Hire Wisdom: New Employee Onboarding – How to Hit the Ground Running

By Ross Campbell, Toronto Financial Services & Insurance Recruiter

The first day on a new job can be tough for new employees, but it doesn’t have to be.  Onboarding is the process of integrating a new hire into the company and helping them acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, and behaviors to become effective organizational members and insiders.  There is certainly a range in terms of how and how well companies onboard.  Most of us have had experiences on both ends of the spectrum at some point in our careers… so we know that effective onboarding makes a world of difference, both in productivity and feeling “at home”, engaged, competent, and committed.

As key 11 in my blog series, Hire Wisdom: The 12 Keys to Successful Hiring, I’ve provided a checklist for hiring managers to help employees hit the ground running with effective onboarding.

1. Set them up administratively.

This is the boring but essential stuff that can be easily overlooked.  Whether it’s handled by you or an administrative colleague, make sure the basics are covered:

• Provide new employees an organizational chart of the company, including key contacts.
• Set them up with their contact information and business cards.
• Map out their internal and external clients.
• Provide them with an employee handbook and all necessary paperwork (benefits, policies, and so on).
• Ensure their work station has everything they need.
  
• Grant them access to portals and IT platforms. 

2. Make them feel connected.

Integrating new employees into the company culture is essential.  You want your employees to want to come to work.  The average full-time employee spends more time at work than at home, so help make it feel like a second home.

• Have the CEO send them a letter, gift, welcome package, and welcome lunch.
• Provide them with a mentor (other than their new boss) to show them the ropes.
• It’s their big day so make them feel special; keep it fun and informal.
• Spend quality time with them, introducing them to others in your company and inviting them into the corporate culture.
• Get them tapped into social networking within the company.
• If you have charity or social committees invite them to join. 

3. Reiterate job expectations.

This is your opportunity to get down to business and reiterate the main points you have discussed throughout the interview process.  Expectations are everything.  Make sure you are on the same page in terms of job expectations.

• Speak to how your business creates value and how they will add value in their new role.
• Explain why you hired them and emphasize what you like most about them and their skills.
• Set expectations on dress code, workplace conduct, and late policies.
• Reiterate the value proposition: quality, service, or cost.
• Provide them a copy of the employment agreement and expectations you discussed within the first 3 months.
• Set a goal for their first day to establish what is important and create a sense of achievement.
• Create a mentoring plan and schedule.
• Be clear about what it means to be successful in the role and prepare them for how that success will be measured and reviewed i.e. weekly 1:1’s, monthly reviews, 90 day reviews.

Most people who quit within the first 3 months do so because of a lack of a strong relationship with their boss.  The hiring manager needs to be the one to set aside their time to make this process an exceptional experience for them… and not just on day one.  Follow this checklist to help new employees hit the ground running and watch as your new hire flourishes in their new role.  You are now one step closer to Hire Wisdom.

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Check out the rest of the series, Hire Wisdom: The 12 Keys to Successful Hiring.  Learn more about Toronto Financial Services & Insurance Recruiter Ross Campbell and connect with him on LinkedIn.

IQ PARTNERS is an Executive Search & Recruitment firm with offices in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. We help companies hire better, hire less & retain more. We have teams of specialist recruiters in Financial Services & Insurance, Marketing Communications & Media, Emerging Tech & Telecom, Consumer Goods & Retail, B2B & Industrial, Technology, Accounting & Finance, HR & Operations, Energy, Mining & Engineering, Life Sciences, and Construction, Property & Real Estate. IQ PARTNERS has its head office in Toronto and operates internationally via Aravati Global Search Network. Click here to view current job openings and to register with us.