6 Ways to Boost Your Onboarding Process

The onboarding process for new employees can be a real hit and miss topic for many organizations. Most companies buy the fact that their ability to cultivate and retain top talent starts with the onboarding process, yet so few actually have invested the time and effort to develop those processes. Onboarding plans do not have to be overly complicated. This is certainly one of those topics where a ‘keep it simple stupid’ (KISS) approach makes complete sense!

Here are 6 ways to boost your onboarding process today:

1. What do they need to know?: This should be a slam dunk. In order to perform the requirements of the job, what does your new employee need to know, think both in the short term (company policy, computer access, etc.) and the long term (product/service, functional expertise).

2. When do they need to know it by?: Now that we understand ‘what’ they need to know, let’s put some dates to it so we can begin the coaching process. Yes, I did say coaching. This is where you start to build your relationship and establish open lines of communication with your new employee.

3. Who will teach it to them?: This is a great opportunity to involve other key members of your team in the onboarding process. Don’t put all the pressure on you, the manager, to do all the heavy lifting. Spread the responsibilities around. Afterall, that’s what good mangers do, they engage and delegate.

4. How will you test their knowledge?: Let’s not assume they know what they need to know just because they went through the motions. This could be an early detection device that helps you understand if your new hire is ready to fly on their own or perhaps something is missing and course correction is needed (with your employee or your onboarding processes).

5. Set clear guidance: Let me clarify that statement. It’s important to share with your new employee the characteristics of both high performers as well as poor performers in that job position. Just like the open road, stay between the lines and everyone gets home safely. Venture over the lines and people get hurt. Define the lines!

6. Debrief: This is your opportunity to establish communication and coaching with your new hire. It’s probably a good rule of thumb to debrief at least once a day for the first two weeks at least.

While developing onboarding plans does take time, effort, and brain capacity, it’s not something that should be overly complex. Here are a few Don’ts to be careful of:

Don’t consume every second of every day with activities. Give your new employee time and space to explore on their own.

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. While you (the manager) are responsible and accountable, it’s good for everyone when you delegate the responsibilities of onboarding to your team or other department heads.

Don’t assume because you hire experienced people, they know what to do in this role. Your company has defined guidelines and ways of doing business that make you unique. It is your duty to show them the ropes regardless of their knowledge or experience.

Save yourself time and stress on your next hire by developing a solid onboarding plan now! If you already have a good plan in place, make sure it is up to date with any company processes that may have changed due to the ‘new normal’ we live in and is compatible with more frequent remote work.