We’ve all been there before, an organization will hire a new employee. Through careful vetting, rigorous review, and several interviews, a company may have found its next rockstar. An important reminder for these organizations is that the hiring process doesn’t stop once a prospective employee puts pen to paper. Rather, the onboarding process is critical to maintaining organizational culture, both for the new employee in question, and for existing employees.
Think about if you’ve been in this situation before… you’re on a Zoom call or in a meeting, and a new face appears. Your team lead hasn’t introduced this person yet and you’re not sure what their role is. A supervisor is nowhere to be found. This creates an atmosphere of awkwardness and exclusion for all parties. Oftentimes, it could contribute to a chaotic onboarding process and cause employees to feel like they are not valued among their colleagues.
There are very simple steps any organization can take in order to make employees feel welcomed:
- Send a welcome email. Introduce your new employee to your team members and any relevant clients.
- Hold an internal welcome meeting. This could be a quick 15 minute debrief to talk about client work, learn more about an employee’s strengths, or just get to know colleagues personally.
- Develop an onboarding manual. This is something that could take your employee onboarding to the next level. Introduce employees to common practices and standards within your organization.
These three tips could help your organization stand apart when it comes to the onboarding process. With remote work increasing, it can become difficult to keep track of new hires. These simple tips will make sure your new employees feel welcomed and valued.