How to onboard a new employee? Three rules of onboarding
First, the basic process onboarding begins from the moment of the final interview (meeting)when both we and the employee already know that the previous stages have been successfully completed, and in the final you may be asked the most unexpected question, which would also be good to answer honestly;) For example: “And if tomorrow the entire project team goes to the regatta, are you ready to go with us?” What is your answer? Some applicants may say that they are not ready, while another part will answer: “Easy, where and when will we meet?!” And these answers can say a lot about a person and will undoubtedly help with onboarding.
In fact, by the final interview, both the guys from the team and the manager had already developed a portrait of the candidate. As a manager who has conducted more than 300 interviews, I will say that after a certain number of interviews with a candidate, you begin to correlate each candidate with a certain personality type and with certain behavioral characteristics. And even before the official offer, you begin the onboarding process.
It is worth noting that the preparatory work for high-quality onboarding begins even before the first meeting. We introduce the recruiter to the corporate culture of the company, talk about the structure of the department or unit, interaction with other departments, describe our vision of the further development of work processes and the candidate’s role in them. The recruiter, in turn, broadcasts a detailed description of the work process and the types of tasks that the employee will have to perform. It is important to create in the candidate a clear understanding of what tasks he will have to solve, and that the tasks described in the future correspond to what he will see when he enters the workplace. It is at this stage that the candidate must understand that something does not suit him and, if necessary, refuse the vacancy. In this case, the potential applicant will not waste time on something he does not like to do, and we will save internal resources on immersing the person in the company’s processes.
Secondly: “Always talk! Don’t be silent, ask more questions.” No matter how banal it may seem, it is true. Ask more questions at all levels of interviews, from HR to C-suite. The worst thing is when employees who have just become members of our team are embarrassed to ask questions. This is a very common situation, it seems that, like in school, they are afraid to ask a question that others will consider stupid. We try to “talk” the employee. We invite him for a cup of coffee, just to talk about life, and a week later, we already have a full-fledged member of the team 🙂
Thirdly, DON'T OVERLOAD!
If the previous two rules apply to both the applicant and the hiring party, then this rule is for the future manager only.
The main thing, as in any business, is not to overload the new team member with information. This will negatively affect his motivation: he just arrived, and you blamed everything on him at once. It’s better to dose it – give out new information more often, but in small portions!
In continuation of this thesis, I would like to add: “Repetition is the mother of learning.” When you come to work and receive a package of documents, there is always a chance of missing something important. Likewise, in the process of work, you may encounter a question, the answer to which has already been described, but you missed it or did not remember it. Therefore, if necessary, we are ready to help you find a document that contains everything you need, but not just by sending a link, but by talking through the described rules. We are always ready to receive feedback and amend the regulations to make them clearer. Instructions are needed to provide knowledge and help employees, so we are always ready to improve the documentation while maintaining its capacity.
This is not necessary:
How is it with us?
We always try to adhere to the three onboarding rules described above. And now I want to share how the first three months of a new employee in our company go.
First day!
Meeting and getting to know the team depends on the format of work: if remotely, then, of course, via zoom, and if in person, then everything is more fun and enjoyable! More empathetic!
The paperwork is completed as in any company, since the law dictates its requirements, and we comply with them! We have optimized the process and do not drive team members between offices (like doctors in clinics). All briefings and signings take place in one place, in a single window.
The company has a developed roadmap for familiarization with documents and regulations. In our department, we have collected simple (informal) regulations that describe the employee’s areas of responsibility and basic issues that he may encounter at first in the work process. This gives a transparent picture of the area of responsibility. In case of open questions, the employee can contact the supervisor and manager. The rules of the game become absolutely transparent!
I almost forgot a small nuance: we assign a mentor to a new team member. In most cases, this is the immediate supervisor, less often one of the colleagues.
Don't forget about technical support
In our company, technical support issues are built into the hiring processes and are resolved before a person’s first appearance in the office (or before the first connection, if he is remote).
On the day of departure, we need an employee ready to work, so one of the strengths of our company is a flexible start date. It would be better for him to leave, having closed all his affairs, than for us to set strict limits on the day of his exit, and he will not have time to switch. You can look for a good candidate for a long time, and once you find it, it won’t be difficult to wait for him for a couple of days so that he comes focused on new tasks.
When an employee accepts an offer that specifies the agreed date for returning to work, the technology support flywheel automatically starts. Depending on the role of a team member, a huge number of requests are created for various departments. It’s a thrill to go to work on your first day and be immediately given a laptop with all the necessary software, configured access rights and connections! And yes, that’s exactly how it is with us!
First week!
During the first week, the new team member studies the corporate culture, company values, internal regulations, detailed requirements, system environment (the set of products within which the team works).
Completion of various internal courses, such as training on data security and privacy.
Of course, the employee is connected to all work chats and bots, and the employee is included in daily meetings.
I would like to say something about working meetings. We don't have long, two-hour discussions. This is a short stand-up for 15 minutes (sometimes less), during which news is discussed, there is an opportunity to ask any question (administrative or technical), receive a short answer, or determine the status of work.
The first week also includes a review of current projects and tasks, determining what task the new employee will be doing, what documentation he needs, and where it is located.
First month!
By the end of the second week, the employee more or less understands what and how it works. We begin to slowly immerse him in projects, determine which tasks can be entrusted to him, and which of the existing team members can be allocated to help him.
At this moment, he is already given tasks, but a little more time is allocated for their initial analysis, evaluation and elaboration than for existing team members. Conventionally, he is still (from the point of view of working out the task) in the role of middle. What to do, he decides for himself, but how to do it, he checks with the curator. This makes it possible to avoid critical mistakes and quickly dive into the intricacies of the product.
In the third week with a new colleague, we write out a checklist in which we record tasks for the next 2.5 months.
Regular meetings are scheduled with the mentor and manager, at which emerging issues are discussed, feedback is collected and progress is assessed. During this period, it is important to devote more time to social adaptation; neglecting it leads to a negative attitude and quick separation.
At the end of the third month, the results are recorded at the next meeting and plans are made for further interaction.
An important milestone in continued work is the balance between the needs of the company and the aspirations, skills and soft skills of the employee. Finding the right task for an employee is just as important as finding the right employee for a task. =)
This is how the first three months pass, in 99% of cases this is how the work continues! Respect your colleagues and they will respect you!
The navigator for digital technologies on the railway is in touch with you – digital railway – PGKD.
