While onboarding a new hire into your team, it is necessary to make them feel welcomed and excited about joining the Company. This entire process is characterized by knowledge sharing, communicating values, and connection building. It’s the key to setting new hires to be highly productive, confident, engaging, and empowered team members right from the start.
Some businesses resort to using digital tools that help make onboarding effective, smooth, and collaborative. One prime example here could be the use of USA Staffing onboarding software by federal agencies.
When a new hire accepts an appointment offer, either as a newbie or for an executive level, they want to witness themselves growing in their careers, and as a recruiting team, you can help set the right foundation from day one for them as they climb up the stairs of productivity and knowledge.
Hence it is essential to have a creative and updated onboarding procedure. Here are a few innovative onboarding ideas to adapt:
- Shadowing: Appoint a long-term, friendly employee who has a thorough knowledge of the office rounds and can show them what an ideal office day at that company feels like.
- Creating Checklists: Reduce the paperwork by using software and having checklists to sign all the initial paperwork.
- Provide virtual office tours: Most offices are now remote, as a result, in-person touring of the area is not possible. But this problem can be solved by using 360-degree videos of the entire area.
- Scavenger hunt: A scavenger hunt is the most cost-effective way of familiarizing the recruits with the rest of the team. Create some interesting riddle-type clues for them to follow and e-meet all the employees. Competitions can also be held in which the winner chooses a fun activity to do during the onboarding process. Though these methods are highly effective when the work is in-person, several online games and activities exist to achieve the same amount of comfort for remote workers as well.
- Welcome kit: You don’t really have to focus on gifting something expensive but instead focus on what might be useful to them and have the company’s name tag attached to it. Personalizing those gifts will also help in making them feel comfortable around them.
- Teaching something new: Induce a sense of constant improvement throughout the entire onboarding process.
- Create quizzes: Quizzes on manuals and company policies will make it fun and also easier for every employee to get used to the company vocabulary and work culture.
- Ask for feedback: Look out for their preferences and make necessary changes based on your budget.
- Handbook: Creating a directory will allow the recruits to go through them in case of any confusion or to know about the company’s achievements and previous hardships.
- Graduation: Organize a graduation party at the end of the 90-day-long onboarding process.
- Gamify the orientation: Short games like ping pong and trivia are known to be stress busters. While it is essential for a robust onboarding to complete all the paperwork and documentation; try to make it fun and engaging. This is where the concept of gamification comes into play. By incorporating elements of gameplay into the onboarding process, such as rewards or points systems, employees are more likely to engage with the process and absorb important information. The phrase “gamification” refers to the application of game elements in non-game contexts to enhance user engagement. These activities also create a positive work environment and wellness among the employees.
- Mindful Monday routine: Include a mindful Monday session for implementing healthy habits in every employee’s schedule. That could be a 15-minute meditation session or deep breathing exercise, recreating a calming tune during work hours might help reduce stress and anxiety.
Conclusion: Employee onboarding is a vital stage where you get to provide them with the knowledge they need to have to perform well in their jobs. This is the stage where an employee gets to see if they fit the company’s culture, vision, and goals. By doing this effectively, you will see more assured, and self-motivated workers on your team. Traditional onboarding had several paper-works and awkward ice-breakers. But innovative ways are used to have an effective and employee-friendly onboarding.
