10 tips to on-board your new hire

Congratulations on your all important new hire! In reality though, your job is far from over when the ink dries on the offer letter. The worst thing you can do after investing so much time and energy into the hiring process of a new employee is ignore the importance of a solid onboarding process.

Here are 10 ways to ensure your new employee feels that they are fully part of the team when they walk through the door on their first day.
 

• You can’t onboard anyone if actually aren't around in the first place. So make it a point to stay fully engaged with your future hire as they transition out from their previous company and into yours. 
• Does the rest of the office know that someone new will be joining? If not, make sure they do! You would be amazed at the number of times new hires are met with “Who on earth is that?!?” stares upon arrival.
• Never underestimate the value of an unexpected gift, and have something prepared to welcome your new team member. 
• Make sure you have cleared your agenda and got as many tasks on your to-do list out of the way ahead of time so you don’t fall behind on your own work during those first few day
• Is their office or work station ready? Have all the necessary account details been set up in order for them to start using their computer? Is their phone working? Find all this out in advance and do your best to make sure that they have all the tools they need to kick off their first day.
• If you are the hiring manager, make sure you book time in your own calendar to show a new starter around and help them settle in on their first day.
• Make sure everyone else on the team makes it a priority to introduce themselves to the new employee. Don’t leave the introductions 100% on the shoulders of the newest member of the team – they have enough on their plate. 
• Have introduction meetings and trainings scheduled in their agenda for their first few days on the job. Make sure the employee feels productive while quickly learning about the company. Also, use this crucial time to mold the mind of your new colleague. Take advantage of the time your new employee has free of deadlines to really hone in on the mission and core values of the company.
• Order lunch in for the whole team on a new employee’s first day. Creating opportunities for a new joiner to meet the team and share a little about themselves alleviates the anxiety of manufacturing those scenarios on their own. Having ‘first Friday happy hour’ is another good way to grease the wheels.
• Your new hire will be excited to join the team, so look to make the most of their high energy levels by getting them down to work as quickly as possible. Employees will settle in much more quickly if they feel that they are contributing and usually learn much more on the job than they will through lengthy classroom style training sessions.

Good luck growing out your teams and successfully onboarding your new employees. It may require a bit of trial and error to nail down the best process for your team, but it is time and effort well spent to make sure you set the right tone with new employees.

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Well-integrated, high-performing teams are a key driver of business performance. What can you do to motivate and engage your teams? What do employees seek from their management? Follow our 5 tips to successfully create a good team dynamic and increase performance.