The offer letter is signed and your new-hire’s first day is just around the corner. If you’ve landed on this article, you’re likely looking for onboarding activities that will make your new-hire’s first day fun and inviting, getting them excited to be a part of your organization’s family. As you attempt to welcome your new employee with open arms and set a good first impression, it’s important not to underestimate the power and long-lasting effects of employee onboarding.
An abundance of research and studies have been done regarding the impact of employee onboarding on engagement and retention. According to a 2016 study by Glint, an employee engagement platform, employees who reported a poor onboarding experience were eight times more likely to be disengaged at work. Fast Company, a global media brand, also found that new employees are 69% more likely to stay after three years if they’ve experienced a well-structured onboarding program.
Clearly, executives are starting to understand the value in having a strategic process in place when onboarding new employees. A recent study by DATIS found that 63% of organizations would benefit from a structured onboarding process. Fortunately, there are plenty of onboarding activities that can be done to make sure your new-hire gets acclimated to his or her new environment, and has a bit of fun in the process. We’ve detailed some of these activities below.
Make Initial Paperwork Electronic
Nobody wants to be stuck behind a desk filling out piles of paperwork, especially new-hires full of excitement and anticipation. This paperwork can put an end to this excitement and get the new-hires day off to the wrong start. Luckily, today’s organizations have access to HR software which electronically sends out this paperwork before a new-hire steps foot into the office. Once completed, the forms will be stored and organized securely in an online database. This ensures that once a new employee enters the office for the first time, they won’t be exiled behind a stack of papers.
Introduce Future Team Members
We’ve all been the ‘new kid’ at some stage in our lives, and understand the challenges of meeting people for the first time. Breaking the ice between new-hires and their new team early on can make their transition into unfamiliar territory smooth and easy. Having each of the new-hire’s future colleagues go around and introduce themselves is a great way to get the ball rolling. In return, you can encourage the new-hire to share a little about themselves as well.
Take New-Hire Out to Lunch
It’s normal for new-hires to be nervous when they first start at an organization. If you want them to enjoy their first few days in the office, it’s important to loosen them up and calm them down. Taking them to an informal off-site lunch at a local restaurant with other team members does just that. This isn’t only a nice gesture, but it also provides new-hires an opportunity to open up around their coworkers outside of the office. By keeping conversations away from work and business, you’ll be able to find out some interesting things about your new team member.
Get Them Involved Early
Last but not least, get new employees involved in meetings and discussions early and often. Regardless of previous experiences and industry knowledge, there’s bound to be a learning curve for new-hires when adjusting to the way your organization handles day-to-day operations. Inviting them to sit in on internal and external meetings or having them listen to phone conversations with clients can significantly help new-hires understand the way things work within the organization.
The way you handle the onboarding process is crucial to the future of a new-hire’s experiences with your organization. The benefits of going above and beyond during the onboarding process are proven and abundant. Making the process fun and engaging by performing various onboarding activities can ease the nerves of new-hires and get them accustom to the way your organization works. By implementing some of the onboarding activities outlined above, you’ll be in good shape when your new-hire walks through your doors for the first time as an employee.
This DATIS Blog was written by James Clark, DATIS, on November 20th, 2017 and may not be re-posted without permission.