Remember being the new team member?

It’s uncomfortable. It’s like high school biology class, except you’re the subject under the microscope.

It’s time to do away with that awkward “new person” feeling.

Here are some simple steps you can take to revamp your onboarding program so your new employee feels welcome and right at home.

Before the First Day: The Pre-Boarding Experience

Preparing your employee for their new job doesn’t just make it easier for them; it also makes the process simpler for you. Plus, preparation allows you to set a killer first impression.

Giving new employees a heads-up about what’s in store eases their anxiety, effectively creating a better employee experience before they even start.

Send a Welcome Package

This can either be a welcome email with attachments or a physical packet mailed to the new hire’s home address. Both should include a warm letter thanking the new hire for accepting the job offer and welcoming them to the team.

Also included should be:

• Information on the benefits your company provides
• Any company culture materials you have
• An overview of the company’s mission
• Company policies and procedures
  
  

Finally, including a clear outline of what they should expect during their first week of employment further eases anxiety. They’ll feel more prepared and know what to expect when they arrive on their first day.

Set Up Their Workspace

Part of a successful onboarding experience involves being prepared when the new employee arrives.

Set up their physical work environment with everything they need, including a laptop and/or desktop computer, monitors, keyboard, etc.

Create their company email and set up user profiles for the various software systems and programs they’ll need access to.

The new hire’s space should contain everything they need to succeed, including instructions on setting up passwords and who to contact if they need technical assistance.

Create a New Employee Schedule

This should cover their entire first week. It should be a mix of:

• Training sessions
• Connecting with team members
• Generally, orienting your new hire within the work environment
  
  

Schedule all meetings and follow-up check-in sessions, and allow time for the new team member to familiarize themself with the company policies and systems.

If you don’t yet have one, you may want to consider creating a general onboarding video for all new employees. It would provide a comprehensive overview of company policies, company culture, and other expectations.

Whether you decide to use a video to convey this information or stick with face-to-face training is up to you. The important thing is that this all be clearly conveyed and scheduled sometime early on in their first week.

The First Day Experience

Most first days are already overwhelming enough. Rather than bombard your new employee with piles of information, it’s better to view day one as more of an introduction.

Show them around the space and slowly introduce them to other team members.

Give the new employee a detailed handout containing their schedule and an overview of what to expect both on their first day and first week.

The schedule should include:

• Time for them to fill out paperwork and attend to administrative tasks
• Time to set up credentials and log in to any pertinent software systems
• Time to set up their workspace
• Designated team introduction and check-in time with management
• A cohesive overview of their new role and the workflow
• Company expectations, policies, and procedures
  
  

Leave a half hour or so at the end of the day free so new employees have time to process what they’ve learned, review their notes, organize, and settle in.

Assign a Trainer

Being a new person on the job is much less overwhelming when a seasoned employee is there to assist with the onboarding journey.

Having a warm, smiling face greet the newbie on arrival helps ease nerves. The designated trainer should help the new employee set up their space and answer all questions as they arise.

Additionally, this go-to person will do whatever they can to help the new employee establish a sense of belonging as they usher them through their first-week experience.

Don’t Introduce Everyone at Once

If the company is large and has many employees, mass introductions can be incredibly overwhelming. It may be a better idea to introduce the new employee to the team throughout the week instead of all at once.

Avoid Overwhelm

Again, do your best not to overwhelm the new employee on their first day. Be warm and open, and encourage them to ask questions.

The more time you spend explaining everything they need to know and getting them acclimated, the more successful they’ll be.

The focus should be on making the new person feel safe, comfortable, and at home. This will immediately reinforce their favorable impression of your organization, resulting in engaged employees who are excited to show up for work, thus increasing employee engagement and retention long term.

The First Week

After surviving their first day, the rest of the first week is a little less nerve-wracking for new hires. With everything they need to learn and do, it’s crucial to stay organized.

Here are some tips to ensure the rest of their first week goes well:

Take Advantage of Onboarding Software

An effective onboarding process only happens if you’re organized. Your human resources department may already have great onboarding software. If not, it’s worth investing in.

Onboarding software tracks everything related to the hiring process, ensuring you have all the documents you need from the new hire.

Stick to the Schedule

Try to stick to the schedule as much as you can. If any last-minute adjustments are needed, make sure they are communicated to everyone, including the new hire.

Some find it helpful to have a new hire check-off sheet to ensure that nothing — from tax-related paperwork to each phase of the training progress — gets missed.

This will likely be connected to the onboarding software you use.

Check In With Everybody

It’s important to schedule regular check-ins with both management and the new employee’s designated trainer throughout the first week.

This is an excellent time to address questions and concerns, and it allows the new hire to begin building rapport with the people supervising them.

Host a New Employee Welcome

Scheduling a “welcome lunch,” ideally towards the end of the first week, is a lovely way to conclude your new hire’s first week.

By this point, the employee should have met most of the team and will feel more comfortable and less overwhelmed.

Keep the event relatively informal and relaxed. Depending on the size of the team, you could go out for lunch somewhere, or have the luncheon catered.

Emphasize Commitment to Employees

Throughout the first week, be sure to talk about how the company supports its workforce.

Discuss the:

• Benefits available
• Aspects of company culture that are wellness-inspired
• Important core values such as a healthy work-life balance
• Stock options
• Any other added perks and incentives
  
  

Knowing what’s available helps employees feel cared for and supports them in achieving professional goals while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

The First Three Months

The first week usually requires the most guidance. After that, new hires gain more autonomy as they find their footing and start to fulfill the obligations associated with their role.

This doesn’t mean they still won’t have questions and require additional training. Of course not.

Be proactive within the first month and establish the necessary support criteria and development plan to ensure your new hire’s continued success.

Here are some ways of doing that:

Consider Mentorship

A mentor can be someone who holds a more senior position within the same role or someone who has been with the company for a while and is in a good position to help the new hire navigate challenges.

People feel cared for when they have an “ally” within the organization, someone they can reach out to who has the answers—or who can direct them to whom they need to speak with.

Maintain An Open Door Policy

An open-door policy is the best way to foster an environment of trust and transparency.

When employees can be honest about their feelings and freely share what’s working and what requires attention, it ultimately leads to better employee engagement.

Make sure your company has an open-door policy and remind your new hire to contact you at any time with questions, concerns, and ideas.

Establish Clear Expectations

An effective employee is someone who has guidance and direction.

Set and maintain clear goals and role expectations. Share the metrics used to ascertain employee performance with your new hire and collaborate with them in setting goals.

Clearly outline what progress and success look like for each goal so they can be tracked.

Outlining goals and collaborating with the new employee when listing the steps required to achieve said goals is another excellent way to maintain employee engagement.

Schedule Regular Check-Ins

Meetings and feedback sessions are excellent for tracking milestones and assessing engagement. They’re crucial in understanding what’s going well and what needs additional attention.

These meetings should be short and to the point.

Be sure to give the new hire performance-related feedback; congratulate them on their successes, and offer guidance and support when needed.

Encourage Employee Engagement

For those embarking on a career they’re passionate about, it’s important to nurture and encourage their passion. Invite the new employee to partake in groups, get-togethers, and other perks the company offers.

Keep an eye out for industry-related networking opportunities and conferences and, if the employee has any they’re interested in attending, be open and consider reimbursing their travel expenses and ticket costs.