New hire onboarding is the process of introducing new employees to a company's culture, policies, and environment, and providing them with essential tools and training to meet the organization's performance expectations. It is a strategic process that requires planning and continuous effort for at least six months to ensure both the employee and the organization's satisfaction. An effective onboarding process plays a crucial role in retaining employees.

The main parties involved in executing this process are HR managers, trainers, mentors, recruiting managers, the IT department, and the new hire.

The following are the steps involved in employee onboarding or onboarding best practices:

Step 1: Sending the offer letter

Once the company sends the offer letter, it should consider that the onboarding process has begun. The offer letter should clearly mention the job profile, job description, contact details, compensation, and follow-up details.

Step 2: Accepting the offer

After the new hire accepts the offer letter, the recruiting officer should set up a meeting with them to review the terms, conditions, and compensation agreed upon. The company must prepare essential paperwork, such as the employment agreement, non-disclosure agreement (NDA), and employee field guide/staff manual.

Step 3: Waiting period

There is generally a waiting period between the offer acceptance and the joining date. During this period, the company can prepare to build and strengthen its relationship with the new hire. They can send a welcome email, assign the work system and network credentials, send an introductory email to their team, find someone to give the new hire a tour of the organization, and put up a nameplate on their assigned desk.

Step 4: First day of joining

The HR manager plays a critical role in welcoming the new employee, introducing them to their team, helping them fill out any necessary paperwork, scheduling their first week, planning lunch with their team, letting them explore the company workspace, assigning them with their work desk and system, providing them with the company email, necessary software log-ins, credentials, instructing regarding the training programs they must take, scheduling required training programs for them, and introducing the new employee to prospective mentors and trainers.

Step 5: First week

During the first week, HR must communicate regularly with the new hire, set up all their meetings, and the schedule for the first week. They must introduce the new hire to their trainee and reporting manager, schedule training, assign small achievable projects, arrange regular meetings with the reporting manager, arrange introductory meetings with other departments, prepare a three-month or six-month strategy, provide prompt feedback about their tasks, and communicate the company's expectations of the standard of their tasks.

Step 6: First 3 months

The first three months are crucial for employee retention. The company's first impression of the new hire and vice versa is developed during this period. Indulging the new hire in activities such as reviewing performance, collecting feedback on the work environment, checking in every 30 days to deal with any concerns, introducing the new hire to all the members of the company, and communicating any rectifiable deviation from standards can help ensure employee retention.

New Hire Onboarding

New hire onboarding is a crucial process that sets the tone for an employee's experience in a company. By carefully planning and executing an onboarding process, companies can help new hires feel welcomed, included, and gain clarity about their job roles. This process involves several steps, including sending the offer letter, accepting the offer, a waiting period, the first day of joining, the first week, and the first three months. The involvement of HR managers, trainers, mentors, recruiting managers, IT departments, and the new hire is essential in this process. An effective onboarding plan not only helps the new employee but also benefits the organization by increasing employee retention and boosting brand value.