8 Keys to Successful Onboarding

Don’t place onboarding at the bottom of your list. It’s easy to consider other tasks a priority, but failure to onboard well increases turnover, which means additional spent in hiring and training new employees. In the end, you will lose more time than you gain, and company morale takes a nose-dive. On the other hand, a strategic, intentional onboarding process can redefine your workforce from unhappy, employees and high turnover to productive, satisfied, loyal employees.

Keys for successful onboarding.
1. It’s more than a hearty welcome and ensuring the new hire can find his/her way to the lunchroom, restroom, boardroom, etc. While those aspects are essential, the onboarding process is about a deliberate integration – one that encourages engagement between the current staff and new employee.

2. Don’t mistake onboarding as a one-day, one-week, or even one-month event. Real onboarding is a critical, well-managed six to twelve-month process, which sound management take quite seriously.

3. Onboarding is a company-wide attitude. Lead the way by being an example of friendly camaraderie with, and appreciation for your employees.

4. Onboarding begins before the new hire’s first day.
• Communicate with the new hire before his/her first day. Include a warm welcome, as well as any information that will make his/her transition smoother.
• Prepare a welcome package. It can be as small as a token for the vending machine in the employee lounge to branded items, to a welcome aboard luncheon. It depends both on the company and the status of the position. The key isn’t what the package is, but that there is one.
• Prepare the new hires work area – ensuring that it is clean and all appropriate tools, equipment, etc. are working and available.
• Preassign a mentor from current staff – someone who will be the “go-to” for when the new employee has questions or needs a little help with training.

5. Ensure the first day is a winner. Introduce all the key and not-so-key staff that will be working with the new employee. Provide all crucial information, including a “cheat sheet” for locations of essential items, places, etc.

6. Provide adequate training – make it a priority. From entry-level to the most experienced, confident, knowledgeable executive, he or she is still the new kid on the block. Providing the appropriate training and doing it well is essential for a smooth onboarding process with minimal loss of productivity. Don’t neglect to provide a playbook containing organizational charts, client notes, philosophy, branding policies, etc. everything they need to understand better their role and how it connects to the big picture.

7. Define specific responsibilities. Don’t leave them hanging without anything to do; neither overwhelm them with too much.

8. Finally, be warm and friendly. Make a personal connection. When your onboarding process is fun and engaging, it helps ensure a thriving employee by the end of their first year.

Of course, hiring the right talent makes onboarding easier. Let Springborn Staffing find best-match talent. From temp staffing to direct-hire, we have access to a broad base of talent. We specialize in finding mutually-beneficial connections between our candidates/associates, and our clients. Trust Maine’s leading staffing provider – that’s us – and contact us today. We’ll make a difference. We do more than promise excellence. We stand behind our employees’ performance – 100% guaranteed.

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