Once you’ve found the right candidate via the best staffing agency in your industry, you’ll need to get them acclimated to your company processes, culture, and pace. New team members can often feel lost if they’re not properly onboarded, and that disorientation can have pretty powerful effects. Business News Daily reports that only 43% of those surveyed had more than a one-day onboarding process, which can lead to low productivity and increased turnover. Per a study done by Legal Jobs, good retention rates can quadruple company profits! Don’t fall into the trap of setting your newest employees up to lose. Here are eight steps you should take to make sure you have a successful onboarding process for your new employees.
1. Start With a Great Welcome
The first impression you make will probably be remembered by the new hire for at least a few months, and that’s true if you’re the CEO or a department director. That’s why it’s so important! Set aside 15 minutes or half an hour to introduce yourself and the company, and leave space for the new hire to ask questions. You can also take this time to provide them with a welcome package that details the company’s organizational chart and any other pertinent information. Having a great first introduction is crucial to making new team members feel welcome.
2. Craft a Standard Onboarding Plan
When your IT headhunter presents you with the last round of candidates, you should already have an onboarding plan in place. Their day-to-day tasks are not the only things that need to be considered. Make sure that the HR team or manager is prepared to receive and file any necessary tax, direct deposit, and identification information. The new employee will need a designated manager to work under, as well, and they should be a part of the onboarding process. A meeting with the hiring manager and the new employee’s manager might be beneficial. This will help keep everyone on the same page before you introduce another person to the team.
3. Assign a Mentor
The mentor that you assign is different than the new employee’s manager. It might be someone who is at the same organizational level as the new hire, or it could be someone who used to be in their position. Either way, it’s important for the new hire to have someone to connect with besides their leader, especially in a virtual environment (which is so common these days). They’ll be responsible for answering quick questions, checking in during training, and helping the new employee adjust to the company culture. Reach out to your team to see who is interested before the new employee is in the system!
4. Provide Referential Materials
The best staffing agency will provide you with a candidate who can quickly comprehend training, but it’s always important to offer training materials that new hires can reference after the initial training. This doesn’t just include operational or systems training! You’ll also need to prepare company policy and any software training. If you don’t already have these in place, talk with recent hires to ask about what could be added to or improved for the training process.
5. Set Clear Expectations
While the staffing agency service will have explained your workplace and they understand the job at hand, it’s up to your team to set proper expectations. Even the best staffing agency won’t know every detail of your company’s operations. Be sure to outline any responsibilities, performance metrics, and important deadlines during onboarding. The mentor and manager should work together to remind the new hire of these expectations. They can only perform as well as they’re supported!
6. Ask for and Give Feedback
The value of feedback in the workplace cannot be overstated. It’s important to remember that everyone can learn when someone new joins the team. As much as you provide honest and open feedback, you should also ask your new hire for feedback. This information is very valuable, as it can help you continue to develop your onboarding plan until it’s seamless. It’s often difficult for new team members to be open with feedback; model giving direct and supportive feedback so the new hire feels safe to do the same.
7. Encourage Cross-Team Socialization
Regardless of the size of your team, you need to make an effort to help your new employee socialize throughout the company. This is a behavior that you can encourage the new team member’s manager and mentor to take the lead on. While it might not seem like the most important part of onboarding, socialization is a part of everyone’s life and can greatly improve job satisfaction. With a strong support system in and out of their department, your new hire is more likely to stay and enjoy their time at work!
8. Continue to Make an Effort
Once the official onboarding process is completed, that’s not the end of your job! Make sure that the mentor continues to check in, especially if they are on the same team. This includes reminders of expectations as well as chatting about topics outside of work. Growing that connection will improve everyone’s job satisfaction and prove that this is something that the best staffing agency can use to help find the right candidates for your team. Continued, visible support is the best way to grow your relationship with a new hire and the team at large.
After you connect with IT staffing solutions, you need to prepare for your new team member. Without a successful and clear onboarding, you’ll need to keep finding new candidates and repeat the process all over again. Make sure you’re getting your money’s worth when you’re hiring this year. Take the time to create an effective onboarding plan that can be tailored to each new employee.
Are you looking for new employees to add to your team? Reach out to us at Kane Partners today. As the best staffing agency you can find in Philadelphia, we’ll find you qualified candidates that can fit right in.
