Onboarding is a pivotal moment for making employees feel included. When onboarding new employees, managers can make use of several best practices to ensure a successful onboarding experience. Below are several examples of best practices managers can utilize.
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Make Them Feel Special – find personal touches which will help new employees feel more welcome and special as they join your team.
Maintain Clear Communications– Employee onboarding communication refers to the structured, intentional flow of information that helps new employees understand their role, integrate into the unit culture, and feel connected from day one. It lays the ground work for trust and employee engagement, two critical drivers of employee performance, job satisfaction, and retention.
Assign a Peer Buddy – When new hires are paired with a buddy who they regularly meet on a weekly or monthly basis, they’ll have someone to turn to for questions and concerns.
Include the Team – Include current team members in the onboarding planning and training of the new hire. Communicate with existing team members about the new hires’ contributions and responsibilities to ensure a smooth transition.
Promote a “People First” Culture – No matter the level of manager in the College, your success relies on your team. The ability of your team to anticipate and meet the needs of it’s customers or produce positive results, relies on a fully cohesive team working together, not against each other.
Create a networking plan for new hires – Establishing a support system is important. Sharing names and contact information on experienced employees who can guide new hires, foster a sense of belonging, and help new hires expand their networking contacts help the new hire feel engaged from an early start.
Don’t be afraid to talk about career progression early – despite what managers think, new employees are already thinking about their next step. Many managers make the fatal mistake of thinking employees are there for the long-term. Those days are long gone, and it’s better to partner with new hires and work through their journey and be aware early of any potential shifts in thinking, then it is to remain naive and risk being blindsided by the departure of an employee.
Personalize training – not all employees work, communicate, or learn the same way. Don’t create a training program that’s limited in flexibility and methods. Personal training plans help to ensure that how you are training them is helping to build confidence not tear it down or discourage it.
Paint a Big Picture – New hires need to feel like they’re “in the know”. As a manager, it’s easy to forget what it feels like to be new since you have so much institutional knowledge. Approaching onboarding with empathy for your new employee and appreciation for that feeling of not knowing what they don’t know.