"You only get one chance to make a first impression" and impressing a new hire could mean the difference between getting an engaged employee and one that's already looking for another job. The facts support that great first impressions start with a great onboarding process. According to SHRM,
- 69% of employees are more likely to stay with a company for three years after a great onboarding
- Organizations with a standard onboarding process experience 50% greater new hire productivity
- 54% of companies that onboarding have higher employee engagement
Get Started Early
Don’t wait until your new hire is in the building to start the onboarding process. A high-value onboarding process starts before your hire’s first day. Why? Your employee’s first day is filled with a lot of firsts—the first time meeting managers and coworkers, the first look at the working space and tools and the first tasks; don’t let piles of paperwork slow down the process. Have your new hires fill out W2s and upload identification and routing information for payroll before they step foot inside your door so they can concentrate on enjoying their firsts.
Be Friendly
Being friendly to new hires is a given, but sometimes it is easier said than done. New employees come on board at a time when existing employees are busy either picking up the slack of an employee who has left or struggling to keep up with a company growth spurt. Make sure your employees know how important it is to take a minute to greet the new employee and get to know them. Having friend relationships at work is a big factor for employee retention. According to Gallup, 63% of women strongly agree they’re more than twice as likely to be engaged when they have a best friend at work.
Promote Your Culture
The onboarding process is the perfect time to promote your company culture including your work environment, company mission, value, ethics, expectations and goals. Your newest employees should understand what they’re working towards and what’s expected of them. New employees who fit in with the company culture are likely to be happier and more productive.
Reduce Repetitive Paperwork
A 100% paperless onboarding process is an absolute must. Putting onboarding online reduces the time it takes to fill out paperwork but also reduces the chance to any data inputting errors, ensuring compliance. Besides, what better way to make a great first impression than by using a modern, efficient process?
Take our onboarding quiz to see just how great of a first impression you're giving new employees.
The BirdDogHR Employee Onboarding Software is a cloud-based solution that ensures compliance and gets new employees off to a great start. To learn more about effective onboarding download our Ultimate Onboarding Checklist.
