Making a great first impression to new hires is crucial. The first step to making a positive first impression is to have a solid onboarding process in place, one that is designed to retain and develop employees.
Here are five ways employers can support employees in being independent and confident from the start:
1. Assign a mentor to new hires. Mentorship programs give employees an opportunity to learn from more seasoned employees, as well as build connections early on.
2. Offer/encourage opportunities for development. Traditional onboarding programs don’t last very long, but in order to help employees be more self-sufficient, extending the onboarding process to provide continued development is a must. After the initial onboarding is complete, continue to offer new hires relevant training and development opportunities.
3. Automate the process. Automating the administrative side of the onboarding process makes onboarding simpler for both employers and employees. It makes it easier to assign, track, and store new hire paperwork and tasks. Doing so helps employers and employees stay organized throughout employee onboarding.
4. Welcome new hire feedback. Invite new hires to participate in creating an onboarding process, that benefits them, by welcoming their feedback – constructive and positive. Encourage feedback by asking new hires questions pertaining to their personal experience. There’s no better way to create a successful onboarding program than by asking those who experienced it what they thought.
5. Be MIA, sometimes. Sometimes the best way to create self-sufficient employees is by being unavailable, forcing employees to figure things out on their own once in a while. Doing so will promote employee independence by making it so that employees have to get by without a manager’s assistance.