Updated April 2022
Your company’s onboarding process sets the tone and shapes employees’ perceptions of their new employer. This is your opportunity to engage new employees right from the beginning—and keep them engaged for the entirety of their employment.
So, to ensure a positive, impactful process, make these are part of your onboarding checklist:
Start onboarding the moment a job offer is accepted.
Bridge the gap to your new employees’ first day with helpful resources and information, such as forms to complete, parking, dress code, or even a welcome video featuring key members of your management team.
Share company’s values and culture.
By emphasizing what makes your company unique, you are helping employees integrate into the work environment from day one.
Provide a comprehensive benefits guide.
Benefits are a major part of overall compensation, so equip your new employees with information that not only helps them make benefits decisions, but also highlights the value of their benefits, both intrinsically and financially. Pro tip: Physical materials that they can take home and share with their spouse or partner are often more effective than email.
Arm them with a new employee checklist to guide them through their first few months.
This is a great place to include any eligibility requirements for benefits that require a waiting period.
Create an ongoing communications plan for the first year of employment.
For example, most employees focus on medical benefits during their first days on the job. Specific communications to new hires around retirement, three to six months after hire or around annual raise periods, ensure they are getting the full benefit of any company match. Regular reminders about wellness benefits are also helpful to keep top-of-mind throughout the year.
Tip: Get started with our free communication planning template!
Encourage new employees to get connected.
Employees can actively participate in the ongoing process of onboarding, office culture and company expectations if they have multiple ways for them to stay connected—intranet, employee resource groups, employee social sites, etc.
With these resources, your new employees will be off to a great start in positioning themselves for success and future growth at your company!
Want to chat? Reach out at helloindy@westcomm.com or follow us @westcomm on LinkedIn for more insights.
