An Onboarding Guide for New Managers

What is Onboarding?

Employee onboarding is the welcoming journey for new hires, encompassing workstation setup, computer access, communication tools, and necessary paperwork.

An efficient employee onboarding process is crucial as it enables new team members to quickly become productive and comfortable in their roles. In this blog, we will explore the best practices to prepare your team for a seamless onboarding experience.

Why Does Onboarding Matter?

A poor onboarding experience can leave employees feeling uncomfortable, confused, and dejected. 

A recent survey by Paychex found that 

• 52% of new hires feel undertrained after onboarding, with employees of small companies (66%) and remote workers (63%) suffering the most. This, of course, impacts productivity and retention. 
• 51% of employees say they’d go “above and beyond” in their work if they had a good onboarding experience. A poor onboarding experience, on the other hand, could make your employees less engaged at work.
• Reports show that disengaged employees cost businesses the equivalent of 18% of their salary. And with disengagement comes quitting — 50% of newly hired employees plan to leave their job soon. 
• On the flip side, only 7% of well-trained employees plan to leave soon. This is a vast difference and underscores the difference in a good or bad onboarding.

Despite all of the evidence supporting good onboarding, unfortunately most managers and organizations don’t do it well enough. A recent survey found that only 52% of new hires feel satisfied with their onboarding experience, with 32% finding it confusing and 22% disorganized. Remote workers fare worse, with 36% of them finding the process disorganized.

Addressing these gaps is vital for first-time managers to retain their teammates and maintain productivity. We have therefore prepared a checklist to aid in the process. 

Onboarding Checklist

An onboarding checklist is a vital tool for HR to streamline new employees' transition into the company. The following list outlines all the necessary steps and tasks to be completed during the onboarding process.

Pre-arrival:

• Send a welcome email with information about first day logistics and agenda.
• Meeting with HR to go over paperwork and benefits.
• Prepare a workstation with necessary equipment (computer, phone, charger etc.).
• Set up accounts and access to company systems and tools.
  

Day 1:

• Welcome Office tour
• Introduction to team members and key stakeholders.
• Provide employee handbook and company policies.
  

First Week:

• Schedule training sessions on company policies, procedures, and job responsibilities.
• Set up meetings with department heads for an overview of department goals and objectives.
• Assign a buddy or mentor to help with integration and answer questions.
• Review and sign any remaining paperwork.
  

First Month:

• Conduct performance expectations meetings to discuss goals and objectives.
• Schedule follow-ups with HR to address any questions or concerns.
• Provide opportunities for feedback 

Ongoing:

• Review progress and performance at regular intervals (e.g., 30 days, 90 days, etc.).
• Encourage participation in company culture-building activities.
• Seek feedback from the new employee to improve the onboarding process for future hires.

This checklist can be customizable based on the company’s requirements.  

In today's digital age, remote onboarding has become crucial for integrating new hires into companies without in-person interactions. As remote work gains popularity, it's essential to make new employees feel welcomed and prepared to succeed from home.

Remote Onboarding

Remote onboarding is the process of integrating and orienting new employees into a company's culture and workflows entirely online. With more people working from home nowadays, remote onboarding has become really important. 

It involves using stuff like video calls, online training, and digital signatures to introduce new hires, train them up, and get all the paperwork sorted out. Making sure everyone communicates clearly, plans everything properly, and makes newbies feel welcome is key. 

When companies do this well, new employees feel happy and ready to dive into their new roles, no matter where they're based.

Employee Onboarding Tools and Software

Onboarding can be done manually, but many human resources departments have found onboarding to be infinitely easier after adopting onboarding software that automates steps and condenses important elements in one central location. 

Onboarding software can decrease the workload of HR personnel and provide an engaging and optimized experience for new employees. There are plenty of options when it comes to onboarding software, so make sure to review your choices and pick one that will work best for your team.

Conclusion

It's a good practice to continuously keep checking and improve your onboarding process. When you listen to feedback and make changes to your onboarding process,  you'll build a team that's excited and ready to help the company grow.

A thoughtful and engaging onboarding experience is the foundation for employee success, particularly for remote and hybrid workers who face unique challenges. By investing in a comprehensive onboarding process and providing ongoing support of the areas you control of role-specific training and team integration, you as a young manager can foster a motivated, well-trained, and loyal team that is ready to contribute to the organization’s growth and success.