A Good First Impression is Critical with Your New Hires

I’m sure you have some idea of what you’d want any new hire’s first day to be like. They’re welcomed by the team, and brought to their workstation where everything is ready for them to get to business: all accounts are set up, the laptop works, and there’s a game plan for them to follow.

In reality, however, this first day is likely spent obtaining any available laptop and ensuring your new hire has the secure access they need. Meanwhile, the new team member feels increasingly like an outsider, rather than a contributor, as they jump through these hoops. Less appealing than the alternative, right?

Let’s discuss how crucial it is to get the onboarding experience right.

How Important is the Onboarding Process, Really?

You may be thinking to yourself, “Well, onboarding a new team member is crucial. It helps acquaint them with the functions of the office and helps clarify expectations.”

Fair point… but you have to remember that the onboarding process doesn’t just give you an impression of your new team member. It also gives your new team member an impression of what it will be like working for you.

Put yourself in the shoes of a new hire, and consider the difference between the idealized and more realistic scenarios we explored. In the latter example, you’re losing more than just a few hours of potential productivity… you’re effectively telling your new hire to expect a disorganized work environment, which doesn’t exactly inspire them to stick around for very long. A study by Glassdoor and human resource consultancy the Brandon Hall Group indicated that a strong onboarding process could improve new hire retention by (get this) 82%.

That’s huge, and is hopefully worth a little bit of investment for you.

Automation Makes this Simpler

If implemented wisely, the right technology can make your onboarding processes effectively effortless. It really all comes down to the quality of your plan and the technology you use.

Some of these technologies could include:

• Zero-Touch Provisioning - Let’s say that you’re onboarding a remote employee. There are tools out there that allow fully prepared computers to be sent to a team member directly, complete with everything that team members would need.
  
  All a team member would need to do would be to unpack the equipment, connect to the Wi-Fi, and all of the software and settings would be installed automatically.
  
  
• Role-Based Access Controls - Each employee’s role should be clearly defined by the time they start, and as a result, all the resources and applications required for their role will be assigned to them. Nothing more, and certainly nothing less.
  
  
• System-as-Trainer - A simple welcome email can be set up to trigger when an employee begins work, providing introductory videos, important documents, and links to training portals and materials that help the employee start work.

We are Here to Help You Bring New Team Members into the Fold

Washington Works is in the business of assisting the businesses of DC Metro, including the human resources departments within them. We’ll work to identify and map out the requirements that will facilitate the onboarding process.

If the unfortunate happens and you need to say goodbye to a team member, we can help with that, too. We’ll ensure all of their access is revoked immediately, protecting your business’ property.

Trust Us to Help You Make a Good First Impression!

We’ll help you develop and execute an onboarding process that sets your employees up for success, while also reinforcing your business' overall organization and professionalism. Ready to get started?

Reach out to us! Give Washington Works a call at 301-571-5040.