You’ve Hired! Now What?

What Is Onboarding?

The onboarding process is more than paperwork. It sets the course for your new hire’s future at your company. Successful onboarding includes:

• A way for the new hire to create and develop relationships with managers, teams, and the company at large.
• A concrete outline of job responsibilities.
• A detailed path of what is needed to advance within the company.
• A process for goal setting that involves both the manager and the new hire.
• An introduction and induction into the company’s culture.

What are the keys to successfully onboarding your new hire using your HR onboarding software?

Fill Out Paperwork

Onboarding is about more than just W4s, W2s, and I9s. Of course, this needs to be taken care of, and your onboarding software has the tools to help.

HR onboarding software has common forms pre-uploaded, so your new hire simply fills them out. When the new hire submits, the task is automatically assigned to the next person who needs to sign the form. Bottlenecks can be automatically addressed via email. If, for instance, the new hire hasn’t filled out his tax paperwork or uploaded her driver’s license, an automatic email reminder will gently nudge the process along.

One of the most important aspects of onboarding software is the ability to safely and securely e-sign documents. If you’ve still got to print out, sign, and scan in all your paperwork, your process is going to slow significantly.

Collect Documentation

Any onboarding software will collect the basic demographic information of your new hire, but you’ll likely want additional information. A good HR onboarding software program will allow you to create questionnaire templates so you can gather this data. Maybe you need to know clothing sizes for uniforms or company gear. Perhaps you’ve got several options for computers, phones, or desk chairs. Do you have emergency contact information on file?

Each of these minor steps can turn into a much bigger obstacle if it isn’t completed in a timely manner. Just ask any new hire who has arrived on the first day to find there’s no computer or workstation!

Distribute Information

Your new hire is going to needs a lot of info from you. Is there a handbook? What about company policies? Your HR onboarding software portal should be your new hire’s go-to place for information on everything from dental coverage to the employee 401K program.

There’s a lot to take in when one transitions to a new company. Having all of that information in an accessible portal will make it easy for your new hire to refer to it whenever he or she needs to.

Welcome Your New Hire

The onboarding process shouldn’t be cold and sterile. It’s not all automatic email exchanges and data documentation. Use your onboarding software to give your new hire a personalized, conscientious welcome to his or her new office. Create a document listing some of the perks he or she might enjoy around the office. Suggest popular local restaurants or coffee shops where he or she might enjoy a lunch break.

Make Introductions

One of the best ways to immerse your new hire in the company culture is to emphasize relationship building. Instead of relying on spontaneous water cooler conversations, use your onboarding software to create occasions for your new hire to get to know people.

Schedule calendar events for your new hire and his or her manager. Manufacture opportunities focused on fun rather than work – say, a Welcome to the Team bowling night. Make it a regular thing, like small group sessions that meet monthly to talk about what’s going on at work and in their lives. A volunteer day is the perfect way to demonstrate your company values and cement the relationships between your team members. Any of these activities can be communicated and signed up for via your HR onboarding software.

Use Onboarding Software to Succeed

Get the paperwork done via your HR onboarding software portal before your new hire steps into the office on that first day. Nothing dampens the enthusiasm for a new job like filling out reams of paperwork. After you’ve gotten the necessities out of the way, use your onboarding software to engage your new hire with his or her new colleagues and corporate culture. That way, he or she is far less likely to be one of the 40% of people who leave their jobs within the first six months.

Want to learn more? Check out this online demonstration of ApplicantStack, or sign up for a free trial of ApplicantStack Onboard today!