The Ultimate Guide to Employee Onboarding: Best Practices and Strategies

There is usually a delay between the time your new hire accepts the job offer and their start date. This is an opportunity to make sure your new hire feels prepared and welcomed before day one.

Setting up their desk, computer, and password logins early will ensure they are ready to hit the ground running. Then, continue to check in monthly to assess their performance and support them as they deliver results.

1. Invest in a Learning Management System

Investing in an LMS can be expensive for some businesses, particularly if the software is a replacement for legacy systems that have been in place for a long time. For these reasons, it is important to conduct a Return on Investment (ROI) analysis for any new eLearning initiatives. This will help decision-makers determine the financial viability of a new project and allow them to compare it to other projects to see which ones may provide the highest return on their investment.

LMS platforms are one-stop content shops that enable educators and designers to create educational materials quickly and at scale. Many of these solutions are cloud-based and can be accessed from any device with an internet connection. This makes it easy for employees to access their training from home, on the road, or at any location in between.

Moreover, most modern LMS systems offer a variety of learning formats. Employees can learn from videos, interactive modules, and downloadable resources in their preferred format, whether on desktop computers or mobile devices. Most also feature social and collaborative features that make it easier for learners to brainstorm and communicate with their teammates.

Additionally, an LMS will enable companies to track crucial education metrics and performance data. This information can then be used to improve and optimize future eLearning programs. It will also help organizations maintain compliance with industry regulations and standards. Lastly, an LMS will help them develop a continuous learning culture within their organization. This is an essential aspect of future-proofing a business as it can help them stay competitive in the market. It will also ensure that their employees are always up-to-date on the latest industry knowledge, which can help them make informed decisions.

2. Set SMART Goals

Setting SMART goals can be a great way to define what you hope to achieve as an organization or as a professional. The goal should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound. Achieving SMART goals can help you stay on track to meet your objectives and improve your overall performance.

During the onboarding process, it is important to set goals that can be tracked and evaluated. Employees who are able to see their progress and receive feedback can be more motivated to continue growing and developing in their role. Keeping goals measurable allows new hires to assess their performance against the established metrics, helping them make more informed decisions about how to progress toward their desired outcomes.

Getting to know your employees and their motivations can also be helpful for setting SMART goals and expectations for the first year of employment. For example, if an employee wants to become certified in a certain skill, you can provide resources for learning that will align with their career aspirations and help them grow in the job. This can create a more engaged and satisfied workforce and reduce turnover.

Setting SMART goals is especially important during the onboarding process when it can take up to six months for a new hire to feel proficient in their job duties. By working with managers and HR teams to develop goals that are measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound, companies can provide new hires with the tools they need to succeed and make sure their experience is positive and productive. For example, employees who are paired with a buddy and who meet eight times in their first 90 days are 23% more likely to strongly agree that they can apply their strengths at work, according to Microsoft research.

3. Create a Collaborative Onboarding Process

To be effective at their job, new employees need to feel a sense of community within the organization. To do this, a comprehensive onboarding process must not only handle legal paperwork, set up workstations, and communicate role expectations, but also painlessly acclimate them to the company’s culture.

A collaborative onboarding process is a great way to build this connection and can include things like setting up team-building activities or facilitating cross-functional networking from the outset. In addition, it’s important that managers — who are key stakeholders in employee onboarding — be engaged throughout the process.

Managers can do this by incorporating onboarding into their regular check-in meetings with staff and using tools that promote day-to-day interaction between managers and team leaders, such as Personio’s team management platform. This allows for easy access to onboarding resources and enables managers to stay connected with new hires throughout their probation period.

It’s also critical that current team members take an active role in the onboarding process, especially for remote workers. They can do this by coordinating virtual meet-and-greets with their new colleagues, leveraging a world map template in Mural for instance, where each person can put their photo over their location and share something fun about where they live. Or, they can help out by designing a workflow that encourages the sharing of content with their new joiners, such as a project plan, or default content in a Mural playlist.

This will ensure that the onboarding process doesn’t stop after week one and that all employees have a strong support network to rely on. It also ensures that all new hires are set up for success and ready to hit the ground running from the outset.

4. Schedule Regular Check-Ins

When employees feel engaged and part of a larger community at work, it leads to increased focus, productivity, and ultimately business growth. However, if an employee’s only interaction with their manager is the annual one-on-one performance review, they will likely not feel this sense of belonging. That’s why it is so important to schedule regular check-ins to support your employees and create a high-performing culture.

Check-ins are a critical piece of the onboarding process because they allow new hires to receive valuable feedback from their managers. Rather than the traditional top-down approach to managerial relationships, check-ins are two-way conversations focused on building trust and fostering growth. When done well, check-ins help to establish a strong relationship that helps to motivate employees and drive engagement.

During these check-ins, you can also discuss any legalities related to the new hire’s role like wage tax deduction forms and health and safety policies. It’s also a good opportunity to ask new hires how they are getting on with their 30-60-90-day plan and if they need any help or guidance from their manager.

While some managers may be tempted to use their check-ins as a tool for micromanaging, it is crucial to avoid this at all costs. Instead, focus on setting goals and providing positive feedback. This will ensure that your new hires feel supported and empowered to be their best at work.

Moreover, this allows managers to get to know their new team members and establish rapport, which in turn will help them to build the trusting and collaborative culture you desire. Finally, by providing employees with an avenue to voice their thoughts and concerns, it is easier for them to resolve any issues that arise in a timely manner.

5. Create a Personalized Onboarding Experience

It’s essential to customize the onboarding process to each employee and their role. This makes them feel valued and enables you to track performance in a more meaningful way.

This can be done through automated welcome messages and personalized learning paths, which are tailored to each user’s persona and the actions they take on your platform. For example, social media conversion tool Sniply greets new users by name and encourages them to make their first snip, while also reminding them of the value they’re getting out of the product (and providing helpful tutorial videos).

When designing your onboarding experience, keep in mind that most employees prefer to ramp up gradually rather than hitting the ground running with big projects. This will allow them to learn more about the company and its processes before they’re asked to do much beyond their core job duties.

Additionally, it’s important to introduce them to the different teams that they will work with throughout their time at your company. This could include HR for any policy or payroll questions, their direct managers, and IT to help them get set up with the right tools and equipment.

Lastly, don’t forget to give them their dedicated workspace and fill it with office supplies and branded swag! This will help them feel comfortable and welcomed and will encourage them to start working as quickly as possible.