5 Steps to a Successful Employee Onboarding Process

Delivering a great employee onboarding experience is more than getting the paperwork right: it’s about creating a memorable first impression that makes new team members feel at home right away. 

When a new employee joins your team, it’s your responsibility to make sure they have everything they need to be successful. The sooner your new employees acclimate to their new environment, the sooner they’ll add value to your business. 

The key to helping new team members get off to a great start lies in understanding how to onboard a new employee. For the best chance of success, businesses need a well-structured employee onboarding process.

What is an Employee Onboarding Process?

An employee onboarding process is a framework that a business uses to welcome new employees, introduce them to the business’s culture, and share the resources new team members need to be successful. 

These new hire onboarding processes take place over new employees’ first few days of work. During this time, employees are provided with a variety of educational materials, meet their new colleagues, and complete all the administrative tasks that come with starting a new job. 

The employee onboarding process is your business’s first and only opportunity to make a great impression on new employees. Learning how to onboard a new employee effectively gets new team members excited about the road that lies ahead, driving improved employee satisfaction and growing your business’s reputation as a great place to work. 

5 Steps to a Great New Hire Onboarding Process

A great employee onboarding process serves as a springboard, giving your new team members all of the information and tools they need to get off to a fast start in their new position.

Onboarding new employees the right way demands you take a thoughtful approach. A truly effective new hire onboarding process doesn’t begin and end on your new employees’ first day of work: it starts as soon as their offer letter is signed and doesn’t finish until they’ve been in their new role for months. 

Let’s explore the five key steps to creating a memorable employee onboarding process. 

1. Set the Stage for a Great First Day

Once a new employee agrees to join your business, it might be a few weeks before their first day. For HR teams, this period is an invaluable opportunity to lay the foundation for a successful employee onboarding process. 

Before an employee’s first day, send them an email explaining what to expect. Share information like your business’s dress code and an agenda for their first few days. HR teams should also use this time to prepare onboarding paperwork, such as tax filings and employment contracts, and to set up access to important systems for incoming employees. 

At the same time, reach out to existing personnel and let them know about their newest colleague. By doing so, you’ll ensure your new employees get a warm welcome that’ll help them feel right at home. 

2. Prepare a New Hire Welcome Kit

On your new employees’ first day of work, gift them a new hire welcome kit. A company welcome package not only puts a smile on your new employees’ faces, it makes them feel like part of the team from day one.

When it comes to choosing what to put in your new hire welcome kit, don’t be afraid to find creative ways to express your business’s culture. You might include branded merchandise and apparel as well as items like personalized welcome letters and employee handbooks. 

Have all these items neatly packaged and present them to new employees as a welcome gift on their first day. If your new employees are joining your business remotely, consider sending an employee swag box in the mail. 

3. Introduce Your Company Culture

There’s a famous saying in the business world: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” No matter how well-designed your business’s strategy is, if your company culture is off, you’ll struggle to be successful.

As your business grows and continues to welcome new employees, preserving the culture that’s delivered your success so far is important. Share your company’s guiding principles, explain the behaviors you expect of employees, and introduce new hires to leaders and mentors who embody your company’s values. 

A great company culture empowers employees to be their best selves at work while serving as part of a high-performance team. Setting expectations during the onboarding process ensures your culture remains stable even as your business grows.

4. Involve Other Team Members 

There’s no question that the HR team plays an important role in the employee onboarding process, but ultimately, that’s not who your new employees will be working with every day. 

Set aside time in the new hire onboarding process for employees to meet their new team members and direct supervisors. Consider hosting a welcome lunch or encouraging colleagues to set up a time to grab coffee with new team members.

Fostering these connections early in the employee onboarding process helps new team members build familiarity with the people they’ll be working closely with.

5. Plan Regular Check-Ins

While the bulk of the employee onboarding process takes place over employees’ first few days at work, it certainly doesn’t end there. Many businesses fail to plan regular check-ins with new employees. 

Consider having these check-ins after one week, one month, and three months. You can use these check-in meetings in two ways: to make sure that your new team members have everything they need, but also to ask new employees how you can improve the onboarding process.

These meetings show your employees that your business prioritizes employee engagement and cares about their success. They’re a booster for employee morale that also helps your HR team understand how they can continue to improve the new hire onboarding process over time. 

Create a First-Class New Hire Welcome Kit with GoDelta

The first few days of a new employee’s time with your business are among the most important of their career. They set the tone for everything that follows, creating the basis of a relationship that will hopefully continue for years to come. 

Creating a high-quality new hire welcome kit that makes a memorable first impression is one of the keys to successfully onboarding new employees. Get in touch if you need guidance selecting the best items for your business. We’ll partner with you to design and deliver the perfect new hire welcome kit.