So you’ve made it through the job listing and interviewing process and found the perfect candidate. They’ve agreed to join your team and now you’re faced with the onboarding process.
How can you make sure this new hire adapts to your company effectively? Here are some essential steps to follow to ensure the success of your next new hire.
New Hire Checklist
Review New Job Duties
Before your new hire gets to work, it’s important that they understand everything that is expected of them. When you offer them the job, or shortly afterward, go over the official job description with them in detail. Make sure you include all essential tasks, expectations, deadlines, processes and supervisors or co-workers who they’ll need to report to.
Share Pay and Benefits Information
You also have to go over the financial details with them, if you haven’t shared some already. Detail their exact salary and any benefits offerings you provide. Include all the practical details too, like when and how often they’ll be paid, direct deposit vs. checks, any time reporting they’ll be responsible for, etc.
Complete All HR Forms
Then it’s time for the official stuff. Have them sign an employment contract, paperwork for any benefits you offer, and legally required employment documents like I-9 and W4 forms. If you have an HR department, they should have a process in place for all of these things. If hiring is relatively new to your business, you can download templates for many hiring forms online.
Go Over Their Schedule
Scheduling is often a big factor for new employees, so you may have gone over some generals during the application and interview process. But during onboarding, it’s time to be specific. When are they expected to show up for work and how long are shifts? When are breaks offered? Are there opportunities for telecommuting? How does your overtime system work? Even if you have a relatively standard work week, share your expectations and processes in detail and see if they have any questions.
Introduce the New Hire to Your Team
If you have other team members in your company, welcome your new hire by introducing them to everyone throughout the organization. Share names and job titles. And spend extra time with those who your new hire will be working alongside closely.
Clue Them in on Your Company Culture
Culture can have a major impact on your team’s workday. Let them know about things like dress code, special events, traditions or workplace rules. For example, if you have a rule that everyone rotates supplying coffee for the kitchen coffee maker, cue them into that.
Prepare Their Work Environment
If your new employee has their own office or workspace, get it set up for their first day. Make sure that it’s clean and that all the essentials are in place, like a computer, phone, comfortable chair and basic office supplies. If they don’t have a dedicated space, make sure they have a uniform or nametag or whatever supplies they require to do their job.
Collect Emergency Information
Since your new employee will likely be spending a fair amount of time at work, it’s a good idea to know any medical or contact information to use in case of emergency. Ask for an emergency contact and see if they have any food allergies or other concerns that they’d like you to be aware of in case of a medical issue at the office.
Complete Training Materials
Even after you’ve explained their general job duties, it can still help for your new hire to see first-hand how things are done. Schedule a training day or two (or more for especially complicated jobs or industries where safety and compliance are major issues). Then have a team member show them all of your processes and answer any questions they may have. Your new hire could even shadow someone for a few days if that level of instruction is necessary.
Assign Them to a Mentor or Helper
Once the official training is complete, they’re still likely to have some learning to do. So assign someone to act as a mentor or helper just in case they have questions. This person can continue to guide them or simply be available just in case the need arises.
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This article, “Adding These 10 Steps Will Make Your New Hire Checklist Amazing” was first published on Small Business Trends