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A common misconception surrounding your job role as an HR manager is that you just sit down, peer down at job candidates and pleasurably scrutinize them to dismay.
If only people could understand the constant pressure you face especially when it comes to certain job responsibilities like onboarding new employees. Great expectations are placed on you to ensure new recruits are incorporated quickly into the company and are set off on a tone of productivity usually on a tight time frame.
Although onboarding employees is a fairly complex task, putting it all into a list helps to make the process a lot easier. In this article, you would be handed a detailed onboarding checklist you can use to fire up new employees and ensure they are up and productive soonest.
The checklist (13 steps)
Since so many things go into onboarding new employees, we would be dividing them into 3 categories to make it apprehensible.
Pre-resumption checklist
- Send a welcome email. The email should contain;
- a congratulatory paragraph
- Documents they need to make available
- The resumption date
- Start time
- Dress codes
Email template
Subject line: Welcome to *company name*
Good day *name of new employee*;
We are excited to welcome you to our team on *date*. *Name of HR manager* will meet you in the office’s reception at *time*.
Please remember to bring your ID. Acceptable identification is Driver’s license, National ID card, or Passport. Also, ensure you are formally dressed in order to comply with our dress code, you can view and download the dress code guide here.
Upon arrival, you’ll be shown your office and you would also get introduced to other members of your team. Making you comfortable is our priority so please let us know if there is any specific need we can meet.
We have created a thorough onboarding schedule for you to facilitate your transition with us. Your onboarding schedule will be sent to you shortly.
Please, do let us know if you have any adjustments you would like us to effect.
Warm regards,
*Your name*
- Prepare all the documents
- The job contract should contain the pay, terms, and conditions of the job.
- Payslip
- Personal info forms
- Create a pamphlet that contains FAQs.
- Make arrangements for the cleaning of the new employee’s workspace. It should also be set up for work by ensuring computer applications and software are updated.
First-month onboarding checklist
- Give a full tour. If it is a big company, just touch on the essential parts like the Conference room, Human resource department, Manager’s office, toilets, and convenience stores.
- Give key access to exclusive areas the employee has access to.
- Making introductions; helps set the tone for team bonding and can be the foundation for rewarding work relationships
- Set up the employee’s computer and profile on the company website.
- Set up a schedule of training activities that would take place over a time period
- Set up one-on-one meetings
Schedule one-on-one meetings with the employee’s supervisor, HR representative, and any other relevant team members.
- Plan an orientation program
Plan an orientation program that provides the new employee with a comprehensive understanding of the company, its culture, and their role in it. Here are the steps;
- Define the goals and objectives of the orientation program
- Identify the audience
- Determine the content
- Conduct the orientation
- Familiarize employees with company policies, work ethics, and protocols. This clears up ambiguity and will equip employees with knowledge of filing complaints or resolving work concerns.
- Constantly check in with new recruits to offer support and address any issues they might have. Since they are new and adjusting, they may feel unsure about speaking up so soon but a constant check-in will prod them on to talk if they have concerns.
- At the end of the month, review performance. Identify areas of improvement and areas of strength. Ensure you place emphasis on the fact that the review isn’t scrutiny, it is to help them become better employees and also let them know the company wants to know how to make them better employees, probably by providing additional training and mentorship.
When addressing areas of improvement, ensure the employee has privacy. No one likes to have their dirty laundry out in public. Again, reiterate to the employee that you are not condemning them, you simply want to forge a plan that will help them improve in identified areas.
Conclusion
With a checklist at your disposal, you can be sure no onboarding step gets left out or forgotten. New recruits would therefore have the most pleasant time getting acquainted with their new workplace. You would also be freeing up time to put it into other things for better efficiency. It’s simply a win-win situation.
