Welcome New Employees with a Better Onboarding Experience

The old saying goes, “There’s only one chance to make a first impression.” And while in the business world it’s frequently used to encourage job applicants to be at their best, it’s also relevant to employers during the employee onboarding process.

Whether you’re bringing on hourly workers at your restaurant chain or orienting new employees at the middle management level, their impression of your company during this process will carry over significantly into the rest of their time as part of your team.

While many of us have memories of awful orientation videos from our first high school jobs at chain fast food restaurants, it’s possible to make employee onboarding a more effective, informative, interactive and – dare we say – pleasant process.

Assuming you’ve already presented your company in its best, friendliest and most welcoming light during the advertising period for the new role, you’ll want to be consistent with that representation when your new hire arrives.

Because the first day on the job is a stressful one during which massive amounts of information are shared, you’ll want to present your new hire with a printed or online resource that contains all the information they will receive in the first few days. Make sure their time is not wasted by using this first day to inform them of benefits information and fill out necessary paperwork.

If your company uses an online orientation program, one way to make the process more enjoyable and memorable for your new hire is to integrate audience response technology into the presentation. This way, rather than being a rote lecture on company culture and job expectations, the time can become an interactive learning experience. This will not only encourage your new hire to pay closer attention, but will also help them better retain the information they’re receiving.

How do you perfect your onboarding process? Do you have a different approach or use additional resources? Leave us a comment.