12 Employee Onboarding Best Practices Every Business Owner Needs To Know - When I Work

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12 Employee Onboarding Best Practices Every Business Owner Needs

To Know
by Chad Halvorson
in People Management
Mar. 10, 2015 70,807 views 30 comments
If youve ever started a new job, only to nd the company totally unprepared for your arrival, you
know how important onboarding is to the employee-employer relationship!
But proper onboarding isnt just about rst impressions. Taking the time to plan out how new hires
will be introduced into your company will affect their future performance, their ability to achieve
stated goals and their overall satisfaction with their new positions.
12 Employee Onboarding Best Practices Every Business Owner Needs To

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To help you succeed in these respects, consider the following 12-step onboarding process that will
help new hires integrate quickly into your company:
Before the New Hire Starts Work
http://wheniwork.com/blog/employee-onboarding-best-practices/ 1/9
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Create an agenda for your new employees rst week. Its much easier to plan this in advance
than it is to come up with while the new team member is standing there in front of you. If you
arent sure what to include on this agenda, have reach out to the new hires soon-to-be
manager or other key coworkers to determine whats important. If you assign mentors or work
buddies, this is a great time do that as well.
Create a comfortable work station for your new staff member. Nothing kills a new employees
con dence in the company faster than being assigned to a dirty, unorganized desk. Setting up
the workstation in advance gives new hires their own turf, helping them feel more relaxed and
con dent. Fill the desk with any supplies needed, and place important documents such as an
organizational chart, employee handbook and new hire enrollment paperwork on the desk for
the employees review.
Provide new employees with a welcome gift. To help the new hire immediately feel like part of
the team, place any branded materials you offer on the desk, such as a custom t-shirt, a work
bag, a coffee mug, pens, or a pad of paper. Not only will this build brand loyalty right away, it
also helps a new employee feel welcomed.
Send out helpful information. Help soothe a new employees rst day jitters by clearly
communicating any information thats needed for the rst day. Include details on dress code,
parking rules, directions to the of ce, and who to ask for when upon arrival to minimize new
hire stress.
During the First Week
Help new hires get the lay of the land. On the new hires rst day, conduct a tour of the of ce.
Be sure to include simple, but essential, information such as where their desk is located, where
the restrooms and break room are, and where to nd the copier and employee mailboxes.
Introduce the new employee to other staff members along the way and encourage questions as
you go.
Block off time for orientation. If youre in desperate need of help, it can be tempting to throw
your new employee into projects as quickly as possible. But doing so can be disorienting and
nerve-wracking two feelings you de nitely want to avoid! If possible, use the new hires rst
day as more of an orientation day than a work day. Try to have some current team members
take the new employee out for lunch, and set aside time for lling out paperwork, introductory
meetings, and casual conversation.
Plan a managers meeting. Sometime during the rst week, set aside time for the new hire to
meet with their immediate manager. Use this meeting to give the manager time to get to know
the new team member, share their management style, and explain future expectations. It can
also be helpful to use this time to let the new employee know what the ramp-up process will be
like in the rst month or two on the job.
Cover important work processes. As the new hires rst week progresses, have the new
employee and manager meet a few more times as needed to discuss important work processes.
For example, new staff members need to know email protocol, communication expectations,
and internal decision-making processes. They also need demos on how to use
varioustechnology and tools that theyll be using on a daily basis, such as reporting tools, work
schedule software, internal communication software, etc. This is also a great time to set short
term and long term goals. If the new hire will take on a supervisory role, they should also meet
with their direct reports to begin to build rapport.
The First 3090 Days
Invest in training. Though the productivity losses can be frustrating, a new hires rst 30-90
days on the job should be looked at as an initial training period. Train your new employee on
everything from the ins and outs of your product line to your brands positioning in the market.
Once this introductory period is up, youll have a much stronger worker than one you threw
immediately to the wolves.
Allow for job shadowing. One of the best ways to train your new hires is to have them shadow
other workers. But dont just focus on those in the employees department. Cross training your
workers by having them shadow employees in every department of your company will give
them a much better understanding of how your organization works.
Build opportunities for feedback into the employees rst couple of months on the job. Make
sure new hires know that theyre free to share and encourage new ideas. They may not be
comfortable doing so the rst day, but over time, their feedback and insights should be
encouraged.
Conduct your rst review. Finally, after 90 days on the job, the manager should give the new
hire their rst evaluation. At this point, the new employee should be fully integrated into the
company and operating at a full workload. Identifying weaknesses at this stage will allow you to
either nip potential problems in the bud or terminate the new hires employment before too
many resources have been invested in an employee that wont ultimately work out.
Have another best practice that you feel should be added to this list? Share your
recommendations by leaving a comment below!
Want to learn more about how to effectively onboard your employees? Tune into our webinar on
Thursday, March 19th@ 1PM CDT. Were talking withGina Lau from HelloSign. Register here space
is limited!
--
When I Work makes one of the most popular employee scheduling appsemployee scheduling apps in the
world.
SECTIONS: PEOPLE MANAGEMENT
Chad Halvorson
CEO / Founder of When I Work Follow Author on Twitter.
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Comments
Share Your Thoughts on 12 Employee Onboarding Best Practices Every Business Owner Needs To Know
30 Comments
Claudia
March 11, 2015 at 1:44 pm
Great tips. Thank you!
Reply
Rob Wormley
March 16, 2015 at 9:40 am
Glad you liked them Claudia!
Reply
Fred Eck
March 11, 2015 at 2:32 pm
Rob, Great points and how great it would be if more companies and managers followed at least some of the steps you outlined in your practices. Over the
years I was able to include many of them, but too often it was we dont have time to do that! I tried to make the case that better to make the time now,
then having to take the time to hire new employees.
Keep up the good ght!
Reply
Rob Wormley
March 16, 2015 at 9:41 am
Fred de nitely agree! Its so important to take the time. Thanks for the comment!

Reply
Ashwin
September 4, 2015 at 8:14 am
Thanks for the great article Rob!
Reply
Vic Sockrider
March 11, 2015 at 9:57 pm
Rob, spot on. How we seem to forget how intimidating that rst day and week is. I was shaking! Making our new team members feel at home and meeting
the rest of the team may be the most important step towards a long relationship together. Great article.
Reply
Rob Wormley
March 16, 2015 at 9:42 am
Hey Vic thanks for the comment! I agree its not just about hiring a new employee, its about building a long-lasting relationship!
Reply
john
March 13, 2015 at 6:11 pm
Just bringing in a new high-level employee so the WIW email was perfect timing. Rob, thanks for the strategic tips were incorporating them. Well
done!
Reply
Rob Wormley
March 16, 2015 at 9:43 am
John glad to hear the post found you at the right time. Good luck with your new hire!
Reply
SBD
April 7, 2015 at 8:38 pm
Unfortunately, a 90 day orientation period is not realistic within the constraints of organizational probationary periods. Employees have to quickly
demonstrate a t for the job within 6-8 weeks.
Reply
Charles Jackson
May 4, 2015 at 5:19 am
Wow!!! I was looking for something like this. Thank you so much for posting this. I have searched different business articles but this is really interesting
and helpful. It is sad to say that most of the companies failing to follow these tips. Only those follows will get the maximum out of their human resources.
I would say that employee training is the most important task among these 12 points. Most of the companies hesitated to invest in employee training.
Reply
Agnes Stott-Briggs
June 30, 2015 at 10:24 pm
Great Tip. Most employers forget the human element of new joiners. Too structured and intimidating. Your style considers the human side of it and it is
spot on. Thank you.
Reply
Ashwin
September 4, 2015 at 8:24 am
Rob, Awesome article. Ive heard a lot of people like Fred who face challenges in implementing this due to time restraints. Have you had any experience in
created an automated work ow? I saw this article on that topic http://bit.ly/1fZ2QRx
Reply
Gillian Draleau
October 20, 2015 at 9:10 am
Great and timely article. I am working as a business/executive coach with a start up company that is rapidly growing and needs to set procedures in place
around onboarding. This article addresses many of the concerns expressed. Thank you.
Reply
Aditya
February 8, 2016 at 11:16 am
Hey Chad & Rob,
Great article on employee onboarding.
Reply
Gracie
May 11, 2016 at 4:42 am
Great article! I have learned a lot. I will surely integrate your inputs to our onboarding program! Keep it up!
Reply
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5/2/2017 12 Employee Onboarding Best Practices Every Business Owner Needs To Know | When I Work

Small Business Mid Market Product For Employees

12 Employee Onboarding Best Practices Every Business Owner Needs

12 Employee Onboarding Best Practices Every Business Owner Needs To

Before the New Hire Starts Work

SCHEDULE A DEMO PRICING & SIGNUP

During the First Week

The First 3090 Days

SECTIONS: PEOPLE MANAGEMENT

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Great tips. Thank you!

Glad you liked them Claudia!

Keep up the good ght!

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Thanks for the great article Rob!

Hey Chad & Rob,

Great article on employee onboarding.

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Make Scheduling Easier

Your Name Full Name

Scheduling Made Easy.

Start Scheduling Free

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Lets get the schedule

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