In today’s tight talent market, attracting and retaining top talent is a big challenge for HR departments.

While employee turnover is unavoidable, a successful onboarding process can significantly reduce it. Additionally, proper onboarding also helps the candidates feel embraced and ignites excitement about the workplace.

 

What is an onboarding process?

An onboarding process is a series of activities designed to welcome and integrate new hires into the team.

The onboarding process starts when a candidate accepts the offer and continues until the new employee has fully adjusted to their role.

To ensure a smooth employee onboarding process, follow the eight steps below:

1. Make it easy to sign the employment contract.

In-person meetings dedicated to signing employment contracts are a waste of your candidates’ time. Show new hires that you value their time by using a digital solution that allows them to sign their employment contracts from the comfort of their homes.

Most people value convenience and hassle-free experiences, and your new employees will, too.

Additionally, having a digital contract signing process in place shows that your company is in tune with the times and will make a great impression on candidates.

2. Securely collect new employees’ data.

At the beginning of all employment relationships, you need to collect information about the new hires.

This often includes personal details such as national identification numbers and banking details.

However, it should also include questions that show the new hires you care about their wellbeing in the office:

  • What kind of equipment and materials would help them perform at their best?
  • Do they have any dietary restrictions/allergies that you should inform the office caterer about?
  • Do they prefer working remotely, from the office, or a mixture of both?

Collecting this information via insecure channels, such as email, puts the candidate’s data at risk. That’s why you should always rely on safe solutions that encrypt the data and prevent unauthorized access to it.

Your candidates will also feel safer working for a company that protects their data.

3. Inform your team about the new hires’ arrival.

Use your preferred business communication platform to let employees know that new colleagues are starting. Encourage them to connect with the new hires on LinkedIn and say hi.

Making new employees feel welcomed even before their first day in the office contributes to a successful onboarding process.

4. Organize a welcome breakfast or lunch.

Show new employees that your team goes the extra mile to make them feel integrated from day one.

Organize a company-wide breakfast or lunch on their starting date so that the new people can get to know their colleagues and start feeling like part of the team from the get-go.

5. Get the new employees’ workstations ready.

What better way of making a new employee feel valued than having all their equipment ready from day one? That’s why you should make sure that their workstation is all set up before their first day at the office. And don’t forget to grant them access to all the necessary software and tools, too.

To make the new hire feel extra special, write them a personalized welcome card and place it on their desk. You can also gift them a T-shirt or a tote bag with the company’s logo. It will definitely make their day!

6. Assign office buddies.

Assigning office buddies to new hires makes their transition to the new job smoother.

Buddies should always be people who have been in the company for a while, have good interpersonal skills, and are familiar with the new employee’s role. They should also be willing to assist the new hires during their first months in the company and get them up to speed.

Having someone to answer their questions regarding tasks, work processes, and company culture will definitely make new hires feel comfortable in their new roles faster.

7. Invite new hires to meetings with department leaders

If your company has multiple departments (marketing, sales, finance, etc.), make sure to invite the new hires to short introductory meetings with the leaders of these departments.

Each department leader should prepare a presentation about their team, including:

  • who are the members of their team
  • what each person does in the team
  • how their department can support the employee in their new role

Such meetings help new hires understand who they should reach out to in different work situations. Not to mention they provide a good overview of the company structure.

8. Follow up and ask for feedback.

Make sure you regularly ask for the new hires’ feedback regarding the onboarding process. This will help you identify both its strengths and the parts that can be improved.

Knowing you value their feedback will make a good impression on the new employees. Not to mention it will help you improve your onboarding process for future hires. It’s a win-win!

A successful onboarding process makes new employees feel more connected to the company and less likely to quit. Luckily, there are many tools out there that can help you create a great onboarding experience.

Penneo Sign, for example, can make onboarding new employees easier by:

  • Allowing candidates to sign their employment contracts securely and conveniently
  • Sending automatic reminders to candidates who forgot to sign
  • Storing the signed contracts in compliance with the GDPR
  • Integrating smoothly with popular HR software, so you don’t constantly have to switch between tools
  • Offering a form solution that employs encryption to collect candidate data

Request a free trial and start creating amazing onboarding experiences today!

 

 

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