Category : Onboarding

Checklist for your New Hire’s First Day

Checklist for your New Hire’s First Day

First days are terrifying and nothing makes it worse than coming into the office and being received poorly. It is very essential for companies to prepare for their employees’ first day because a well-received recruit is way more likely to continue working in that place for an extended period of time. Here is a simple yet effective 11-Point checklist for your new hires first day. Keep it handy and share if you find it useful.

  1. Create a schedule
  2. Prepare the work station
  3. Greet them enthusiastically
  4. Help them fill out the HR paperwork
  5. Schedule meetings for your new hire with team leaders
  6. Assign your new hire a work buddy
  7. Invite your new hire for informal activities
  8. Assign first tasks to your new hire
  9. Present your company’s key policies
  10. Give your new hire an overview
  11. Check with the new-joiners at the end of the day

Let’s quickly discuss this in detail. Feel free to skip any part you find too obvious.

1. Create a Schedule

Make things easier for your employee by streamlining their first day with a schedule and share it with them at the earliest. You should also share the same with the departments & leaders who would be a part of the new employee’s first day.

A helpful schedule should strike a good balance between the onboarding process and the actual tasks of the employee’s position. This way, your new hire will steadily integrate into their new environment while also feeling productive in their new workspace.

Creating-a-schedule-for-your-new-hires-first-day

2. Prepare the Work Station

Having a desk ready preferably with an onboarding kit or a welcome gift and a welcome letter from their manager or the CEO personalized to the new joinee is a great way to welcome them on the first day.

In addition to that, provide an agenda for their first day, a nameplate or an employee ID, set of business cards, as to ensure that they have everything at their disposal.

3. Greet your New Employees Enthusiastically

Greet them enthusiastically

Ensure that someone from your team greets your new hires when they arrive and take them around the office.

The leadership team should harness the talents of the entire staff to drive company goals. And trusty HR department should be behind them all, pointing the way.

This person could be a member of the HR team (Example: The new hire already knows the recruiter), your office manager or the new hires’ manager. This helps in boosting their morale and leave a positive impression.

4. Help them fill out the HR Paperwork

Provide them with necessary forms either in digital or physical format. Make it a point to explain the terms of the agreement, for e.g: on health insurance and benefit documents in great detail.

Help them fill out the HR paperwork

Put all your information into one unified system, and your team can spend a lot less time on routine data entry. And that gives them more time to work on a strategy that can help grow your business.

With Digidesk, we have helped companies such as Quess Corp, ITC, V-Guard, Exide Life Insurance, Sterling Wilson transform their Onboarding function by completely going paperless. Our client's reported close to 76% reduction in Onboarding time & 60% reduction in Onboarding cost. Do reach out to us to know more about our onboarding experience platform.

Most importantly, always answer whatever questions your new hires’ have, to the best of your abilities. They must feel they are being attended to, thus increasing chances of retention.

5. Schedule Meetings with Team Leaders

A simple introductory meeting with new hires by their collaborative team leader will help to have an idea of the beliefs and behaviors of new employees. Keep It Short and Informal and try to communicate your values and what you’re trying to achieve.

Explain what’s behind each of your decisions, what your priorities are, and how you will evaluate the team’s performance, individually and collectively.

6. Assign your New Hire a “Work buddy”

A buddy is someone who partners with a new employee during his or her first few months of employment to help them adjust to their new workplace with the following responsibilities:

  • Teaching/or tutoring, such as explaining unfamiliar tasks;
  • Explaining how to use office equipment, obtain office supplies, make travel arrangements, and the like;
  • Socializing the new employee on company’s guidelines, norms, culture, and unwritten guidelines;
  • Sharing insights on how things are done in the organization;

Walking the talk is an important feature to better understand the organizational culture. Frequent interactions with HR or their buddy at a breakout area like a networking point or cafe within the office will help them settle down fast. The intention would be to help them understand more of the organization, through their personal interaction. This will go a long way!

~ Willis Langford, HR Director, Avnet (Taken from The Ultimate Onboarding Guide)

7. Invite your new hire for informal activities

Involving the new employee in social or informal activities, such as lunch, coffee, and such to help them get to know other employees and to show them you’re happy they are a part of the organization.

Having a familiar face around while they meet new coworkers and learn more about the workplace can put a new hire at ease.

8. Assign first tasks to your new hire

Assign a work which will help them to monitor trends of your company.
The early win will give the new hire a feeling of purpose and confidence.

When your new hire feels like they know what they’re doing and they’re doing it well, they will settle into their new role faster and more efficiently.
Make sure to:

  • Offer guidance, as needed
  • Provide resources that your new hire is likely to use (e.g. reports, spreadsheets and glossaries)
  • Clarify questions that may arise

9. Present your company’s key policies

Present your company’s key policies

Explain the policies of the company beforehand so that they know what is expected of them and the rules they must abide.

Employees should be given enough details to make the organization’s position clear while keeping the communications process short and simple. 

At the end of this orientation, your employees must see eye to eye with your company’s vision. This will help in fully utilizing their potential thus increasing your success rate.

10. Give your new hire an overview

A review or recap about new hire’s work of the first week and the first month on the job will help them to know their performance and aid them to improve it.

Show them that you really do care about how they’re settling in beyond the fanfare of week one. The check-in can be as simple as sending an email, popping into the new hire’s office to chat, or setting up a meeting to discuss their progress so far. 

11. Check with the new-joiners at the end of the day

At the end of the day, check back with the new hires to know how their first day went. Take feedback and work on them.

Cross check if they have understood the company policies, if their expectations were met, etc. This will make them feel secure and boost their confidence in you and your company.

In conclusion, hiring and taking care of the technical aspect of things is not enough for onboarding. It is important to extend the courtesies, especially with proper planning for their first day.

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