First days are tough, no matter what your role or experience is in your field. Before a new hire arrives, they walk through the entire process of their first day and even experience their first week it is important to eliminate any potential hurdles and give your employee a smooth transition.
What does success look like working together? Determine the skills, knowledge, and expertise needed to shine in this role and the desired outcomes. Create benchmark objectives for the duration of their employment or participation. This can be done prior to the start of a new hire’s first day through a simple email exchange or be an action item on their first day.
What does a new hire need to do their job well? Ensure their workstation is ready and they can access all hardware, software licenses, secure portals, communication channels, and training materials. Prepare all contracts and forms and provide instructions for completing and returning them.
Outline milestones for the first day, week, month, and beyond. This should include general onboarding and role-specific training that allows them to smoothly ramp up to their full potential. This will help you set reasonable objectives for new hire performance to ensure they’re adequately supported and meeting demand. A new hire can also refer back to the schedule when needed to ensure that they are on track with their onboarding process.
As many as 37% of new hires left due to their manager’s lack of involvement in the onboarding process.[1] (CareerBuilder, Silkroad Technology) Connect all key players in the onboarding process, including managers, team leads, mentors, HR staff, and anyone they’ll be directly working with or who can answer their questions. Set a 15-minute calendar invite aside with each member of their team to establish a connection and ensure the new hire can get Facetime with their direct reports.
Welcome your new IT hire with open arms by sending a “we’re glad you’re here” email and introducing them to the team. This note should include essential first-day information (meetings, dress code, where to find the coffee, etc.) Offer a virtual or phone check-in before they arrive to tick off any questions.
Reach out to the IDR team to recruit new team members and get help perfecting your onboarding process.
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