Onboarding 101: How to not screw up start-up onboaring.

New employee onboarding, and the importance of effective onboarding is something that’s often overlooked in the world of start-ups.

Mostly I think it’s just not very appreciated. ‘Give them a laptop and off they go’ would be the most common approach I reckon.

But a poor onboarding experience, or even just the lack of an excellent onboarding experience can actually be the start of some much larger problems that you’ll definitely want to be steering clear of.

Before we jump into all things onboarding though, let’s make sure we’re not getting ahead of ourselves for a quick moment.

• Do you have a signed contract of employment?
• Has the candidate resigned from their current role?
• Did they reject any counter offer that came their way?
• Have they cancelled all of their other interviews?

If you’re getting a resounding yes from all 4 of those questions, then congratulations on your new hire!

If not, keep looking in the background, especially if they’ve had the contract for more than a couple of days.

But for now, let’s assume you’re able to check off all of those boxes, and are eagerly looking forward to a new face joining the team in 4 weeks!

It’s at this very moment that onboarding starts, and it doesn’t stop until the end of a probationary period (usually 3 or 6 months).

So here goes:

1 - The Welcome Call

The welcome call, as you may have guessed, is to congratulate your new hire on securing the role, and to welcome them to the team.

It’s also where you’ll ask them how their resignation went (to make sure it has happened) and reassure them of the decision that they have made.

During the welcome call, you’ll outline everything that will happen between now and their start date, showcasing how organised you are (if you’re a start-up this will help you stand out more than I’d like to admit), and managing their expectations for timelines of documents being sent, and other admin stuff that needs to occur.

Also ask them about the laptop and equipment that they’d like, if freedom around that sort of thing is something that you offer. Even if it’s not, confirm that you’re ordering it to the right address.

2 - Equipment and Tools

Firstly, YES, you do need to provide employees with a laptop if they do any amount of their job outside the office (so basically everyone).

Aside from legal requirements, for software engineers, accessing sensitive IP from a personal machine is a major security issue.

Thirdly, nothing says unserious tinpot start-up more than a “provide your own equipment policy”, and yes, people will change their mind about joining you.

Read the comments here if you don’t believe me.

But anyway, back to equipment and tools - get them ordered today.

Other than getting it done and dusted so you can cross it off your to do list, explaining to the candidate that their laptop will arrive in a couple of days is just another excuse to give them a ring (which you’ll want to do at least weekly until they can start).

3 - Keeping in Touch

As I mentioned, you’ll want to be doing this on a weekly basis at the very least. It’s easier than it sounds.

• Welcome call.
• Laptop/Equipment call.
• Did your laptop arrive?
• Sending through some documents (TFN declaration, Superannuation form etc.), so check your spam!
• Providing details on start time and location.

As I said, it’s easy to come up with reasons for a call, but you’ll definitely want to do it. Things can change, and whilst a candidate may have accepted your role, it doesn’t mean that their head can’t be turned by a recruiter with a ‘better’ opportunity.

Keep in touch, and keep your new hire.

4 - Team Events

Where possible, and if location permits, get them onboard for some team events. This could be an upcoming trip, a hackathon, some drinks or dinner, it doesn’t really matter.

Regardless of what it is, it’ll solidify the thinking that they are now a true member of that team, and can also help them feel more welcome and engaged with that team when their start date comes around, potentially improving performance in the role.

5 - The Week Before

Just 1 week away from the candidate’s start date, it’s now less about the external touch points with the candidate (although they should still be happening) and more about the set-up for week 1 internally.

It’s now time to get everything set up from an admin and systems perspective.

Emails, Slack, Calendars, etc.

If possible, I’d also suggest giving access to these systems during the week before, with any important documents or emails sitting within their inbox ready to be read and actioned.

They don’t need to do any of this until their start date, but some candidates may want to familiarise themselves.

All of their 1st week’s meetings should also be in their calendar already.

6 - Day 1, Minute 0.

Let’s get to the most important part first here - time to pay that recruiter invoice ;)

On a serious note, congratulations - a new member joining the team is (and should always be) an exciting time!

But don’t let that excitement get the better of you - a poor initial experience is one of the most common reasons that a candidate will leave a new role, and candidates who have just started a new role are most likely being bombarded by recruiter attention for this very reason.

Day 1 is about familiarity with everything. The company, the team, the systems, the office.

Some companies have certain goals or milestones to hit in day 1 (pushing code to production for example), and this is totally fine - but it needs to be a fun challenge, not a high pressure task.

Nonetheless, whatever your day 1 looks like, it needs to be written down and in their inbox in a very detailed document.

Partly this is for the candidate, but it’s mostly for you - there shouldn’t be gaps, or time for thumb twiddling, and everyone who’s involved in this day needs to be on the same page and make sure they are available when needed.

7 - Week 1

Similar to day 1, week 1 should be quite meticulously planned out, with all meetings and tasks arranged and laid out in advance.

As time goes on a familiarity with the role and team increases, this becomes less and less important, until you are eventually just managing an employee as a manager should.

Depending on the size of the business, a ‘buddy’ can be assigned during this week as well, although this is more down to the culture and how you work as a team.

8 - Ensuring Long Term Success

Ongoing support and long term team integration are the two most important factors from the end of week 1 onwards, and realistically, this should never stop.

1-1s at the end of every week in month 1, and fortnightly catch-ups from then on out (until the end of probation at least) are really a must.

It’s extremely important to come at these from a number of different angles, as your problems as a manager might not always be in the same category as their problems from an employee perspective.

• Are they performing well, and are you happy? Are they happy?
• Are they fitting in culturally? Do they feel integrated and part of the team?
• Do they understand the business, their role, and where they fit?
• Are they happy, is it what they expected? Why, why not?
• And so on.

TL/DR

Pre-Onboarding Checklist

Before onboarding begins, ensure your new hire has:

• Signed their employment contract.
• Resigned from their current role and declined any counter offers.
• Canceled other ongoing interviews.
• If these aren't confirmed, continue your recruitment efforts in the background.

The Onboarding Timeline

1 - Welcome Call:

• Congratulate the new hire, confirm their resignation, discuss their equipment preferences, and outline the pre-start date processes.

2 - Equipment and Tools:

• Order equipment/laptop immediately (you must provide one).
• Confirm the delivery address for all necessary tools.

3 - Regular Communication:

• Maintain weekly contact to reaffirm their decision and address any concerns.
• Request any documents to be filled in and returned (Super, TFN Declaration, etc)

4 - Integration Activities:

• Invite them to team events to build connections and integrate them into the culture.

5 - Final Preparations (One Week Before Start):

• Set up company email, Slack, and calendar.
• Pre-load their inbox & calendar with essential documents and meetings for the first week.

6 - First Day Focus:

• Plan everything happening on day 1, and have this plan in their inbox.
• Ensure a comprehensive introduction to the company, team, and systems.
• Set fun yet manageable goals/tasks for the first day to ensure a positive start.

7 - First Week Structure:

• Continue to plan all tasks and meetings meticulously.
• Consider assigning a 'buddy' for support depending on company culture.

8 - Long-term Integration:

• Schedule regular check-ins (weekly for the first month, then fortnightly).
• Address their performance and integration from multiple perspectives to ensure they are thriving in their new role.

If you’re able to do all of that (you should be, it’s not very difficult…) then you’re well on your way to having yourself a happy, successful, and long term hire.

However, things can still go wrong, even if you do everything right.

If you’re unlucky to be hiring again much earlier than planned, we should talk .

Thanks for reading!

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For those that are new here, I post (mostly) fortnightly content, addressing the nuance, challenges and secrets of placing talented engineers and designers into Australia’s best start-ups & scale-ups.

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