With the new year only days away, many candidates are looking for a fresh start with a new company. That company could be yours, which would be welcome considering competition is fierce for new talent thanks to the current labor shortageBut to develop a strong relationship that keeps your new employees engaged and retained, a great first day is a must. 

When it’s a new hire’s first day on the job, it’s those initial moments that the tone is set for a successful career, while also embedding a positive outlook about your company for years to come. On the other hand, a bad experience right off the bat can be detrimental for everyone involved – the employee, the company, your customers, coworkers and everyone else along the way. The snowball can roll in either direction. It’s imperative to make sure it’s building positively from the very start. An effective onboarding process can help maintain the excitement, passion and hope that new hires bring to the job. 

Early Engagement 

Disengaged employees lead to gone employees. Even if they don’t physically leave the company, they cost you lost productivity and can be a culture killer for the rest of your workforce. According to Gallupproductivity among highly engaged teams is 14% higher than that of teams with the lowest engagement — and that employees who are not engaged cost their company the equivalent of 18% of their annual salary. 

Use your onboarding process to inform your employees early about responsibilities, processes, navigating the workplace, fellow coworkers and culture. The more information you offer, the more likely they’ll become engaged and be excited about their future. Build this information into what your employee should cover during their first day on the job. 

Set the Bar 

You have a huge challenge in front of you, to hire more employees from a shrinking labor poolFinding and hiring employees will be more difficult than ever, so you don’t want to take any chances once you’ve filled a position. When you hire your ideal candidate, let them what’s expected of them on the first day. During onboarding, set expectations and standards for new hires and give them all the tools they need for success. By knowing where the bar is set from the beginning, they can start striving to exceed those expectations. Put simply: if they don’t understand, they won’t deliver. 

Get the Entire Team Involved 

The more people that are involved in the onboarding process, the better your new hires will understand every aspect of their rolesAsk team members to take part in first day steps. Coming into an office (physically or virtually) or being on a job site for the first time can be stressful or overwhelming. New hires may not know anyone beyond their new manager, or they are likely not keyed into little things current employees take for granted—such as where to park, where to put their lunch and so on. Assign team members to share this institutional knowledge. It will help build a bond and make new hires comfortable. 

Use Onboarding for Training 

Training new hires should begin on day one. Many companies require new employees to complete sexual harassment and internet security training before they start interacting with staff or logging into the system. Incorporating safety training is also essential in many industries, including construction, manufacturing and healthcare. 

Host a toolbox talk that covers OSHA’s Safety Training and Education standard, which requires employers to instruct employees on how to recognize and avoid unsafe working conditions to control or eliminate hazards. Holding a toolbox talk for new employees is an effective way to introduce new employees to safety standards and even refresh the topic for current workersThese can be done online using video conferencing tools or recorded informational sessions. 

Using your onboarding process to give your new hires a great first day will set them up for success at their new job, while making them feel like a valued part of the team.  

Want more insights on creating and delivering the best onboarding experience? Download our onboarding checklist to make sure you cover all the steps needed to get your new employees off to the best start.  

A cloud-based onboarding system, like Arcoro’s onboarding software, can be accessed from anywhere including a laptop, desktop, mobile device or kiosk. When a system is 100% paperless, it can streamline the entire process and eliminate any data input errors. It’s also less cumbersome for the employee and HR staff, allowing you to focus on the aspects of onboarding that help engage your newest member. 

Learn More

Contact one of our team members to ask how our onboarding system can help transform the experience for your new hires. 

Contact Us