4 Onboarding Strategies That Lead to Success

Nicholas Long
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Onboarding is the process of integrating new talent into your workplace. The way you integrate new talent in your workplace can really define company culture and set the stage for work, as well as attract other people through referrals. Think about how you currently onboard new employees. Is it a process you’re proud of? As one of the first experiences your new employees will have, you should be! To really have your company shine, you need a good onboarding process. 

Here are four ways you can make your employee onboarding process successful to stand out amongst competition

1. Assign a buddy for new hires.
When someone first joins your company it’s likely they might feel nervous and overwhelmed because they don’t know all the rules of the road yet. During their first few days, a good way to integrate the new hire into your company is to assign them a buddy. The buddy will show the new hire everything they need to know and offer support and guidance if it's needed. This buddy should be as close to the new employee’s level as possible to make them feel comfortable speaking up about things and asking any questions. In return, the buddy will introduce the new hire to other coworkers which establishes a foundation of friendship and camaraderie in the workplace. This is a great way to make someone feel comfortable so that they succeed. Now instead of just their manager, this new hire also has peers to rely on as well.

2. Emphasize company culture
While it’s great to teach the newbie as much as possible on their first day and even week, make sure to emphasize company culture as well. Remember to train them but also remember to include them in the perks and organize happy hour events or get togethers so that they feel comfortable assimilating into the company. Sometimes people get scared off in the first week of a job, but if you emphasize company culture, making them feel at home, and include them in the perks of the job such as free lunch, you give them an incentive to keep working with you while also combatting their initial feelings of nervousness.

3. Give a realistic idea of the job
While it is important to market your job in the best way possible, remember to give job seekers clear, realistic ideas of what their duties will be. It is possible to ease them into the job while also letting them know what all their duties will be. Sometimes job seekers are introduced to a company under false pretenses; they don’t have the clearest idea of what all their duties will entail. To combat this, you can simply give the new hire information on what's to come while taking it slow and gradually giving them more responsibilities and tasks as they assimilate into the company's team. It’s a good way to keep them informed while also avoiding making them feel overwhelmed with surprises along the way. 

4. Play games
Games are fun and a casual way for people to learn more. In someone's first days or weeks, you can arrange scavenger hunts. You can have new hires search for things in the office like candy or gift cards while having them learn about each department they stop at. This is a great way to integrate new people into the team because it includes them in the perks of the company, it’s fun, and is a great way to teach someone something without making them feel overwhelmed. This way, they get meet their colleagues and interact with different departments in an effortless way.

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