Onboarding new employees can be a challenging task considering how crucial it is to the productivity and engagement of your new hires. It sets the foundation for the quality of experiences they can gain in your organization. 

That’s why it’s important to create a comprehensive onboarding process. This ensures a positive employee experience right off the bat. 

Designing Your Onboarding Program 

Although exerting effort to effectively curate your employee onboarding process will likely be time-consuming, it is worth it considering all of the benefits it can bring. 

The Society of Human Resources estimates the average cost per hire at nearly $4,700.¹ But, this amount would quickly go down the drain if the employee doesn’t stay long because of poor onboarding. 

For you to create a good onboarding program that maximizes great employee engagement and employee retention, follow the seven steps detailed below. 

1. Establish a Clear Timeline 

Making an onboarding program should always start with good planning. Even before you worry about welcoming your new hires, you need to plot the dates to create a clear timeline to follow. 

First, strategically choose a start date. Remember that your employees need time to adjust to their work and environment. Considering this, avoid choosing a date that will force them to navigate their responsibilities without any guidance. For example, don't pick a date when the office is buzzing to meet deadlines. 

Second, clearly state the final date of the program. Although the length of an onboarding process can change based on the job, it’s still necessary for you to plot the end of the timeline. This will help both your new employees and their team members to manage their expectations and responsibilities especially if they are doing additional tasks related to the program. 

Finally, plot dates for scheduled employee training and meetings so that everyone in your company can adjust in advance. Avoid unannounced meetings since they could disrupt an employee's day-to-day schedule. 

Read More: 9 Effective Ways to Speed Up Your Hiring Process 

2. Start Onboarding Out of the Office 

Take advantage of the current age of technology and begin your onboarding process even before your employees' first day in the office. Don't contact them a day before their start date. Instead, establish communication the moment they accept your offer letter. 

For the sake of engagement and productivity, send them requirements they can accomplish at home. An example would be important files like W-4 forms. 

Aside from filling in information and affixing their e-signature on documents, you can also send them materials that they can read or study before their orientation. This can be your company handbook or a webpage containing your mission and vision. 

3. Welcome Employees with Engaging Content 

You can't simply send them paperwork and study materials without any message or explanation. Consider attaching the files to a well-constructed welcoming email to create a positive onboarding experience. 

The email will serve as your way to establish a good first impression. Use it to show you're excited to have them onboard. Make sure you're using friendly and inclusive language when constructing your message. 

You can also list down important information your employees should know. For example, the things they should bring on their first day, dress codes, and even the goals for their specific roles. 

4. Provide Easy Access to Equipment and Systems 

The moment your employees arrive in the office, help them quickly get accustomed to platforms, tools, and equipment that are regularly used in your organization. 

If you’re providing them with technology, make sure you also give them the necessary passwords to access them. It’s also ideal to set up their online accounts for them so all they need to do is log in and change their passwords. 

Another thing you can do to improve employee experience is to provide the contact details of the support team. This way, new hires know who to contact when they run into trouble with their accounts or systems. 

5. Set Up a Company Social Event 

Tt's best to make your new hires feel welcomed into the company to create a smooth process flow. Encourage interaction by setting up a social event. This can be in the form of a team lunch or a simple company meeting. 

In providing your new hires a chance to mingle with everyone, you’re giving them the opportunity to learn about the company culture and environment within your office. 

Also, participating in social events can help your new employees feel at ease with the people they'll work with. Having a friend inside the company, according to recent research, can actually increase both the loyalty and productivity of employees.² So, giving them a chance to make friends can boost your company in the long run. 

Read More: 5 Tips to Creating and Implementing an Inclusive Work Environment 

6. Align Goals and Expectations 

A good employee onboarding process should be able to guide newly hired individuals throughout the entire timeline. Instead of conducting only one employee orientation during their first day, consider adding other measures you can use to communicate your expectations. 

For example, you can regularly send them emails informing them of goals they need to accomplish. This can ensure that they are consistently updated and on the right track. 

If this method is too time-consuming or difficult to do, you can also assign their leaders to take over the responsibility of aligning goals and expectations. By providing clear instructions and checklists of tasks, new employees are sure to remain in tune with the goals and objectives of the company. 



Read More: 10 Quality Traits of a Leader 

7. Give and Receive Feedback 

To create an effective onboarding process, you need to focus on feedback. As an employer, you need to provide feedback that pushes new employees to improve. On the other hand, you also need to learn how to receive feedback from the people who experienced your onboarding program firsthand. 

Feedback giving can be done either by you, the employer, or team leaders. It should contain an analysis of the employee's performance and progress throughout the onboarding experience. Include specific points of improvement and the skills that they should improve. 

Read More: Improving Innovation in the Workplace 

Aside from providing feedback, it's also important for an organization to listen to feedback. Take the time to sit down with your new employees and ask about their experiences during the program. If you don't have time for a one-on-one meeting, you can also gather these data using a survey form to be given on the last day of the onboarding process. 

GUARANTEE THE BEST ONBOARDING EXPERIENCE WITH ALLIED ONESOURCE 

Here at Allied OneSource, we take pride in providing effective services to meet our clients' needs. We can take the burden of managing candidates and deliver you with dedicated employees. 

We believe that partnerships should go beyond being transactional. Through our customized staffing solutions, we can keep you fully staffed while maintaining the quality of your people. Contact us today to learn more! 

References 

1 Navarra, Katie. “The Real Costs of Recruitment.” The Society of Human Resource Management, 11 Apr. 2022, https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/talent-acquisition/pages/the-real-costs-of-recruitment.aspx Accessed 19 Jul. 2023. 

2 Patel, Alok , and Stephanie Plowman. "The Increasing Importance of a Best Friend at Work." Gallup, 17 Aug. 2022, www.gallup.com/workplace/397058/increasing-importance-best-friend-work.aspx. Accessed 19 Jul. 2023.