An Extensive Onboarding Guide for Managers

The employee onboarding process checklist can be a driving force of an organization that keeps the new employees motivated and engaged by coming out of their comfort zone. Positive onboarding can keep the employees glued and focused on the work and career development in the organization. Moreover, the hire plan and the HR onboarding process are designed to create a long-term relationship with the employees and make them feel important by providing actionable insights. 

What Is The Onboarding Process, and Why Is It Important in A Company?

The hire plan and the onboarding program comes with one critical goal: to keep the new hires engaged with the company mission from the beginning. Being in a new atmosphere can be alarming, and an efficient onboarding process can be a tool of comfort in such a situation for the new hires. The primary concern would be to keep them comfortable and help them move forward with the company, thereby witnessing a strong career development path without a very complex onboarding process. 

What Are The Four Phases of An Onboarding Program?

In general, the onboarding program steps have four phases that monitor and track the working progress of a new employee. Pre onboarding process is typically the time before the employees officially enter the company. This phase handles the process regarding signing the offer letter or the letter of intent. The next is the orientation phase, where the employees are introduced to the company leaders and the entire company. The initial step can be spanned out from two days to a week, ensuring that the employees are comfortable and grounded in the organization. Then they are assigned to their first tasks in the company. The initial few projects assigned are closely monitored to view their working progress. The final phase is the ongoing support, which keeps the employees at ease with constant support throughout the first few months.

Benefitting The Company

The employees might be confused with the entirely new setup in an organization. The paperwork and the working process can be a little complicated. However, the new hire onboarding process and the manager would take complete charge of the situation to help them feel at home. There are many benefits pertaining to an effective onboarding process that can help the employees.

• Hire plan and the new hire onboarding process help the hires stay connected with the company from the start and engage in the work process with a focus on the company goals and mission, leading to productivity and profitability at a higher level
• Retaining the employees into the company by providing them with the best experience and conducting the entire process recruitment process smoothly, and ensuring them with confidence and trust in their new roles
• The process can also attract and retain fresh and young talents. Having a referral program can also be beneficial as the organization can witness the field the new hires are talented and can place them accordingly
• Increasing the productivity to a great extent as the process allows the organization to engage the employees on their strengths which can result positively through channels of learning and additional training

Benefitting The Employees

A solid onboarding program can benefit the new employees joining the company. The employees joining might be filled with queries, and an effective new hire onboarding process can answer their questions.

• Creating a strong employee experience that can allow the new hires to look through the opportunities that are suitable for them and work in attaining personal goals
• A stress-free environment can help them focus on their work through continuous learning and performance.
• Having a better understanding of the features of the organization can assist in navigating the way to success in the entire company
• Mentoring programs can help them come out of their comfort and interact with the whole team
• Inculcating leadership qualities through various leadership presentations that help in showcasing their skills and reaching personal goals

Onboarding Process Being An Important Part of The Organization

The employee onboarding process checklist in a company is one of the essential steps that every organization should take the initiative to conduct when new employees get on board. In general, the employees are likely to leave the organization over a certain period. Only a solid and complete onboarding process can be beneficial in retaining the employees in the company and the colorful company culture. An adequately structured approach can be a cornerstone in engaging the employees, improving their performance, and maintaining them. The onboarding process can be a booster to inbuild confidence in the organization, leading to an increase in productivity. By designing and implementing a collaborative onboarding experience, organizations can reduce costs, improve productivity, increase staff retention and the spirit of community during onboarding.

What Are The Roles and Responsibilities of The Managers?

As a manager of the entire onboarding process, the individual is posed with various responsibilities. He is one of the valuable resources offered by the company to handle the onboarding process in detail. The manager should make themselves available for the new employees, especially when they encounter queries. Moreover, the manager should be knowledgeable about every element and process associated with the entire company, helping clarify the necessary information for the employees. Furthermore, the managers can make the onboarding process fun and provide an awesome onboarding experience. 

The essential responsibility of the manager is to track the performance of the employees. The role is to go beyond the usual tracking process and align the company's mission, vision and the company personality. To do so, the manager should have inculcated the employees on the organization's goals in general and the critical goal of the department in specific. Moreover, the manager should coordinate the entire team and connect the new employees with their respective teams within the company colors. The manager should also keep in touch with the human resources and inform them of the employees' work progress. Providing constant feedback to the employees is also one of the crucial responsibilities of the manager.

How To Make An Onboarding Checklist As A Manager?

The managers' critical goal is to keep the new employees comfortable and connected towards the organization. So, having an effective onboarding process can help manage and track the employees around the workplace environment. The beneficial way to follow your approach as a manager is by creating an effective new hire onboarding checklist. You could have the onboarding checklist as your guide that helps you monitor the work progress and alert you if you have missed out on anything. Some of the critical management tips to be considered in a new hire onboarding checklist are as follows.

Arranging Multiple One on One Sessions 

The employees are new, and bombarding them with so many rules and regulations can backfire instantly. So, everything should be taken care of intimately without causing untoward situations. Such situations can be managed by implementing one-on-one sessions with the new hires by marking them in the calendar events every month. These sessions can be a tool that can help them in understanding all the aspects of the company policies.

Welcoming The New Hires Uniquely

The employees would like to feel cherished and valued in the company. You can satisfy this by welcoming them to onboard creatively and uniquely, which can be a memorable experience for the employees. Moreover, you can take them on tour around the company and introduce to them the various departments. You can use this opportunity to engage them with each department's company leaders and managers. You can also conduct casual events to welcome them distinctively. 

Preparing A Targeted Outcome

As a manager, it is essential to set the targets and expectations for the new employees by providing an advanced review workflow. It can help you monitor the new employees' progress in each step. The initial targets can be a driving force that can help improve the employees' performance. You can set these targets for the initial three months and keep the employees in the loop about their work progress.

Updating The Documents in The High-Performing Teams

When a new employee steps into the high-performing teams, it is better to provide a transparent system and management tips and insight. Ensure to keep your internal documents updated with every new agenda and plan added. When the employee onboards, they should not be posed with unfinished documents that can lead to confusion about the working progress.

Designating Them The Tasks and Responsibilities

The managers play a vital role in the initial stages of the onboarding process. They are responsible for guiding the new employees, assigning them their tasks daily during the initial days, and providing additional resources. Employees should be made aware of their responsibilities following the company culture.

Checking on The Employees in Periodic Intervals

The employees should be monitored at regular intervals through a regular check-in schedule. The constant monitoring can sometimes be a little suffocating for the employees. So, the managers should be careful when approaching the employees with the performance reviews. Moreover, having a periodic check every month can help analyze the monthly performance. 

What Are The Key Activities Throughout The Onboarding Process?

The onboarding managers are bestowed with a huge responsibility for the onboarding process. So, they should note some of the key activities and administrative tasks that are to be followed during the process. The activities will be implemented in each of the four phases of the onboarding steps.

Prepping up Before The Onboarding

The work of the manager starts right when the candidate is answering the interview questions and is selected for the job position at the recruiting process. As a manager, they should be prepped in welcoming the new hires into the organization by working on the background details. The hire onboarding checklist is to be prepared and ensure that all the features necessary for the onboarding are covered throughout the process. You can plan out their week in advance and prepare a small gift to welcome them. Moreover, the entire preparation for setting up the workstation and providing the necessary resources and technology should be finished before the process.

Conducting An Efficient Orientation Program

In the orientation, the manager's critical goal should be to keep the new hires comfortable and introduce the employee handbook. You can have an interactive way of introducing each person by conducting icebreaker sessions to build connections with the current employees. Moreover, it is one of the essential elements to make them feel valued by giving them a tour around the company and introducing them to their team leaders, other managers, and executives. At the end of the orientation, the employees should be aware of the work process, job description, and the company's key continued goal. 

Catching up in The First Week

The job duties for the new employees are to be assigned at the end of the orientation after the submission of onboarding documents. While assigning the project, the manager should explain it in detail by pointing out the expected outcomes and the access details. Once the work is given, the managers must initiate performance reviews according to the management style. You can share your feedback with them at the end of the week and point out the areas of improvement. 

Monitoring Constantly Throughout The Process

The role of the onboarding managers does not end with orientation, and they should initiate the 30-60-90 day plan. Managers have to take their responsibilities further for a more extended period by creating a regular check-in schedule. It is necessary to check how they discharge their duties and their job satisfaction. So, the managers should check if the deliverables are met and conduct one-on-one meetings with them at the end of every month to discuss the work progress. You can have this as a team meeting or a little casual as a team lunch with the new employees and their team leaders.

Building The Organization with An Effective Onboarding Experience

The successful onboarding process holds the key to having a better working environment. The companies and the onboarding managers must gear up and ensure that they offer ample opportunities through the effective onboarding process to retain the organization's employees. Moreover, the managers can use innovation to make the onboarding process fun and productive. The employees should feel like a part of the organization right from the start, and this can be achieved only with a good onboarding process.