“Organizations with a strong onboarding process improve new hire retention by 82 percent and productivity by over 70 percent,” according to a report by Brandon Hall Group. In contrast, employers with a weak onboarding process are reported to “lose the confidence of their candidates and are more likely to lose these individuals in the first year.” To avoid this, you’ll want to ensure you have an organized onboarding program for new hires.
The following is a checklist we’ve put together to help you efficiently get new hires up to speed, integrated with the rest of your team, and ready to get to work.
Prior to the new hire’s first day
An effective onboarding process should begin before the new hire’s first day. This is usually referred to as the preboarding stage.
- Confirm the start date via phone call and email.
- Provide information that might help the new hire on their first day, such as dress code, schedule, and where to go upon arrival at the company location.
- Schedule a new hire orientation.
- Notify the entire department of the new hire’s start date.
- Create and send a welcome packet that includes resources such as the employee handbook, department contact list, parking information, internal communications, and the employee self-service portal with available company benefits.
- Set up the new hire’s workspace by providing office supplies, technology access, time clock swipe card, etc.
- Arrange training and mentoring.
Some human capital management platforms, like Inova HCM, offer intuitive
preboarding and onboarding tools within one unified platform, which helps with efficiency and employee engagement. New hires enjoy a seamless, paperless experience, and your HR team saves time by eliminating redundant data entry thanks to a single employee record across the entire HCM platform.
On the new hire’s first day
New hire orientation is a significant step of the onboarding process. Typically, orientation will include the following:
- Show the employee around the office (workspace), including their new workspace, introduce them to co-workers and their assigned mentor or coach, and tell them where the break room and restrooms are.
- Go over the job description and expectations.
- Review their training schedule.
- Allow time and resources for the new employee to complete essential paperwork.
New hire paperwork includes:
- Legally required documents:
- I-9 Form
- W-4 Form
- State and local tax withholding forms
- All other forms and notices required by federal, state, or local law
- Recommended documents, such as:
- Direct deposit authorization
- Company policies and procedures sign-off sheet
- Benefits enrollment forms
- Employee agreements
You can provide certain documents prior to making an official hiring decision. For instance, before you extend a job offer, you can have the selected candidate sign the background check and drug testing consent forms. In such cases, a job offer is generally sent only if the test is passed.
The new hire’s first few months
The onboarding process doesn’t stop after the employee’s first day.
During the next few months, we recommend you consider doing the following:
- Conduct periodic meetings with the employee (such as weekly or bi-weekly) and review job performance periodically.
- Provide ongoing training or mentoring if needed.
- Gauge feedback from new hires to see if they’re comfortable and engaged.
- Make sure the employee understands their compensation and benefits.
- Encourage the employee to communicate any questions or concerns through appropriate channels.
After a year with an employee, you’ll better understand their capabilities and which areas of development to focus on.
If you’re looking for an all-in-one human capital management solution that’ll help you speed up preboarding and onboarding, provide an employee-centric experience before day one, and allow you to manage the entire employee lifecycle in one platform, check out Inova HCM.
