Once a candidate accepts an offer, it is important to have a smooth and effective onboarding.
The way this process is done sets the expectation for the employee both on the work front as well as on subtle aspects of the company.
Joining Confirmation
Confirm the joining date and make sure there are no pending dependencies from either the candidate or from the organisation.
When the joining date is near, follow up with the candidate and make sure they do not have any constraints on starting on the agreed date.
Plan Infrastructure and Logistics
Plan for workplace and other logistics needed for a new employee to join. It could be laptops, sim card, office supplies. Anything specific needed for the role.
Have all these available or approved prior to the joining date. Any delay on these after the employee joins would delay their onboarding process.
Check with the employee if they need any help especially if they are moving to new place. Even small gestures goes a long way.
Keep the Team Informed
Make sure the manager informs the team about the new hire in advance. Sometimes teams can feel threatened by new hires.
Have a candid meeting and let them know which role the new employee would be hired for and when they are expected to join the team.
Plan for Joining Day Formalities
When a new employee joins there are operational and HR formalities that need to be done.
Plan for all those activities. Create a schedule and share with respective point of contact.
Try to complete the documentation and other activities first thing so that rest of the day can be used for the employee to meet the team and get settled.
Joining Day
Provide a warm welcome to the new Joinee. Tell them you are genuinely glad that they joined the organisation. Give them some time to settle down.
Share the agenda for the day and ask if they need anything.
Formalities
Complete the formalities as required. This could be
Offer acceptance letter, prior employment documents
creating or taking information about bank accounts
Documents needed by HR
Employee Kit
Once the formalities are complete show them their desk and provide them with employee kit. Invest some on basic items so that the employee feels part of the organisation from the start.
Bags, Diary, Notepad, Pen, Laptop whatever is affordable
It is always a good investment to share some items that the role would require.
Meet with Leadership
This is a very important aspect of onboarding. The employee has to have a meeting with founders and leadership team.
This meeting helps the employee to get to know the leaders personally. Also it reduces any future barriers one might have later.
The meeting can be used to talk about the vision, culture and progress of the company. Also it is a good space to get to know little bit about the employee.
This breaks the ice and effectively makes the new employee part of the tribe.
Meet with Team
Plan for a cordial meet with the team they are part of, with the manager leading this. Let it be casual.
Talk about how work is structured and introduce the team members with a brief back ground.
Expectation Setting
One of most important aspect of onboarding is expectation setting. The first impression for the expectations forms the base for any future expectations.
Be very clear in the expectations of the role, responsibilities and the process. Communicate this clearly and clear any doubts the employee might have.
Communicate the KPI for the role and how they are measured. Make sure there are no ambiguity there.
Training and Support
Expectations should go with training and support. Share the training plan and the support given to employees.
Make sure they know they are always welcome to ask for any additional training and support.
Give Time
Give breathing for the new joinee to get accustomed to the culture and way of working. Sometimes it could be a paradigm shift for employees moving from a company that were in different domain / scale. So just make sure the transition happens over time and they are not rushed into anything.