Any company is only as good as its employees. Regardless of their previous work history, putting great individuals in a negative work environment will only cause them to become more negative. Given the amount of time we spend at work, more often than not our emotions become contagious. After hiring exceptional candidates with tremendous potential, it is the job of the employer to ensure the new hire is brought into a culture of empowerment.
Despite it being a time-consuming and cost effective task, onboarding new employees is an undeniably vital part of the recruitment process. In order to position a new hire for success, as the employer, it is important to create an organized onboarding program that provides continuous support throughout their first couple of months
Creating this process may not be at the top of your to-do list. So, we’ve put together these effective tips to help streamline your hiring strategy seamlessly into your onboarding process and turn new hires into passionate employees.
The honesty policy
One thing that should be crystal clear from the start of the interview process to onboarding and beyond is that honesty isn't simply the expectation, it is the standard. When a new member joins the team, it will quickly become apparent to them if they were not told the whole truth about their new position and company culture within the first few days on the job. As an interviewer, you do not have to be negative during the interview process if there are certain aspects of the company that you do not like, but it is okay to tell the honest truth about certain areas of the business that could be improved. Be real and be honest with the candidates. If they get scared away by the job responsibilities, it helps you realize they are not the best fit for the role anyway. And when you come across a candidate that is just as excited about the opportunity as you are, the honesty and transparency you provided during the interview process will exponentially enhance their training and onboarding experience because they know what they are getting themselves into.
Honesty really is the best policy when it comes to interviewing and onboarding. But the moment this fragile aspect of employer-employee relations gets damaged, it is a slippery slope towards disgruntled employees and thus, unproductive employees. Therefore, at the onset, honesty needs to be portrayed in all communication for things like potential time needed off, timeline for training and subsequently for the KPIs (key performance indicators) that management will expect of the employee. If this crucial piece is executed, the relationship is off to a great start and that ideal employee that the team envisioned can become a reality.
Schedule trainings and team activities ahead of time
It’s hard can be hard for employees to focus on the main aspects of their job if they do not have a concrete schedule to build their time around. Breaking up a workday is one of the best ways to make employees more productive because they will do more with the time allotted as opposed to internally coming up with tasks to begin with. This starts with their training, which is critical to the successful onboarding of an employee. Before a new employee starts their training, it’s important to have all hands on deck. This means that every current employee that is a part of the training process is clear on what they are talking about and what they are covering with the new hires. This information can range from different job responsibilities to software and process training to general meet and greets. Making sure all new employees are on the same page as the rest of the team is essential during this time period.
In addition, creating a structured schedule for new employees throughout their first week will help them get a jump start during this transition period. Providing this form of structure will avoid any awkward gaps during the individual's day and get them excited for what is to come. So, take serious advantage of this time period and utilize every minute effectively through beneficial trainings that relate to the job, the core mission, vision and values of the business so no time is considered wasted.
The little things make a lasting impression, especially in week 1
The first week of a new employee’s tenure is often overlooked because so much of it is taking care of administrative duties, giving the actual position the employee is occupying little relevance to the first 5 days of working. But this does not mean that this week contributes any less to the success of a new employee.
No matter your company's size, this process can be integral to a new employee's success. For a smaller company, greetings and introductions need to have an emphasis put on them. The whole company is still functioning as one team and nearly every member will work with one another at one point, so this is crucial. For a larger company, the individual team will need to make sure that personal introductions are made to integrate the newcomer on a personal level while they get adapted and settled in. In both scenarios, making personal introductions shouldn’t be forced or superficial, but relationships amongst employees are an important piece of the onboarding puzzle as they are key to making the new hire a good fit.
Immerse your new employee in your company's culture
Every member of every team has unique offerings that add to the success of the business and company culture. Make sure new team members get a grasp for the culture during the interview process and become immersed in the culture from day one. This will help them quickly become ingrained in the team. And it will help both the team and the new team members get a feel for how they will fit in.
Culture has a huge impact on employee happiness. You want to make sure every person is happy. Not only because you want to ensure you are providing a positive work environment for the overall health of the team, but also because if an employee is not happy that leads to a less motivated and productive employee. Happy employees contribute more and make a bigger impact on the success of the business!
Culture is one aspect of every company's DNA that is paramount to the success of its employees and in turn, the success of the business. Culture is cultivated by the team and driven from the top down within your organization. So, whether it's the office environment, the passions that colleagues share with management or the benefits and additional perks a company offers, this is very important stuff. Things like out of office events and incentive/reward programs that aren't simply a year long quota can be great ways to ensure this energy and resonating positive atmosphere does not burn out over time. Diversity in backgrounds and skill sets are great for innovative organizations and strong cultures, and hiring like-minded employees who share similar mindsets and interests is another great contributor of creating an enjoyable work environment built with passionate people. Instilling a passionate company culture will result in a passionate employee group.
About PeopleFoundry
PeopleFoundry is a progressive recruitment consultancy that specializes in building teams for high-growth organizations. We align with our clients to build a talent strategy that fosters growth and innovation. The PeopleFoundry high-touch approach allows us to have a very streamlined and transparent process with our clients, which has made our team a particularly valuable ally for companies in the tech and digital space. Our partnership extends beyond hiring, as we provide ongoing support to promote retention.
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