Onboarding is the whole process of welcoming new workers to the company. It does not matter what the size of the company or the position of the person is, because this part of the process is always essential. In most cases, Axxon does not actively participate on the welcoming, but we do follow up the process to accompany both parties, candidate and company.
As much as a candidate fits a position, it is vital to work on job well-being every day to ensure its duration, commitment and dedication. That is why it is important that the company, together with Axxon, have the entire Onboarding plan prepared to start in the best way and unite the team from the beginning.
Why is it important?
Sometimes companies focus on the more quantitative part of the results (which is the growth of the company and the economic benefits) that they forget about the qualitative part which makes it possible for these numbers to be positive. Therefore, it is vital to take care of workers from the beginning and to achieve cohesive, motivated and well-organized teams. If they know how to work well with the team from the scratch and get to own the company's goal, their performance will be much more beneficial in the long run. A good onboarding process can also reduce the turnover rate and, in some cases, empower the feeling of belonging between teams.
How to achieve it?
Although sometimes Axxon is not an active actor on the Onboarding process, we still want to help you with some tips to follow:
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The Onboarding process begins before the arrival of the new worker. In fact, it begins at the moment when the candidate is selected, as this period of time can be useful to start the integration process. A welcome email and presentation of the company and team can be sent. In addition, you can also take advantage of this time to prepare all the material that the newcomer will need: computer, office supplies, computer programs, etc. so that the first day he/she can already be fully incorporated.
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Provide an introductory document to help the worker on his/her first days.The welcome pack is usually followed by many documents of information about the company. These papers are necessary, but overall can be a bit overwhelming. We propose an idea: prepare a document of one or two pages with a summary of the most important points (reason why and purpose of the company, next steps to follow during the first weeks, etc.), and a list of close contacts (the team, supervisor, human resources, etc.). New employees will be grateful to have easy access to the most significant information, which, at the same time, will make it easier to retain the essential points.
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Introduce the newcomer to the rest of the team.One way to present him or her could be by having a short presentation meeting with the rest of the work team. In addition, we recommend that you provide some contact (a close colleague) to act as a “mentor”. It will help the new employee to start bonding with some colleagues and, in addition, have a trusted person to whom to ask all the doubts without feeling embarrassed.
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Follow up the employee’s progress and celebrate his/her time within the company.Generally, the Onboarding process should last until the person has worked for 3 months / 100 days. When that time comes, celebrate it with him/her. There are a thousand ways to do it, but to make it easy and personal, you can send him/her an email celebrating the time spent within the company and showing him/her all the progress made. Thus, this method can also be used to request feedback and resolve doubts, concerns or possible improvements.
These are some generic tips, but each company can adapt the Onboarding process to its sector or situation (whether it is face-to-face or teleworking). The important thing, in the end, is to review the Onboarding process eventually to adapt it to the workers’ needs and enhance it, generating benefits for the employees and the company.
Now that you know the importance of the process and have ideas to carry it out effectively, we encourage you to give it a try. And remember, you can always contact us for more advice or questions!
