasks across several days and provide them with a more interactive onboarding process. Depending on your employee’s comfort level, providing a task that can help them get a better idea of their responsibilities in a low-pressure environment may be helpful.
4. Maintain contact. Even after the formal onboarding process has concluded, keeping in regular contact with new hires is crucial. Encourage employees to come to their manager or a colleague with any questions or concerns and set aside time on their calendars for formal meetings where they might feel more comfortable discussing such matters. It can also be helpful to assign a mentor to the new hire.

Learn More

Contact Lyceum Insurance Services today to learn more about onboarding processes or other ways to optimize your workplace.

This blog is intended for informational and educational use only. It is not exhaustive and should not be construed as legal advice. Please contact your insurance professional for further information.