Hiring a new employee can feel like reaching a finish line after attending countless interviews and flicking through one too many resumes. But it’s actually the beginning of the most critical hiring stage — the onboarding process.

Onboarding training is essential for new starters to recognise your company’s values, relevant policies and proper work processes. This will keep them liable for acting in accordance with these policies, from IT safety to avoiding and recognising bullying and discrimination in the workplace and more. Moreover, the onboarding process also trains new starters on their day-to-day tasks so they can settle into their role.

This blog will discuss helpful strategies your business can implement to make a lasting first impression with new hires during your onboarding process, engage them and effectively welcome them into the team.

Seven tips for onboarding a new employee

If there’s one thing you should avoid, that’s “winging” your onboarding process. Making a few introductions and leaving your new hire to fend for themselves is a recipe for disaster. You must have a streamlined onboarding process that can be implemented for every new starter to feel supported as they settle into their new role.

By outsourcing your recruitment needs to TLH Recruitment, you can count on our experienced recruitment consultants to be there every step of the way to help your new hires settle into the role. Some top tips to streamline your onboarding process include:

• Create an onboarding process plan

Take the time to create an engaging onboarding experience for your new hires. This plan should include a clearly mapped-out learning journey where the new starter receives all the valuable information they need to equip them for success in their role. This plan should welcome them to the role and the company and culture as a whole, whether that’s allotting time for a welcome lunch or one-on-one coffee catch-ups to get to know each other better.

• Ensure your onboarding training is engaging

While it might seem easier to send a new starter an email with PDF attachments of long-winded policies to read through, this is sure to lose their engagement, causing them to be highly unlikely to read through all the information, let alone absorb it. Our TLH Group Company, TLH Training Group, is a market leader providing nationally recognised training Australia-wide to working professionals. What better way to engage your staff than with a multi-modal training module to promote their learning retention?

• Be receptive to feedback on your onboarding process

Take the time to listen and learn about your new hire’s feedback after completing their onboarding process. That way, you can identify areas you’ve done well in and what could use some improvement. Onboarding should never remain a fixed experience. Always be receptive to change to provide a better experience every time for new starters.

• Be upfront with the job expectations from the get-go

A common mistake is when recruiters oversell a job to land a hire. While that might fill in a seat quickly, it’s bound to lead to problems down the road. It’s only a matter of time until the employee realises the job is not what they signed up for and decides it’s not the right fit. To avoid this, it’s in your best interest to be upfront about the job expectations to ensure the candidate knows what to expect and is a suitable fit.

• Encourage them to complete the onboarding process at their own pace

As the saying goes, slow and steady wins the race. Give your new hires ample time to settle into the workplace to adjust to the work culture. Enforcing strict deadlines to complete training could prohibit them from having opportunities to bond with fellow team members and learn more about the company from hands-on experience. It’s in your best interest to ensure your new starters feel at home sooner rather than later.

• Explain any workplace jargon

Fill in your new starters on any inside jokes, traditions or workplace jargon you use so they feel a part of the team. Whether it’s a popular cafe everyone goes to, a weekly lunch or common lingo you use, breaking it down for the newbies will give them a sense of your company culture.

• Get involved in the onboarding process

According to a study at MIT, how comfortable an employee feels with their manager is the core factor determining how long they will stay at a company. During the onboarding process, you should be mindful not to over-delegate and instead be more involved to ensure they feel warmly welcomed.

Make onboarding a new employee easy with TLH Recruitment

Established in 2009, TLH Recruitment provides tailored recruitment and labour-hire solutions to businesses across various sectors, from construction to hospitality, retail, administration and more. We specialise in diligently screening candidates and working closely with employers to determine their hiring goals to find candidates that best suit their needs. We provide onboarding solutions to ease the burden of managing and sourcing staff and prevent any cultural risk to your business.

Owner and Managing Director of TLH Recruitment, James Marroun, prides himself on TLH’s long-standing reputation, servicing many clients in the Australian industry. It’s no wonder we’re Australia’s preferred recruitment agency!

To streamline your onboarding process, contact us today and explore our blog to learn the benefits of working with a recruitment agency.