Every new team member hired should feel like a cause for celebration!
Unfortunately, we’ve found that many business owners view it as quite the opposite – or at least the process of onboarding said new hire.
The onboarding process can too often be tedious, clunky, and downright painful.
After seeing this create one too many roadblocks, our CEO had to step in!
Here are the top four practices you can use to make your next onboarding seamless, efficient, and a cause for celebration for everyone involved!
Are Your Systems Documented & Established?
Systems are the bedrock upon which your entire operation runs.
They are the standard for which your employee’s handle a daily routine, important project, or crisis.
For example: you may not have explicitly stated how your employees email an important client.
But at some point, a precedent was established and now that’s how everyone does it.
If – for example – a new hire suddenly starts emailing that client with far too casual language…well, the system and the relationship may be ruined!
Deviation from established systems can compromise your business’s operations. Ensure that the following are well documented and made clear to your new hire, so they’re not left floundering:
- Daily tasks: these are things like dress code, email signatures, etiquette with clients, lunch breaks, what their daily deliverables are expected to be.
- Important projects: How are deadlines met? How does your team break down each project into tasks? Who is responsible for each department?
- Crisis: Your new hire will need to know the chain of command and how to respond when things (inevitably) don’t go to plan.
This Ain’t A One-Man Show – It’s A Party!
It’s never easy being the new person on an already-well established team.
To make your new employee feel welcome, it is essential to get your whole team to contribute to the onboarding.
This can be as simple as a team lunch or simple introductions from everyone else. It can also be a fun day out or some Friday afternoon drinks – get creative with it!
It’s also a great opportunity for you to impress upon your new employee the identity and culture of your brand.
This way, your new employee won’t feel isolated on their first day.
Previous Experience Creates New Breakthroughs
If your new employee is replacing someone, then it can be a great help for that previous employee to show them the ropes.
Try to have an overlap between the previous employee leaving and the new one starting.
Two weeks is typically more than enough time for the previous employee to teach the new hire the most important aspects of their job.
If the role is new and had no previous occupant, then consider assigning someone in a similar role or department to show them the ropes.
This helps the new team member get up to speed on their role.
It will help them feel a little more welcomed with some one-on-one time with a team member.
We Can Now Create Libraries Online – So Use Them!
Another great way to help new employees is to supply them with a digital cache of all resources pertaining to their role.
This is similar to documenting systems in the workplace, but more specific to their role:
Does your new hire need to work daily with a certain program or software? They should be able to access a library of content on how to use said software.
Resources can be different for many roles: it could be a user manual for a crane operator or the safety requirements for a dental operation.
The reason digitizing these resources is so important is because it makes them accessible at a moment’s notice and keeps them in a readable state for the long term.
Onboarding? Check! Bookkeeping? Let’s Get (Pay)Roll!
So now you’ve got your new hire well and truly welcomed into the fold – great!
But now you should be looking towards their payroll and the effect they’ll have on your expenses.
Don’t worry: The A Firm is here to help! We’re now offering a free 15-minute meet and greet where we can sort out any payroll, bookkeeping or tax queries you may have. Don’t delay: call us today.