Onboarding New Staff

The onboarding of new staff is really important. Do it right and you’ll set them up for lasting success and they’ll be earning their wage quicker. Do it wrong and they’ll either leave or you’ll start them with bad habits you’ll struggle to fix. Hiring new people is expensive in terms of money and time, make it count.

For the employee, starting a new job can be stressful. You’re thrown into a new environment with new people. You don’t know what the office etiquette is, who you can ask for help or even where the toilets are.

It’s in both parties’ best interest to get your new starter comfortable and up to speed as quickly as possible. Happily, it’s really easy and just requires a bit of preparation. All you have to do is make a little plan. It doesn’t have to be complicated and it will be pretty much the same for whoever starts, just with differences to the tasks they’ll be introduced to. So, once you’ve made the first one, you’ve done most of the work for any subsequent ones.

From the outset (from the point they read the job advert) you want them to have an idea of what it is they’re considering joining. You then want to continue this throughout. You project the company as caring about the environment but then in week two have them dumping oil in a lake, that’s not going to be a member of staff that stays and you’ve just wasted a lot of time and money (also, that’s bad, don’t dump oil in lakes). Having staff invested in the genuine mission of the business makes for a more content and committed workforce.

It’s important that what is required and acceptable is made really clear from the start. You want them integrated into the culture of your business from the beginning. Things will be less likely to go wrong in the future but if things do start going sour, you know it’s not from your end. It makes those awkward conversations much easier for you when they can’t come back with “I didn’t know that wasn’t OK”.

In advance, get your plan ready for the new starter. You’ll want to:

• Arrange a buddy for them, if it’s a small company, that might be you! If you need a new member of staff, it’s worth investing the time in them. After all, people are your greatest assets. Explain to the buddy why you’ve chosen them. Make sure it’s clear what is and isn’t expected of them. They may feel a bit anxious about it, they may even resent being asked (everyone always thinks they’re too busy to do the things that will benefit them in the long run). Involve them in the details of the plan, so you’re both giving the same messages. Your buddy selection is critical. You have to choose someone knowledgeable, approachable and who gets the business. The new starter will, of course, emulate their buddy. You’re effectively telling them that this is how they should behave. So, if you want the new person to have the best start, pair them with someone you trust to deliver it.

• Make a list of tasks to get them started that introduce them to their role and the system. You want things that are nice and straightforward that you can show them and they can just crack on without a lot of input from you/their buddy. It’ll help settle them as they’ll feel like they’re contributing, will give their buddy some respite, will see them doing some real work and will give them a chance to use your systems.

• Make sure any equipment and logins they’ll need are ready. It’s awkward and embarrassing for both parties if they get there and nothing is ready for them!

• Prepare your induction spiel including a copy for them to keep for their reference. Consider all the important things you’ll need them to know (fire exit locations, holiday allowance, probation period, how to request absences, how lunchtimes work, etc.).

• Contact the new starter in the days leading up to their start to confirm the details for their first day. It’s a nice thing to do and it’ll make the first day run more smoothly.

• Make sure you announce the new starter internally. Again, it’s very embarrassing for everyone involved when the new starter is standing there awkwardly trying to explain who they are to a sea of blank faces.

On the day:

• Start gentle, start with tea/coffee/water and a little chat. Getting people’s nerves settled as quickly as possible will improve the experience for all. Introduce them to their buddy (then let the buddy go again, to get their stuff sorted).

• Run through your induction spiel. Give them a chance to ask any questions they may have.

• Show them where they’ll be working (in the area that’s ready for them!) Give them a chance to get comfortable, put their stuff down and gather their thoughts.

• Introduce them to the people they’ll be working with. Give them an idea of who to go to for what.

• Then, hand them over to their buddy to get started on their tasks.

Check in with them during the week. Bear in mind, you might be one of the few people they’ve had a proper conversation with and they may really appreciate it. You’ll also want to know how they’re settling in and whether they have any concerns. 

Catch up with their buddy too. They may be more comfortable confiding in them at this point and you’ll also get their opinion of how they’re getting on.

Tweak the tasks as you see fit, introduce more complexity and responsibility as you go and before you know it, they’re an integrated, effective member of your team.

Congratulations!