How to Make Employee Onboarding Smooth

Employee onboarding refers to the process through which new employees are introduced into a company, after which they commence their duties in earnest. When done effectively, this process can help to make the employee feel at home and improve their productivity right from the start.

In this post, we’re going to guide you on how you can make this process smooth for your new employees.

Let’s get started.

1. Make sure that all the equipment is ready beforehand

The employee’s equipment should be ready and prepared before they step in for their first day.

Many companies don’t do this. They wait for the person to show up, after which there is a scramble to get their desk ready, their computer set up, and their accounts registered.

This can throw off the employee onboarding progress quite a bit. The delay may prevent the person from getting oriented with the company as quickly as the company would like. It can also cause a psychological letdown for the employee when they feel unanticipated and unwelcome.

To avoid this, here is what you should do:

• A few days before the employee joins, make sure to place all the equipment they need in their designated cubicle/office or on their desk. Clearly mark and label all the items so that the person knows it’s for them to use.
• Make all of the accounts and profiles before they join. That way, you simply give them the login credentials, and they start without a hitch.
• Check in with the employee a few days before they join and ask them if they need anything special. You can ask if they have any preferences in terms of the devices they use, whether they have any special requests for the peripherals, etc. This can help you make the right arrangements for the employee.
• Make sure to check and test all the equipment/hardware. If there is a glitch or software problem anywhere, you will be able to detect it and take care of it before the equipment reaches the hands of the employee.

2. Compile a list of onboarding guidelines in an internal knowledge base

This is another important step for a smooth employee onboarding. If you can, compile a list of the basic guidelines, rules, and code of conduct, along with helpful tips regarding the everyday tasks and duties. For example, this could contain guidelines about sharing completed tasks or communicating with other team members.

After compiling the list, upload it to a knowledge base. You can use an online knowledge base platform to create an internal knowledge base for your team.

Keeping the various guidelines in an internal knowledge base makes it easy to access for everyone. Once the employee joins your company, you can add them to the knowledge base where they can access the articles at their own leisure.

Here are some tips:

• Be very careful about picking the right knowledge base platform. There are quite a few of them available on the internet, but not all of them are the same in terms of quality and performance. (This detailed guide on knowledge base software covers features that you should consider, as well as some top-rated tools that you can choose from.)
• Carefully plan your knowledge base before building it. This helps you stay on track and reach your objectives without losing focus.
• When you create content for your knowledge base, organize it clearly and make it easy to understand. There won’t be much use in a knowledge base if your team members can’t read it or understand it.
• For complicated and tricky procedures, create detailed visual guides for the edification of your new employees. Use an AI step-by-step guide generator to create the tutorials in a matter of seconds.
• Once the knowledge base is up and running, check usage analytics as well as reader feedback to make improvements in the articles.

3. Assign a helper/buddy for the new person

Assigning a helper to the new employee can be very helpful for the employee onboarding phase. There is nothing that can get the employee accustomed to the quirks and nuances of the company as easily as having them shadow an existing member.

The helper/buddy can help the new person understand how to get around the company, where they can find the various facilities, where they have to submit their various tasks, and so forth.

It’s important to find the right person for this job, however. Not every person in the company can perform this duty. Pick someone who has a track record of being responsible, has a good attitude, and knows enough about the company to help another person with it.

4. Ask for their feedback to improve the employee onboarding process

Another step that you should take to ensure the onboarding process goes smoothly is to take feedback from the new members. Ask them how they’re fitting in with the company and how easy (or difficult) they’re finding their day-to-day tasks and duties.

Taking feedback this way helps you discover the gaps in your onboarding strategy and pinpoint the exact areas that need improvement.

• For example, the new members may not be comfortable with the assigned helper, and they may want a replacement.
• Or, they could be feeling a bit burdened with all the information and may want to go at a slower pace.
• They may also feel that they aren’t receiving information quickly enough and that the silence between updates is unnecessary.

And so on.

To get this type of feedback, you can have the employees fill out physical forms or do a virtual one via Google Surveys.

5. Don’t overwhelm the employee with too much information

As we mentioned in the heading above, one problem the new member can face is feeling overburdened by all the information. This often happens when they receive too much input and have too little time to process it.

To avoid this, you can either make sure that the information is reasonable in quantity or that enough time is given to properly go through it.

If you follow our previous advice of using a knowledge base software to share information, you won’t have to worry about this problem. In a knowledge base, the new member can check the various articles one by one at their own pace. The categorization features can help them break up the info into chunks that they can go through without getting overwhelmed.

Final Thoughts

The first impression is the last impression. As a company, you need to make sure that the first impression you make on a new member is exceptional. That way, they can form a positive idea about the company and work hard to secure a better position in it. If the opposite happens and the company comes off as insensitive and toxic, the new entry would just be looking to leave.

If you follow all of our advice to the letter, you will be able to make sure that every new employee who joins your company is able to slide in and feel at home in a jiffy.

Career Reload Team

We’re a team of writers dedicated to providing insights and tips for navigating the professional world. With a collective wealth of experience across various industries and roles, our team understands the challenges and opportunities that come with seeking meaningful work and advancing your career. We help job seekers to better their careers by offering career advice & free resources. Download free Word resume templates and resume templates for Google Docs.