Employee onboarding is not easy. It is a long process with multiple heads, including requisition, shortlisting, scheduling, documentation, selection, induction, etc. So, the need to streamline the process with the help of employee onboarding software is high.
While most organizations are aware that there is a complete software solution to ease their employee onboarding process, the adoption rate is still on the lower side, especially among startups and medium-sized establishments. So instead, most of these organizations go for the manual approach to onboarding that includes emails, Excel sheets, and physical documentation and paperwork.
This article will get a few brilliant ideas on creating a stunning employee onboarding system.
- Integrate an Employee Onboarding Software
An employee onboarding software is the most effective way to streamline the entire recruitment process. Most of the software solutions available have multiple modules to simplify the various onboarding steps.
An employee onboarding software brings together the various facets of recruitment, including applicant tracking, requisition management, and candidate management software. Also, it automates the entire process, eliminating the mundane manual processes. Therefore, this can be the most effective way for your organization to implement an excellent onboarding experience.
- Make the First Day Memorable
It is good to give your new hire a break from their work as usual. Get around the office to show them every nook and corner of the office. Give them the chance to introduce themselves to everyone and even plan something exciting.
It is good to avoid boring them to death with lengthy presentations. On the other hand, don’t throw them into deep work aspects without any guidance. It is good to just give them ample information to feel welcome.
You should go out of your way to create a solid first impression of your new joinees. Show them that you care about their decision to come and work for your organization, and they will pay you back with their dedication.
An effective way to do this is to have an out-of-the-ordinary event and involve everyone in it. For example, take them somewhere for a special lunch, go do a group activity – something everyone will get some level of excitement out of. This extra step will make your new joinees feel more valued on their first day.
- Create a Cool Impression for Your New Hire
Everyone loves a welcome gift, be it a restaurant voucher or cool gear. You can make it weird with an uncanny attachment to the organization’s value or even something of tremendous cultural significance. This will make your new hire feel like part of the team from the first day onwards.
Giving gifts to your new hires can be an excellent way to acclimatize the new hire to your office culture. Take Facebook and Google as examples. In addition, the Senior management might value healthy lifestyles or the time spent with family. New hires can be given gifts relating to either of such lifestyles.
Now, it will be up to your team to decide what you give to the new employees. For example, everyone at work prefers eating, and a voucher for a nearby cafe that makes great coffee is better than gifting a pen. For more gift ideas, head on to Swag Bar where you can create a gift set with a personal touch.
- Give the New Joinees a Chance to Unwind
Several tech companies give their new hires a pre-start holiday once they accept a job. New hires are allocated a set budget or time to go on a vacation and relax, and then come back to work, refreshed and prepared. Of course, you would understand that this is beyond the bounds of workforce management or candidate management software.
You may not have the resources or budget of a multinational IT company. However, you can give new joinees a relaxed start. For example, have a new joinee start in the middle of the week, instead of a Monday.
New hires start after 9 am, or even at 10 or 11 am in the morning. This will ensure that they are not at all overwhelmed. Moreover, this removes the morning commute for their first day and also gives existing employees a chance to get done with their tasks before meeting the new joinees.
The first day for the new hires should be about getting to know their new workplace and all their colleagues. Then, take them somewhere lovely for lunch or even brunch nearby. You should ease your new hire into their new position so that they build up a good feeling about changing jobs.
- Focus on the essentials of Structured Onboarding
We know that tedious paperwork comes with onboarding new joinees. Therefore, it is always recommended to use a structured onboarding system that manages both hiring managers as well as new joinee tasks during the induction period. It is easiest to do this with employee onboarding software. However, you can also use an employee onboarding checklist in the meantime.
Create your list of tasks for both existing employees and new joinees, in your system. Of course, what goes into the task list will be up to you, as requirements for when a fresh hire start varies from company to company. However, having a comprehensive task list makes onboarding fluid and gives you more time to focus on making onboarding a fun experience.
- Offer Incentives for New Joinees to Leave
This may sound crazy, but the tactic made headlines for Zappos globally. Zappos offered its new joinees $4000 to leave after a couple of months of joining into their new position.
The reason behind the incentive payout is that the company wants only the employees who enjoy being at work. Paying the employees to leave helps filter out any bad hires who only want to be there for the money. It is essential to create a process to actively filter out employees who are not engaged in their new roles.
The most effective way to prevent new employees from taking up your exit offer is to make your workplace the best. Give the employees a reason to work for you, and they will pass on the request to leave every time. In addition, they are going to remember why they decided to stay.
- Connect Your New Joinees with the Team before Day 1
An important question that new joinees have when they start ‘Who will I work with?’
Get rid of the uncertainty and stressful concerns by connecting your new joinees to their new colleagues before starting. Of course, you can do this with a physical meet-and-greet. Still, it’s easier to do this digitally by connecting on Facebook or LinkedIn. The platform may be your main communication channel for in-house interactions. At times, even a simple text message from a few colleagues can be enough to make your new joinees feel welcome.
- Put It All Together
You still need to be able to follow the paperwork for onboarding new hires properly. The maddest swag or the most fun first day can be undone by an unsigned form that stops an employee from getting paid. Follow our steps to create employee contract templates to ensure your paperwork is in order. Sorting your paperwork early gives you more time to enjoy cocktails at lunch with your new hire.
The Ending Note
When it comes to onboarding the best talent, you only get one chance to create an impression on your new hires. So, getting it right at the first instance is highly recommended. Integrating employee onboarding software can be your biggest asset in creating a stunning employer reputation.
However, you need to be absolutely certain about the kind of features you need for your organization. A good employee onboarding system would include everything, from the applicant tracking to candidate management software. So, be sure of your requirements and take a trial, if need be.
