Ensure Your Employees Are Successful In Their First 90 Days
4 tips to follow
Posted on 04-23-2019, Read Time: Min
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It’s typically the point in time that is the most exciting and hopeful for new employees, but the process of onboarding new employees doesn’t always lead to productive and fruitful beginnings. Having spent the majority of my career helping other companies integrate new hires into their ranks, I’ve seen many organizations do it right but also many that do it very, very wrong.
Provided how the market for good talent is more competitive than ever, there’s a huge price to pay for getting this process wrong. A thoughtful approach to onboarding new hires pays huge dividends in the long-term and it is up to organizations to ensure that they feel successful and empowered. Here are a few observations and tips to make sure your new employees are successful in their first 90 days.
Provided how the market for good talent is more competitive than ever, there’s a huge price to pay for getting this process wrong. A thoughtful approach to onboarding new hires pays huge dividends in the long-term and it is up to organizations to ensure that they feel successful and empowered. Here are a few observations and tips to make sure your new employees are successful in their first 90 days.
1. Ace the first impression. According to Aberdeen group, 86% believe that a new hire’s decision to stay with a company long-term is made within the first six months of employment. What does this mean for HR? Onboarding is vital; you cannot approach this in an ad-hoc manner.
2. Small touches make a difference. After accepting the offer for my latest position, I received many emails from my new team members who voiced their excitement about me joining the team. Soon after, I received a welcome basket of goodies — notebook, shirts, a hat, and water bottle — and yes, chocolates! — at my front door. I was impressed. Budgets for smaller companies are always tight, but even small gestures like a welcome email or even a first-day lunch for your incoming new hire goes a long way without having to break the bank on chotchkies.
3. Day one success. Have a clear framework for success on day one but give the candidate space to shape it. You never want to leave anyone to flounder when they’re brand new to the job, so make sure they have a framework to help them do their job effectively from the outset. Define clear goals and have the quarterly or yearly objectives laid out. Make sure your new hire knows what’s expected of them and what tools they have at their disposal to do their jobs. You’d be shocked how often that advice gets ignored. New employees want to do a good job right from the get-go but there’s always going to be a degree of trepidation. They want to impress but don’t know the company culture and need to learn the ropes. So, the more information they receive early on about next steps, the better off everyone will be.
For example, when I walked into the office on my first day, there were already several documents on my desk, outlining next steps to prioritize objectives for the first week, 30 days, 60 days and 90 days. Even though the plans weren’t set in stone, they still helped me plan out my near-term schedule.
4. Define a standard onboarding policy
These are all the things you want to make sure get done systematically, no matter who is doing the hiring or managing. Policies can include things like:
- Send out an email a couple of days before the new employee starts the job with relevant information on when to start, where to go, park, things to bring, etc.
- Fill out new hire forms (benefits, taxes, payroll) ahead of time. It will save everyone time later on.
- Send an announcement to the department or company, depending on your size, welcoming them to the group and encouraging the team to introduce themselves. This would typically come from the hiring manager or founder.
- Have their desk, computer and network access, key cards and email set up ahead of time.
- Walk them around the office and show where things are. Introduce them to their new teammates, who may have not been part of the interview process.
- The hiring manager should set up monthly and quarterly check-ins to make sure that the process remains on track.
- Get help from various teammates to get your new hire set up. It will help give them a different lens to view what others do within the company.
This is a great start, but there’s no single or correct formula here. But, by taking care of the foundational basics, you’ll do wonders to shorten your new hire’s transition from newbie status to pro status all while kicking-off a productive relationship that benefits both your company and your employees.
Author Bio
| Michelle McHargue is an Operating Partner at Costanoa Ventures. Before Costanoa, she was the Talent Partner at Cowboy Ventures leading their talent initiatives for portfolio companies and firm. Michelle has spent over a decade recruiting and leading talent teams for many of the top technology companies in the Valley, including Google, Adobe, Yahoo, and Amazon. Connect Michelle McHargue Follow @mishshell |
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