Have you ever considered an onboarding process within your company? It is something that we have newly implemented within our
Dubai-based digital agency and are continuing to perfect. The reason we set up an onboarding scheme was due to the fact that within a couple of weeks, we said goodbye to an employee and then, in turn, on-boarded a couple of “freshers”. Whilst the former happened, it occurred to me:
“Saying goodbye to an employee who is exiting the company and wishing them well in their new venture is important, however onboarding a new employee is just as, or even MORE important since it establishes a strong connection with your company from the word go”.
We had been focusing too much on the employee exit process since we’d found that a high percentage of our employees return to us and we wanted to leave a positive mental image of our company in their minds. However we were missing out on one fundamental point: employees who are leaving may have already switched off mentally in their mind, and be more driven for the new opportunity awaiting them, while fresh, new employees and hungry and eager to get started within their new role. This is the time to inspire, motivate and mould them into your unique company culture. To get them fuelled up for their next few months and years ahead and to establish positive groundwork is essential for success.
So Why Set up an Onboarding Process for your new Employee?
The Dreaded First Day
Can you remember your first day at a company? I’m sure “Overwhelmed” and “Intimidating” are some of the words that can be used to describe those first few hours, days and weeks when trying to absorb everything your new manager is trying to tell you. An onboarding day gives the new employee time to settle in, engage with your team whilst gently letting them get to grips with the necessary office essentials.
Boost Team Morale
It will dramatically increase the energy in the office with the new hire(s) getting to know their new workplace. Your team can practise their people skills and it should be a very rewarding proposition for them to help another out.
Below are a few ideas to get you started with your onboarding day. Remember to be as creative as possible, and imagine how you would have liked to have started your first day at your job.
Welcome Kit
Imagine providing your new employee with a welcome kit that contains everything that they need to get started in their new role... It could be a neat little box (branded with your company logo of course!) that contains office miscellaneous such as a notebook, pen, mug and sticky notes. It also includes the very important company handbook, SOP manual, passwords and websites that they should follow. Imagine their faces when they arrive at their new desk with their “gift” from the company.
Present the Mission & Values
Spend a good 30 - 60 minutes reiterating to them why your company is here, what it the company’s mission and where is the company headed in terms of the vision. They’ll need to be constantly reminded so having it imprinted from day 1 is imperative to them buying into your company brand. It’ll set the tone for having super enthusiastic employees.
Allow them to ask any questions that they may have during this session. You could even ask them to write down their 3 main goals of what they’d like to achieve within the next three months.
Treasure Hunt
One way to get your new hire(s) to familiarise themselves with their new office surroundings and to speak to the team is to host an office treasure hunt. Essentially, a quiz where they’ll need to “hunt for clues” based on the company’s topics. For example, clues could be “Find the longest standing employee” for the next clue, or “Find the biggest lover of sushi in the office” all coupled with “Where do you get your morning caffeine fix and “check under one of the beanbags and they’ll be pros on their new environment very quickly. Get as creative as possible and get as many team members on board, it’ll allow for breaking the ice and making great acquaintances easily.
Inform Your Team
Stating the obvious here, but it can be easily overlooked, but make sure your current team members are well aware in advance that there will be a new person in the office! Send out a memo a couple of days in advance, and get them to write a welcome note with either a few words of wisdom or a bit of advice to get them started. Stick it on the memo board and it’ll have a positive effect comforting your newcomer.
Be Prepared
Get everything prepared in advance, for example, set up the new employee’s email address, set up their PC, get them all ready and good to go on the project management system before they arrive. It’ll make you look super organised as a company. You can give these details to the new hire within the treasure hunt or it can be printed out and placed within the welcome box.
Just by enacting some of the above, you can be certain to ensure that your new employee is gearing to go at your company. I hope some of these ideas have given you some inspiration with your next new hire. Happy onboarding!
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