One of the best ways to make sure that your organization is actually getting the most out of its employees is to try to start them all off on the right foot. Onboarding is an integral part of the process of welcoming new inductees to the organization. If done incorrectly, it can leave a bad impression in the mind of the fresh recruit and might induce him/her to seek fresh employment elsewhere. Let us see how we can create the ideal environment for new employees so that they feel at home from day one:
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The Need for a Proper Orientation
This is a basic first step for all new recruits. The organization should conduct a detailed orientation for new employees that should be divided into two parts. The theoretical part will consist of an in-house lecture while the practical one will involve a detailed review of the work at hand. This will help the new workers learn all about the organization, the physical environment as well as its expectations regarding their work. For instance, think about the indoor garden where you use LED grow lights to grow plants and show them to your interns. You can even ask them to water these plants from time to time.
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Introduce Them To Corporate Culture
Every organization has its own organizational and corporate culture. It fosters community spirit and makes the people become one with the organization. The management, as well as the HR department, has to inculcate the more fun aspects of this corporate culture. This way, the new recruits will be imbued with the same enthusiasm as the more senior members of their respective teams.
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Consider Holding a Welcome Dinner
Few things are as relaxing as dinner in a nice restaurant. It would be a good idea to splurge on one and invite all the new recruits to a non-corporate environment. This way, they will be able to interact with the other staff members outside working hours and see them not as managers and colleagues – but as friends that they can depend on, and go to, whenever they have any problems.
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Spend Quality Time Training Them for Their Respective Jobs
Expecting new inductees to be really good at their job from the very first day, is a bit like throwing an inexperienced swimmer off the deep end. Sure, your HR department has done a great job in recruiting the right people for the right job, but that does not mean they do not need any training at all. You will have to train them adequately and be lenient towards initial faults so that they can learn in an easy and stress-free environment.
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Find a Mentor
Mentors can become invaluable when it comes to helping new recruits to learn the ropes. By attaching a senior team member to a few new recruits in every team you can make sure that the new members always have a comforting presence to go to when they feel overwhelmed by all the requirements of their new jobs. Not only will a mentor provide help and guidance in a professional capacity, but at the same time, they will also be good friends to the new inductees. This way, the fresh recruits will not feel out of their depth at all.
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Set Clear Expectations by Creating Guidelines
Many employees who have joined only recently would not know exactly what is expected of them in both the long as well as the short terms. It is important for the management to sit with them in a series of one on one interviews, and appraise them with regard to the expectations that the organization has from them.
Here, all new personnel should not only understand what the employer expects from them but also commit to delivering the same. Once the interview is over, it is of the utmost importance to share the files of the interview and subsequent discussion with your new workers. You should make sure that they have the relevant software to unzip files for later perusal.
Conclusion
Inducting fresh personnel is not that difficult a task if you know how to go about onboarding them. You have to make them feel wanted and special, and at the same time convey your own expectations from them. There should be no ambiguity from either side. Once you have properly oriented them towards their responsibilities, you are good to go.
Guest post courtesy of Amelia Frank