Strategies for Successful Employee Onboarding and Retention

Hiring a new employee is an exciting milestone. However, if you're new to recruitment management, the process can seem daunting. Balancing the many tasks involved in starting a business while managing recruitment can be overwhelming.

But don't worry. You're not alone.

Fortunately, you don't necessarily need to have a degree in HR or take courses to create a structured onboarding plan for your incoming team.

To help you with document management, we've compiled some top tips and best practices to streamline your processes. This will ensure your documents are organized, accessible, and secure, making it easier for your team to stay productive and compliant.

Why you need to onboard new employees.

First impressions count. And onboarding is the first impression a new employee gets of your small business, so it's important to make that impression count.

The goal of onboarding is to introduce the new employee to your small business and their role on the team. You give them the tools and knowledge they need to succeed. This not only benefits your employees, but also empowers them to best support your company.

But onboarding goes beyond just helping your new hires do their jobs. It's a two-way affair. You also familiarize them with what it's like to be part of your team and what they can expect when working with you long-term.

Despite the high value onboarding places on employees, only 29% of new hires say they feel well prepared and supported to excel in their role after onboarding.

What happens if you don't have an onboarding process?

Nearly one in five employees say their last onboarding was poor - or worse, that they didn't receive any onboarding at all.

Unfortunately, when employees aren't properly onboarded, they can:

• Struggle with their responsibilities and tasks: Even the best new hire doesn't automatically know how to do their new job. If they aren't properly trained, they can't do their best. And in the worst case scenario, they could do their job completely wrong.
• They're less productive and less engaged in their role: Onboarding increases employee productivity in more ways than one. Of course, the right training helps them do their job better. But if you set them up for success, they'll also be more motivated and engaged at work. In fact, employees who have experienced a successful onboarding experience are likely to be 70% more productive.
• They're unhappy with you as an employer: A comprehensive onboarding process shows your new employee that they're a valued member of your team. Not surprisingly, onboarding is closely linked to employee job satisfaction. If employees feel left out from day one, it can leave a bad taste that's hard to recover from.
• They're more likely to leave and take another job: You've invested a lot of time in hiring and onboarding your new employee, and you probably want them to stay with you as long as possible. But without a high-quality onboarding process, they may feel unsupported in their role and leave the company sooner rather than later.

If you take anything away from this article, it's this: Don't skip employee onboarding.

How to Onboard a New Employee in 8 Easy Steps.

While every onboarding process looks a little different, here are a few steps to walk you through the basics of employee onboarding:

1. Provide your new employee with an onboarding package before their first day.
2. Preferably in digital form so it can be sent directly via email.
3. Create an onboarding plan and schedule.
4. Give the new employee a tour of the workplace on the first day and introduce them to all the key people.
5. Review company policies and regulations.
6. Educate about your company, products and services.
7. Train employees on software, processes and systems.
8. Discuss role, responsibilities and expectations.
9. Get your new employee's feedback on onboarding.

Tips for successful employee onboarding.

Employee onboarding is common in companies of all types and sizes. But not all onboarding is created equal. Often, companies try to settle for the bare minimum - a mistake that can impact both employee experience and performance.

Fortunately, you know better.

Here are some tips and tricks for a successful employee onboarding experience.

Here's how to start your new employees off on the right foot.

• Start onboarding before day one: Preparing a welcome package and providing your new employee with onboarding information beforehand can make the first day less stressful for everyone involved.
• Ask for feedback: Ask your new employees what they liked and didn't like about the onboarding process. Use these insights to improve your onboarding experience in the future.
• Automate wherever possible: There's a lot to consider when onboarding employees. Automating things like welcome packages and using digital storage can help streamline the process and make it stress-free.
• Make time for questions: Make time for your new hire to ask you questions, whether it's about HR details or tracking work hours. Being open to questions can help you uncover anything you missed in your onboarding plan and ensure your employee has everything they need.
• Set milestones and goals for onboarding: Even a simple checklist of onboarding tasks can ensure nothing is missed. Plus, it can help new hires feel productive in the first few weeks as they settle into their new role.

What to avoid with new hires.

• Don't skip onboarding: While it may seem obvious, it's still common for companies of all sizes to neglect onboarding in the hope of saving time and resources. In reality, skipping onboarding will cost you more in the long run.
• Don't improvise: Onboarding should be well thought out to ensure you and your new hire get the most out of the experience. Ideally, you should create a written plan so everyone is on the same page. This is especially true for hourly employees who may have a unique work schedule.
• Don't rush the process: Onboarding doesn't happen in one day. Trying to tackle too much at once can be overwhelming for your new employee. Spread out training and onboarding activities over the first week or even the first month.
• Don't forget to make it personal: Your first employee is an important part of your company. A little extra warmth goes a long way. Send them a welcome gift or invite them to a welcome dinner to make them feel part of the team.

Want to keep them happy?

A solid onboarding process alone has been proven to increase employee retention by up to 82%. But onboarding and training are just the first steps to keeping talented employees on your team.

After the onboarding process, don't take a U-turn on the employee experience. How can you keep your employees happy and engaged after onboarding?

• Offer flexibility in work hours where possible.
• Make employee appreciation a priority.
• Offer competitive compensation and benefits.
• Listen to their feedback and take action.

Need help managing the onboarding process?

Onboarding is key to growing your business, and knowing how to onboard a new employee is the first step to doing so. But you don't have to do it alone.

IceHrm's all-in-one employee management platform provides the tools you need to run an effective onboarding process. From automated welcome packages to HR and compliance support, IceHrm has everything you need to grow your small business.

Effective onboarding is essential for retaining talented employees and ensuring their success. IceHrm's all-in-one employee management platform offers automated onboarding solutions, HR, and compliance support, making it easy to welcome and retain new team members.