It's time for the new team member to start! What now?

Onboarding 

After doing everything you can to recruit the right person for the job, it’s really important to ensure their initial experience is seamless and meets their expectations.  Onboarding is the umbrella that Induction and Orientation sit under and continue after they are completed. 

All evidence points to increased retention when employees have been offered a long-term, relationship-based onboarding program.  Essential is ensuring your new hire has the support and structure they require.  Support can look like a dedicated “Buddy”, an in-house mentoring scheme, or regular catch-ups with their manager.  

 

Induction and Orientation

As we mentioned Induction and orientation are vital parts of your new employee’s experience starting with the business.   

To keep an Induction process simple it should include a checklist to ensure all relevant documents are provided, read, understood and signed off.   Not missing key policies or documents is essential! 

The Orientation process should include: 

• Organisational orientation. Explaining the organisation’s history, culture and values and where the new employee fits into the team and business.  
• Taking the time to make proper introductions to key team members 
• Arranging a “buddy” to familiarise and assist in the Induction process. 
• Physical orientation. Showing the “newbie” where everything is, starting with the bathroom, kitchen, office supplies, entrance security alarms, fire safety equipment etc.  
• Expectations for the first week and month in the role. 
• Training plan to support getting up to speed. 

 

Reflection and Evaluation 

You’ve made it to the finish line, the new employee is settled into their on-boarding program and business is doing well. This is a perfect time to take a look at how the recruitment process went. If it was flawless first time around, that’s wonderful, let’s hope we can take some of the credit for that! 

If there were any sticking points, it’s a good opportunity to iron them out. It’s worth asking a few questions: 

• Did you have enough suitable candidates apply for the role? 
• Are there any changes you’d make to the interview process, for example ask another person to join you? 
• Have you had any feedback on the induction/ onboarding that you could act on? 
• How is your new employee settling into their role?

We hope we’ve helped you answer what you need to know about recruiting and made the recruitment process a little more transparent.  And let’s hope these tips will help you find the right people for your business.  

 

And there you have it Recruitment 101 done and dusted. If you are ready to grow your team,  have any questions about recruitment or other HR matters, we’re here to help. Get in touch today by clicking the green button below!