The term onboarding is very common nowadays. Onboarding (also known as organizational socialization) is a process in which a new employee acquires the necessary knowledge, skills, and behaviors to become an effective member of an organization. So basically it means that he/she learns what, how, and why to do certain things in your company. That’s it. In these words, you can describe the whole thing. Simple, right? Well, not really…
Not as easy as it seems
What appears to be easy on paper, tends to be hard to do in the real life. Do not worry! MintHCM is here to help you. Not only we do have a specific feature in our system that does onboarding, but we are going to get you through these steps and show you the proper way to do onboarding. Keep in mind that these things are only guidelines, not a ready checklist. Let’s start then!
What is the goal of onboarding?
The main goal is to present to the new employee how your company works. You can do that by showing him/her your strategy, mission, vision, and goals. These are the most basic things a newbie must know. After all, he is going to represent the company, so he has the proper way to do it. There are some things on which there must be an emphasis put on.
Structure
Who is the CEO of the company? Who is the head of HR? Most importantly who is the immediate supervisor? It should be clear for the new employee by the moment he has been hired, but to be honest sometimes it is better to say certain things twice. Just to be sure. You should represent the whole structure of the company. It might get trickier if your company has more than 100 staff members. Then you should stick with departments that usually cooperate and present the structure of them only. You can also explain to him/her who is responsible for what. Who to ask, when certain problems occur. That’s really helpful and it will save a lot of time in the future.
Responsibilities
If we are talking about responsibilities… A new employee must have knowledge about his duties. I know it seems like an obvious thing, but I know many people who while working for a certain company weren’t even sure about their responsibilities. It might create some serious misunderstanding in the office, and lead to serious conflicts. The responsibilities of certain employees should be written down in the contract, but usually, they’re just very general. It might be a good idea to present a more specific list of duties, and simply ask them if they’re okay with given tasks.
Communication
Next. How to communicate within the company? Usually, there’s one system for a chat like rocket.chat or slack, but communication is not always about talking/writing, is it? No, a project management system, an HCM system, a CRM system. They all take a part in the process. A New person should know the way to navigate between them in the most efficient way, and it’s your job to make sure they do know how to do it.
Career Path
It’s sometimes overlooked, but getting promoted is an important part of one’s career. It’s easier if that the way to achieve the promotion is stated before the work begins. I do not mean that there should be a certain milestone, rather a stage or a mindset achieved. It keeps the new employees motivated, as they have the feeling that their job may someday lead them to a better salary and overall conditions.
Equipment usage
How to use your laptop? For someone who uses technology in everyday life it should not be a problem, but how to navigate in some business software might be very tricky. For some people it takes months before they are able to operate their CRM system or PM system. That’s why someone more experienced should show them how to do it. Remember! The fact that you can do something doesn’t mean that others will be able to do so as well.
Oh yeah, and don’t forget to teach people how to use the printer, scanner, coffee machine, or even microwave. Keep in mind the same reason I’ve stated before. The fact that you know something does not mean everybody else does too.
Connecting with co-workers
This part is very often forgotten. In my opinion, it is essential, though. In the end, you are working in a company. This means you have to work with others, and trust me it’s easier if you know people around. It would be nice if your workplace made it possible for people to talk and spend time with each other.
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