Notes on Onboarding from a New Hire

Last week was my first week in a new position here at IMP-SF, and my onboarding experience was so great I thought this would be a good time to review some best practices for bringing on new employees.

Create a warm welcome

This may seem obvious but you might be surprised how easily it can fall off the radar when everybody is busy with their daily tasks. Assign someone in your organization to be the newbie's buddy. Take them around and introduce them to everybody. Given the competitiveness of the market, you likely had to do some work to get this person to accept the position. Show them how excited you are they’re there.?

Provide an overview of processes, systems and structure

Every company is different–in big and small ways. Make sure you take plenty of time to walk new people through your way of working, the tools you use and how your teams are structured. Org charts are really helpful, especially if you provide them before you make your intros. Be sure to compile links to frequently used tools or systems.

PRO-TIP: Avoid acronyms whenever possible. It’s easy to slip into our own internal shorthand but that can make things really frustrating for new people. Don’t assume they know all your lingo, because you know what they say happens when you assume: sometimes you’re wrong (hey-o!).

Provide an outline of goals and timelines

Establish 30/60/90 day goals and discuss them with your new recruit. Better yet, use this as an opportunity to have a discussion and encourage them to outline their expectations. On Day One at IMP-SF I received a deck outlining how my first two weeks and then two months would be structured and we used that as a jumping off point for what I wanted to accomplish in those initial, crucial weeks. That also allowed us to carve out time for certain tasks, which leads to my next point.

Allow for time to absorb

Everyone is busy, we know. It’s why you’re hiring! But be sure to give new people enough time to just absorb all of the new information they’re taking in. If you think your day is hectic, imagine coming in and not knowing anyone, or how they work together, or what department people are aligned to, or where the coffee is. WHERE IS THE COFFEE? This is true–maybe more so–for distributed teams where you can’t even physically get a “lay of the land.” Time is precious, but investing in time upfront to simply allow people to process will give you huge returns on efficiency and job satisfaction.?

I’m really excited about my new position at IMP-SF and the potential I see everyday in where we’ll grow. Having a good onboarding experience just reaffirms my decision to join the team and that’s what you want with any new hire. Remember, they chose you as much as you chose them. Make sure they’re happy with their decision.