“What is the best way to onboard our new employees?” This is one of the most pressing questions on every HR personnel’s mind. The practice of onboarding employees evolves continuously with changing business scenarios. Recently we have seen changes being implemented to many business processes due to employees working from home etc., and onboarding new hires is one of those processes that has needed to be changed. Using a Human Resources Management System (HRMS) to help with an online employee onboarding management system has become crucial.
When the best HR strategies are implemented along with the right HRMS, onboarding new hires can get easier. This blog post will provide you with detailed tips to improve the employee onboarding strategy in your organisation. Keep reading to learn more.
7 Powerful Tips to Onboard A New Hire
1. Welcome new hires with a gift
Everyone loves a gift! And imagine the joy of being welcomed at your new workplace with a gift. Look for gifts that integrate your company values. Gifts that communicate your mission and goals are a fun way to introduce new hires to your core values. Decorate items with text directly from your company mission, core values, or goals. If you follow any particular quotes or sayings, look for clothing, signs, or other merchandise saying this. It is a great way to welcome new employees to their new workplace with a gift.
2. Give new hires some time to acclimatise before getting started
Allow your new hires time to acclimatise. You can do this by giving your new hires a relaxed start to allow them to get acquainted with their new working conditions, colleagues and job transition. Giving new employees some time to unwind before starting their regular work routine allows them to get a better understanding of their new place of employment.
3. Make their first day memorable
First impressions are extremely important. The first day for a new employee is the opportunity for your organisation to make this first impression memorable. You can start by giving them a relaxed start on day one by asking them to come to the office a couple of hours later than usual. Also, don’t overload them with too many details about business processes and job requirements on their first day – it’s usually quite a big day for most new employees. You may also want to engage all your team members in welcoming the new hire with a group lunch or some group activity to allow them to meet their new colleagues.
4. Allow them a chance to leave
This may seem shocking initially, but it serves the right purpose when we consider the long-term effects. For example, any employee who is motivated to work at your organisation merely for the money you offer is likely to leave when they find a better opportunity. Employees who understand your business processes closely, truly admire the workplace environment and find their growth opportunities with your organisation worthwhile will stay longer than others. Organisations want to retain the latter employee type and practice allowing new hires to leave their organisation after making them aware of the working conditions and the goals behind their business processes.
5. Encourage team communication before the new hires begin
Better and continuous communication is the key to building cohesive employee teams, and as an employer, you need to encourage this from the very beginning. Some of the activities mentioned in the above steps will help ward off the stress and uncertainty amongst new and existing employees. Also, digitally connecting new team members will also work the same way as physical meet and greet occasions.
6. Get help from technology to follow structured onboarding
Onboarding requires extensive paperwork and follow-ups. But it can all be streamlined with the right technology. Implement a powerful human resource management software to guide you through the intricate tasks of a structured onboarding approach. It can also include new hires finishing some onboarding tasks online, such as data entry of their profile in an HRMS which can later be verified by HR personnel. This makes the process easier for both the new hire and HR.
7. Finish all the onboarding formalities accurately
Accuracy is the prerequisite for performing onboarding formalities. Any discrepancies in employee details can lead to major problems in the future. This makes technology more useful as it allows for enhanced accuracy. Make sure you have gathered all the necessary employee details and obtained all documents, such as the signed employment contract.
The takeaway:
Employee onboarding is an interactive and crucial process and has a huge impact on the future of your organisation. Sentrient’s HRMS has workflows to provide an inclusive dashboard, information collection, online forms, online induction training, workplace compliance courses, HR policies and procedures, and everything else you require to build and sustain a robust work environment. Contact us today to discuss how we can help uplift your HR game.