Key steps in onboarding process

Organizations search for qualified candidates; they complete their interviewing process and finally they select the best fit. After this, it is time for them to prepare the selected best fit for the success of their company otherwise all the time, effort, and money spent on them will go in vain. 

The sole purpose of onboarding is to make the new employee as productive as possible. Their experience can be a bit of a whirlwind as there are a lot of steps and processes involved. At times it can be difficult to ensure that the new hire remains positive and energetic in the first few months of their new job. 

Employees are indeed the key assets of the organization therefore any step taken in their regard must be well thought out. To make the employee onboarding process the most effective and efficient, every organization follows certain key steps in the onboarding process to ensure smooth functioning.

Key steps in the onboarding process

A great help in onboarding is our employee onboarding software. It ensures that the whole process can be automated and simplified. However there are also other useful steps to take.

Below mentioned are some of the steps that organizations should not miss while performing their onboarding process.

Sending a welcome letter and new hire paperwork

This step starts as soon as the applicants accept the job offer. The human resource management should send a welcome letter and new hire paperwork within 24 hours of their acceptance of the job. This should be sent through email as well as the physical letter being mailed to their address. 

If possible, organizations should finish new hire paperwork digitally before their first day. Along with the offer letter, companies can innovate themselves and send their recent press releases, employee benefits summaries, company newsletter, etc.

Inviting new hires before their joining date

The second step which every organization should take is to call the new hire between their acceptance and joining date. They must have applied to other organizations as well and there is a possibility that they would still be getting offers. 

Inviting them before the joining date will set a good impression and make them feel like a valuable part of the organization before they set foot in the office.

Letting IT know

Once the applicant has accepted the offer, all technological requirements should be sent to the IT department. This will enable them to make their laptops, phones, chargers, software/application login credentials, and other tools to be set up before their first day. 

Each employee will have different technological needs, so it is very important to double-check with the departmental head as well. Making everything ready before they join will set a good lasting impression and they can start working without any technological delay.

Onboarding mentor

The onboarding mentor helps in providing the new hire role clarity and benefits them to understand the organization’s expectations. There are many ways through which mentorship can be performed. 

They can do traditional one-on-one mentoring where a new hire is paired with a senior employee, group mentoring where there are several mentors, peer mentoring where the mentor is in a similar position as the new hire, and reverse mentoring where the roles are switched as senior employees learn from a new hire.

Announcing the new hire

It is very essential to let other departments know that a new hire has joined the organization. This activity will make the new hire feel welcome in the workplace and keep other employees informed about the development and changes within the company. 

It will result in high productivity and engagement. It will also strengthen internal communication; help build the company culture and foster a healthy working environment within the team where respect and transparency are embedded.

Training and orientation

Orientation is the process where the new hires are introduced in the company to their co-workers, workplace, and responsibilities. Most organizations are now offering their employees microlearning initiatives, video training, simulations, and e-learning opportunities. 

They provide them with lunch, mentorship programs, one on one meetings, and set employee expectations that ensure a smooth transition into the organization. Human resource management of every organization is responsible for the successful implementation of this task.

Final thoughts

In conclusion, following the discussed key steps in the onboarding process will guarantee an effective onboarding process which will not only make them productive throughout their tenure but also help in keeping them motivated and satisfied with their jobs. 

Companies tend to invest massively in their onboarding projects as it brings them numerous benefits. Research tells us that it leads to increased satisfaction, productivity, motivation, engagement, and overall success in the organization.

More on onboarding check our article How to create an onboarding checklist.