Employee Onboarding: The Five Things You’ll Never Do Again

Employee onboarding is an intriguing mix of art and science. You want your new hire to feel comfortable and acclimated – but you also want to get that person up and running as quickly as possible. While there are no shortcuts to a good onboarding process, employee onboarding software can make it much easier for managers and employees to successfully connect, set reasonable expectations, and create reachable goals in short order.

Onboarding encompasses a wide range of activities: getting to know colleagues and managers, understanding the exact job duties, and basic tasks like learning to use key systems. Employee onboarding software can automate (or at least remind you of) some of these tasks, so no one wastes valuable time and brainpower worrying about them. Once you adopt employee onboarding software, you’ll never have to do these five things again.

Wait to Set Up a Desk

The best way to get your new superstar up and running is to have his or her work space all set up in advance. That means chair, desk, and of course, the computer. Many companies offer their employees choices as to which computer and operating system they’d prefer. Use your employee onboarding software to set up a questionnaire in advance. That way, you’ll have their gear purchased, charged, and ready for work on day one. If your employees wear a uniform, get them geared up with the proper sizes so they’re ready to roll.

Worried that you’ll need the IT team to set up their computer to use the onboarding software day one? Choose a vendor that provides software as a service, so you don’t have to worry about installation or IT infrastructure.

Bug Someone for a Signature

There are all kinds of forms and documents to submit when a new hire joins your company. Employee onboarding software gives a one-two punch to paperwork. First, you can set up automatic reminders to let your employees or managers know if a document is still incomplete. Then, you can use e-signature technology to safely and securely get the information you need. No more pesky printouts or scans!

Dig Up Employee Manuals

Employee handbooks, insurance information, 401K details…there’s a lot of info for your new hire to soak up in those first few weeks, and he or she is probably going to have specific questions that can only be answered by, for example, calling your dental insurance provider or referencing the employee handbook. Rather than letting a physical copy gather dust in the back room, your employee onboarding software provides easy-to-find download links to the guidelines and manuals your new hire might want to peruse. It saves you time and money.

Mobilize the Welcome Wagon

No one wants to show up on the first day to find that the other employees have no idea who he or she is. Your employee onboarding software portal is one of the first experiences your employee will have with his or her new company. Make sure it’s a good one. Your portal should be a welcoming reflection of your company (hint: that means branded). Add custom notes and welcome messages for your new hire. Think about the things he or she might find useful. A glossary of acronyms commonly used by your company? A guide to local restaurants? Messages from your employee’s new teammates? A guide to the first day, including where to go and suggestions for dress, will help your employee feel confident and prepared from day one.

Remember to Check In

You’ll never miss a workiversary again. Onboarding is more than just orientation – it’s an ongoing process that lasts until your new hire is a fully engaged, productive member of the team. How frequently should you be checking in? Schedule meetings at the one-week, one-month, three-month, and six-month marks to get feedback from your new employee. That last meeting can be especially helpful to find ways to modify your existing onboarding system. At that point your employee should be in a good place to offer suggestions as to what he or she wishes had been part of onboarding. Use your employee onboarding software to create automatic emails reminding your manager and new hire to check in with each other. Some software can coordinate your employees’ schedules to create an appointment. There’s no excuse to skip it!

Employee onboarding is integral to the success of your new hire at your company. The cost of employee turnover is too high to ignore. Employee onboarding software doesn’t replace the human aspects of onboarding, but it is an incredibly useful tool to enable those connections. Want to learn more? Try ApplicantStack Onboard for free – automating those less critical tasks will give you more time to actually take those new employees out to lunch!