Lydia Vargo, Senior VP of Elevate at ChicExecs, shares five best practices for onboarding a new employee on Forbes blog. Here are key takeaways from the piece.
Onboarding is a critical time for new employees because it primes them for their roles. As a leader, it’s your job to make sure their transition is as frictionless as possible. It all comes down to healthy onboarding practices. Following these five best practices for employee onboarding can help keep your team happy and productive from the start.
1. Learn how your new employee operates.
Every person is different, so it’s critical to understand the best way to integrate the new hire into the team. Find out their expectations of the position, how they like to be managed and their general work style. When you understand these aspects, you can make onboarding easier by making any possible adjustments that will better support their transition.
2. Introduce them to key team members and departments.
One of the most important aspects of onboarding is getting newly acquired talent acquainted with tenured employees. Consider who the employee will work with on a regular basis. While it might not be practical for them to meet everyone in the business, ensure they meet key people like team leads, the accounting or billing departments, the human resources team and the IT department. This allows new employees to know the go-to people for both their daily work and any other work-related needs.
3. Strike the right balance with training intensity.
When onboarding new employees, it’s crucial to consider the amount of training you’re providing. It can be easy to over- or under-train, and each has its own disadvantages.
4. Give constructive feedback.
Nobody’s perfect, so you shouldn’t expect it from a new hire. Therefore, it’s useful to create an environment where it’s okay for employees to learn through failure. This includes providing feedback that will set them up for long-term success. Addressing early mistakes or performance issues will help new employees develop better habits, so practice the art of giving critical feedback without negativity or judgment. Then, don’t forget to share compliments! Feedback can be positive as well, so when possible, let your employee know you see their successes.
5. Keep communicating.
It’s important to check in with your new employees at various points during the onboarding process. You can’t know how a new hire is adjusting unless you ask them outright. Check in to see what they’ve learned so far, where they need support and whether they have any unanswered questions. Be sure to listen to their comments with an open mind, as this will encourage them to share ideas that could ultimately strengthen your business.
Ready Lydia’s entire blog here.
