69% of employees will stay with a company for 3+ years if their onboarding process was conducted successfully. A warm welcome is sometimes the best way to retain staff.
There’s a lot more to it than just setting up a company laptop and clearing a desk, though. Yes, the logistical side of taking on somebody new can’t be ignored; how would they crack on with work, otherwise? But there’s so much more to bringing a newcomer on board.
Begin the Process Before Their First Day
Piling everything onto somebody’s first day can make it an unpleasant experience. This is the time to meet new people and learn expectations…not fill out stacks of paperwork.
If there are aspects of the onboarding process that can be completed ahead of time and sent across; do that. It will make introductions much more staggered.
This goes the same for the social, and cultural side of work. Consider organising a welcoming get-together with drinks at a bar local to the office. If this is done ahead of their actual first day, then it’ll be a great chance to meet and greet.
Don’t Say: “Welcome to our company! Here’s our 50-page introduction packet; give it a read, and sign along the dotted line.”
Do Say: “We’re having some after-work drinks this Friday – feel free to come along and meet some of your team.”
Provide a Mentor Within Their Team
It’s all well and good introducing a newbie to who they’ll be working with, but leaving them to develop working relationships – as well as begin working hard on projects – is an intimidating ask.
Instead, assign a mentor in the form of a colleague so they can learn the ropes from the ground up.
Don’t Say: “Here’s your desk and the five other people you’re working with – have fun!”
Do Say: “Here’s Mitch; he’ll be showing you the ropes this week. Ask him whatever you’d like.”
End the First Day with a One-on-One
So they’ve been introduced to the team, learned their way around, and know how to crack on with the rest of the week – what else can you do for new hires?
A one-on-one meeting with a manager or somebody within the team can act as a good debriefing exercise, to find out how things went and what questions the new employee might have moving forwards.
Communication is crucial across all levels of business, so making sure it’s open and easily available is one of the best things you can do to maximise the potential of hires and ensure retention.
If you don’t have time on the first day, make sure you pencil one in for the end of the week. Doing both will have a good impact. They might not have any thoughts after a few hours, but a few days is a different story.
Don’t Say: “Hope you enjoyed today – see you tomorrow.
Do Say: “Shall we have a quick sit-down and go through how everything went?”
What We Do
It’s important to practice what we preach. Mitch O’Brien, Marketing Executive here at Build Recruitment, says:
“At Build Recruitment, we make sure not to overload you with information all at once. Your first day will consist of a tour, meeting the teams, flicking through the employee handbook, and IT training.
“Hearing back from you is important to us, so we book regular reviews to discuss how you’re getting on.”
If you want any more information, feel free to email Mitch at mitch.obrien@buildrec.com or call us at 020 3176 4790.
