Helping your new hire integrate into the company is imperative for long-term success. After all, your company’s onboarding process will eventually decide whether the new recruit stays in the long run or leave way before his or her probation period is over.
The first few weeks for a new hire can be overwhelming with the avalanche of meetings, welcome lunches and administrative matters. However, all these need not happen on the new hire’s first day.
Here are five things that HR should do before your new hire even arrives:
Send A Welcome Pack
Regardless of the job position, sending a welcome pack to your new hire will definitely create a good first impression for them. It clearly reflects the company’s recognition of welcoming the new hire into the organisation. Essentially, the welcome pack need not be fancy. It could be something simple that includes recent newsletters or articles about the company or even a personalised welcome card signed by everyone on the team.
Settle The Paperwork
Save time on your new hire’s first day by settling the paperwork before he or she even arrives. Either send the documents that the new hire is required to sign by post or request for them to drop by the office before their official start date to get their signatures. Not only does this reflect transparency within the organisation, it provides your new employee ample time to thoroughly review the documents and clarify any questions as well.
Organisational Chart
The worst thing that can happen to any new hire on their first day is not knowing who they report to. Send your new hire an organisational overview and team structure if possible as well. At the same time, include a brief outline of the expected job duties and responsibilities, perhaps for the initial months upon joining. This will help your new hire in getting a head start learning everyone’s name and prepping themselves mentally for the new role.
A Learning Plan
Create a career plan for your new hire. The HR should work together with the hiring manager on crafting out a month, three months and an entire year’s learning plan for the new recruit. Lay out the tasks, skills, tools or even possible projects that the new hire is expected to learn and take on. This will allow them to know what is expected of them and also envision a future with the company as well. At the same time, it reflects the company’s efforts in ensuring career growth for each and every employee.
Assign A Mentor And/Or Buddy
In order to ensure that the learning plans for your new hire goes smoothly, there should be someone relatively senior in the company to guide them along. Assign a mentor to your new hire before they arrive and make sure that your new hire knows who. Alternatively, setting up a buddy system for your new hire is a great way to help them integrate easily into the new workplace. A buddy can help your new hire get to know more colleagues and about the organisation’s culture as well. That way, your new hire can enter the organisation knowing who to reach out to in times of need.
Remember that the more you communicate with your new hire, the more likely they are to remain engaged to the company for a longer tenure. After all, you have already worked diligently to recruit this person. The recruitment process is still not over – a good onboarding process on day one of the job is still part of the recruitment procedure.
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