Making a great first impression is very important and the workplace is no exception to that.

When you bring new people on board, it is imperative that you welcome them properly into your team by offering them full support and helping them integrate well into your organization. A great way to do so is to provide them with an excellent onboarding experience.

By definition, an employee onboarding program is the process of training and managing new employees who engage in various orientation activities to learn about the company’s structure, culture, mission, and values. 

The program needs to be well-organized and planned out in order for the company to reap all the benefits, including increasing workers’ satisfaction on the job and improving retention rates. According to statistics, 69% of employees will most likely stick with a company for three years if it provides a good onboarding experience.

So, if you are willing to reach this number and eventually increase it, read our guide and follow these five steps to improve your employee onboarding process.

Invest in an employee onboarding software

The process of recruiting, hiring, training, and managing new employees can be challenging as there are many things that need to be completed to provide them with a memorable onboarding experience. That’s why many new companies are taking advantage of the latest technology and Internet advancements, and are investing in employee training software to help new hires integrate easier into an organization.

With professional onboarding software for small businesses, you will establish an organized workflow, automate time-consuming tasks, increase productivity, and improve the overall experience of your new workers. Besides this, you will reduce the cost of employee turnover, ensure workplace compliance and build a stronger company culture.

Address essentials first

Another way to improve your onboarding experience is to address all important information first. This includes everything from discussing your company’s policies, rules, and laws to explaining to your new hires where the restroom and the cafeteria are, how to communicate and collaborate with other employees during the workday or remotely, or where their office is located if they are going to work in-house. 

It is best that you provide your workers with this information by sending them an email before their start date, so you can make their first day feel less overwhelming and their onboarding experience more effective.

Personalize the training process

Another way to improve the onboarding experience is to personalize the training process. You should do this because every employee is different and will require an onboarding program that suits their needs, strengths, job role, and preferences. You can easily do this by providing each new team member with specialized onboarding material that is relevant to their particular role in your organization.

If you want to further personalize the experience, consider using surveys to learn more about what the new hire needs help with the most, as well as to gain valuable insight into their time management, training, and communication preferences. 

Have fun with the process

Although onboarding is a formal event, you should still try to make it as exciting as possible to ease off anxiety in new hires. This means filling the first day with plenty of fun activities to make a great first impression on your employees and show them that you foster a positive company culture.

For example, when delivering your training information, you can be creative and treat your onboarding like a celebration, or organize trivia games to help workers retain information better. Consider putting new employees in teams to complete a task or challenge and hand out prizes at the end. 

Make time for check-in

The check-in period is an important part of every effective onboarding program. It should occur one month after you bring a new employee on board to get feedback about their experience in your company so far, as well as to give some in return about their job performance. 

It is important that you don’t do these check-ins as one-off events. Instead, you need to talk with your workers on a regular basis to see how they are doing and whether they are encountering any challenges throughout the process. Doing so will ensure everybody is on the same page and that the training they receive is helpful. 

Final thoughts

Having a good onboarding program is essential for the success of a company. Luckily, with just a few strategies and practices in place, you can improve your onboarding process and make your new hires’ days in your organization more productive and effective.

For more help, refer to our post and learn how to make your onboarding experience more memorable for your workers.

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