Onboarding

Onboarding

Fast, effective onboarding is good for everyone

You are responsible for the fast, effective onboarding of new employees into your team so they become settled and productive  as quickly as possible.

We operate a 90 evaluation trial period

The first 90 days is critical for everyone and, for most new employees, are an evaluation period during which you must regularly assess progress. Accordingly during the evaluation period, it is important that you have a weekly 15-20 minute conversation with the new team member.  It’s an opportunity to check how well our onboarding process is working, address any issues they have and recognise the things they are doing well. Use our weekly review agenda to help run these meetings and record progress.  If there are performance or behaviour issues you can use our getting behaviour back on track tools to help.  If you have any concerns about the persons likelihood of being successful, make sure you promptly discuss these with your manager and HR.  When the 90 day period is successfully completed you as their manager should introduce the new employee into our Performance Development Process  for setting goals/KPIs and development plans at the next opportunity.

Your onboarding responsibility
Other people here e.g. HR, trainers etc are responsible for aspects of onboarding but you hold overall accountability for ensuring onboarding is fast and successful including;

  • tailoring our 90 day onboarding processes to the needs of the new employee.
  • welcoming your new team member and introducing them to the business.
  • making our expectations clear including their objectives for the first 90 days.
  • discussing team goals and business objectives.
  • regularly checking on their progress and solving any issues that arise.
  • ensuring others (HR, admin, IT, trainers etc) are meeting their onboarding responsibilities.
  • checking that the new employee is getting up to speed at the expected rate and supporting them if they aren’t.
  • checking they are working well in their team, being accepted and helped.
  • raising any performance or behaviour issues promptly.
  • if they aren’t going to make it raise this with your manager and HR well inside the 90 day trial period.

How to plan onboarding

Before the new employee begins you should tailor the relevant 90 day onboarding  checklist/materials to the new employee’s role. Set out below are the main onboarding responsibilities and tasks to be undertaken both pre-arrival and the first 90 days. Our approach envisages that you may delegate certain responsibilities to a ‘Buddy’ (usually a senior and responsible person in their new team) and an administrator, or equivalent, who helps get the administrative details in place. In planning onoarding choose the most applicable Onboarding Checklist, tick the activities required and check them off as they are completed.

Key onboarding activities, checklists and other resources:

The diagram below defines some of the key activities for the 90 days and provides resources you may need.

    Confirm a signed contract has been received.
    Customise an onboarding checklist for them. and brief their ‘buddy’.
    Send them our welcome booklet.
    2-3 days pre-start contact them to confirm start arrangements.
    Welcome interview.
    Discuss onboarding process.
    Introduce employee to buddy and admin person.
    Health and Safety Onboarding.
    Setting expectations.
    Wider team introductions.
    Discuss our principles, vision, mission etc.
    Discuss team goals and business objectives.
    Discuss key customer relationships & activities.
    Discuss future work priorities.
    Your week one Checklist completed?
    Check other onboarding items are completed?
    Check with buddy – is expected progress being made?
    Are they showing ability to work safely?
    Are they competent in relevant systems/processes/equipment?
    Are they working well with the team?
    Is timekeeping, paperwork, tidiness, behaviour up to your standard?
    Are they working to our values and your expectations?
    Raise performance or behaviour issues with the employee (document the conversation).
    Are they going to make it?