There are a variety of different types of training that are crucial to ensure you’re giving your staff the tools they need to succeed.
In this miniseries, we’re going to give you everything you need to understand the three most important types of training:
Today, we’re going to kick things off with onboarding.
Hiring new staff members into your business is a sure sign that things are going well.
Whilst the process of employing team members can be a difficult one, the work doesn’t stop there. Onboarding your new members of staff is vital to ensure they are aware of company processes and goals and are fully prepared to fulfill their role as expected.
Whilst often confused with orientation, onboarding is an ongoing activity that can last up to 12 months.
A good onboarding process enables your staff member to not only integrate themselves into the working environment quickly but also have the best chance to succeed in their job.
Provide them with a list of current department projects and cyclical procedures, highlighting where their role fits into each of these and how other roles interact with theirs. It allows the staff member to understand the ‘bigger picture’ of the business and understand their deliverables.
Reinforce the new hire’s reasons for choosing to work with your business by promoting the opportunities that exist to them and their potential progression paths. This can be done by scheduling time with the new hire and their line manager, discussing performance expectations, timelines for accomplishing various skills, and key business goals.
New starters can feel overwhelmed with the amount of information they’re given during the onboarding phase. A great way to help them feel welcome is by providing them with a platform to share their knowledge and experiences. This helps them to feel more confident in their skills, whilst also encouraging a collaborative working environment.
There are various different steps that your new starter will go through when they first begin working for your business, and we recommend a set process for each.
This step involves consideration of a few different areas, including:
Compliance: providing your employee with information around essential company rules, policies and legal procedures, as well as dress codes, start and finish times and any relevant government policies.
Clarification: delivering the specifics for their role and what is expected of them. This should include a summary of the company’s organisational structure on who looks after which areas and who the employee will be reporting to.
Connection: giving your employee the opportunity to connect and network with their colleagues will be vital in helping them to form relationships and settle into their new role quickly.
Goal: Continue to provide support in helping your new employee understand what is expected of them and understand their future progression possibilities within the company.
Goal: Assist your staff in further building key relationships by creating ample opportunity for them to socialise and network internally and make connections across the office.
It’s always a good idea to have an onboarding checklist prepared for your new hire’s first day on the job.
Below we’ve detailed our best practice example, but feel free to personalise this to whatever suits how your business runs.
Whale’s Onboarding Best Practice Checklist
Make sure you have your employee’s workstation prepared before they arrive with everything they need. This could include:
Ensure there is an appropriate member of staff to greet your new employee and welcome them correctly to the business. This could be their manager, the office manager, or perhaps a member of the HR department.
If you are the hiring manager, you should also complete the following actions:
Whilst it’s, of course, important for your new employee to feel welcomed into the company, a good onboarding process will also give you a much better chance of retaining your new hires and giving them the best possible opportunity for success.
If you’d like to find out more about onboarding or preparing a winning process for your team, get in contact with us today!