You just got through your final stages of deliberation. You found your new employee and you are ready to incorporate them into your workplace. You have all of your regular onboarding tricks up your sleeve, but you can’t help but wonder, is this really the best I can do? The answer to that question is probably, yes (based solely on the fact that you’re doubting yourself in the first place). Fortunately we found five tricks to help you roll through your onboarding process like an ultra-confident, cutting-edge employer. 

“Only 2% of companies extend onboarding beyond one year,” according to a 2014 Aberdeen Group report. Nearly 90% of employees are still unsure if they’re going to stay or leave within the first six months; extending that onboarding program beyond six months will secure whether or not their performance is truly steady or not by the end of the year.

1: Preparation is key, keep it organized

The worst possible nightmare a new employee can experience in the onboarding process, is encountering a company advisor who has nothing prepared for them, or even worse, an adviser who wasn’t even aware the new employee was coming in for the day.

Don’t let this be you. Stay in contact with your new hire. Make sure you know the exact date and time the new person will be arriving. Plan accordingly and prepare for the day.

Create a checklist for onboarding your new employee. Write it out in a large clear font, cross certain first day/week/month training tasks off as you go. Reference it until every task is checked off. By the end of your list you should have prepped your new employee, in a highly efficient manner.

73% of new hires say they want a review of company policies, have a handbook ready with a few cliff notes highlighting the most important portions of the handbook. 

2: Make employee mingling a must

Have a designated employee or “buddy” for the newcomer on their first day. The “buddy” is there to be a source of reassurance and guidance for the newcomer.

Think of a time you started at a new company. Did you have a mentor, if not did you wish you had? Fifty-six percent of new hires say they would like to have a mentor or designated person, when first starting at a company. 

3: Incorporate them into the company culture

“Consider the impact it could have on your culture, if new employees start work without a solid grounding in what your organization’s culture is and what their expected role is when it comes to them contributing positively to your culture. Think of how often a team can get derailed by just one new addition who doesn’t understand the norms and values that support the foundation of that team’s success!”-Michael Kerr, writer Humor at Work Blog

Don’t allow your new employee to wander aimlessly in a sea of inside jokes or terms. Inform them from the beginning. Let them know “Carol” is the employee who knows the best restaurants that deliver Thai food, (in fact Carol is fluent in5 languages and usually orders for everyone). “Jim” dresses up every Friday because he has a grunge metal gig for his band “Grunge Dads” immediately after work on Friday’s, and sometimes everyone else dresses up for Jim’s grunge band (just to throw him off every now and then.) Letting your new employee in on these traditions, can give them a chance to participate.

4: Social media, the workplace edition

“It may be difficult for new hires to integrate themselves into the culture. They may feel the need to stand in the shadows and understand how everyone interacts before joining in on conversations.”- Eric, writer at Growth Everywhere

Incorporating an employee-based social media platform, for your employees to chat, discuss difficult projects or even post jokes on. Adding a social platform can help introduce your new employee to the team in an effective way.

Not adding a social media platform won’t harm your onboarding process, but it will make your new employee feel included from the get go. The more comfortable you can make your new employee the better. 

Some popular social media platforms companies use to encourage employee communication include (but are not limited to): Chatter, Yammer, and Bitrix24. Check these websites out and see which one could possibly work for your company.

5: Make it fun

Don’t stress out your new employee. Inform them their job won’t be easy, but nobody’s job is easy, and that your company provides a lot of positive outlets for the new employee to utilize. While it may be a competitive work environment, it’s also a fun one, that rewards its hard workers.

How do you make your workplace fun for your new employee? Incorporate weekly competitions for all of your employees. Have a caption writing contest, split everyone into teams and conduct a scavenger hunt. The opportunity for constructive, team building activities is endless.

Now that you have a couple of tricks up your sleeve for onboarding new employees, put them to test. See how you can better your onboarding process by incorporating a few of our suggestions.

Bio: Christine Marino

Christine is the Chief Revenue Officer of Click Boarding, LLC, a company that offers employee onboarding software and solutions. She is responsible for the sales, marketing and business development strategies. Leveraging her 18+ years of experience in the Human Capital Management space, Christine drives company growth through strategic partner relationships as well new customer acquisitions across the small to large enterprise markets.