Photo credit: Andrew Neel
For many business owners, team leaders, and managers, it’s very important to make sure the onboarding process goes smoothly - the first impression new employees get during the process is going to stay with them the whole time they work with you. It might be the moment they decide whether they regret choosing to work at your company or they’re glad they got the opportunity, and you don’t want to do it wrong. The last thing any organization needs is unhappy or unsatisfied employees!
If you want to learn more about how to improve the onboarding experience for new employees, keep reading! Alternatively, you can click here to learn about employee onboarding with a guide that’s more in-depth than this article is going to be. If you want a short read though, then you’re in the right place!
Make sure they have what they need for the job
This pretty much goes for all the employees you have working for you, but it’s especially important when you’re onboarding new ones. Ask new employees if they’re used to working with the software and collaboration tools your organization uses, and if they have the right tools - most commonly a stable internet connection and their availability during the right hours.
Photo credit: Surface
For many organizations, it isn’t out of the norm to provide new employees with tech devices at company expense if they’re vital for the employees to do their jobs. If that's the case, make sure the equipment reaches them before you want them to start working.
Communicate your expectations
When you bring a new employee over to your side, tell them what you’ll expect clearly. If it wasn’t made obvious in the job description, communicate what their hours would be and how things work around there. This can include things like introducing the new employee to whom they’ll be working under, explaining the company structure, and telling them how often company meetings are going to be.
Photo credit: Chris
This is even more important when the remote employees are working in different time zones, and it’ll be your job to make sure everyone can agree on a single time to collaborate. If you want, you can even dictate “office hours” when you’ll need employees to be available to respond to your messages and queries.
Give them a remote work buddy
Many schools did something when they had older students sometimes take charge of the younger ones, and it might be a good idea to do the same in your organization. To make sure all your new hires don’t feel lost and confused, introduce them to someone on the same team who can help them out.
Ideally, it should be one of the better-performing employees, someone with experience and who you think your new employee would relate to. They’ll have many questions at first, and it helps more than you could imagine!
The great first impression that you give your employees is likely to stay with them, and a happy employee is a productive one. Once they feel welcomed, appreciated, and part of the team, everyone will have a better time at the office.
