Once you have picked a candidate to fill a gap within your team, or even meet growing company needs, you may want to help them begin the role as quickly as possible.
To do so, they will need to be settled within their role, which can sometimes take time. You can help to speed up this adjustment period by doing what you can prior to their arrival, to make sure they have all they need to be able to commence working, as well as to make those first few days both informative and enjoyable.
Use a Checklist
To help you best figure out the ways that you can streamline the transition period, it can be useful to have a new hire onboarding checklist to hand. You can use this to make sure that all documents are in order, you have any necessary information for the employee, and that they have completed any essential training modules prior to commencing their first day. Once they do come into the workplace, this can again be used to ensure that you follow each and every process that your company puts in place for new starters, as well as to factor in any activities that might help them to settle in much sooner.
Team Lunches
Whether you want to provide food paid for by the company, or ask everyone to bring in their own food is up to you, however having your team eat lunch together can really benefit them all, not just your new starter. This can aid them in getting to know one another, which can build up the feelings of actually being a team, rather than simply being a number of separate individuals who happen to work in the same place. Adopting a relaxed atmosphere can also go a long way towards integrating your new employee in with the others, as well as increasing communication.
Have an Open Door Policy
There may be a chance that, as an employer or manager, you work separately to the rest of the team. Having what is known as an open door policy means that, even when you are away from your employees, they can still come to you for help, advice, or even training. When you aren’t busy in meetings or with your own work, being open to communication from your team can help to improve the work that is undertaken, and even raise employee satisfaction. In terms of new employees, it means that they have a safety net while they are learning about your workplace, and will be unafraid to ask questions, or even for help, if the situation arises.
New employees can help your team to work better than ever, especially when you have picked a candidate whose personality and skills will mesh nicely with those already in your company. By looking for the best ways to help them settle in, you can help to remove any awkwardness or hesitance during their initial period, allowing them to get straight to work, and even build bonds with the people working around them.
