Onboarding makes an impact
When friends and family ask the new employee How was your first day/week?, we want to be proud of the answer. A great onboarding experience doesn’t happen magically. It takes careful planning, but that planning can really pay off! Research¹ shows that employees who go through a well-structured onboarding experience are:
Supervisor and onboarder extraordinaire…
The supervisor typically takes the lead in coordinating the onboarding experience for their new employee. There is a lot to consider. Click through the tabs below to review action items that you should complete to support a meaningful onboarding experience for your employee.
Get in the right mindset. The School of Nursing endeavors to deliver a meaningful onboarding experience for its new employees. While HR and paperwork are a necessary part of onboarding, the supervisor is the primary driver of the onboarding activities and the overall experience. You will have a tremendous impact on the new employee’s time-to-productivity and their critical first impressions of the organization. This requires reflection and preparation.
Consider the following questions:
- What things might a new employee be anxious about before and during their first week? How can you mitigate that anxiety?
- If you were the new employee, what would you appreciate? What would make you feel welcome?
- What will the new employee need on Day 1 to feel productive?
- How can you help the new employee quickly feel part of the team?
- Think back on your own onboarding experience(s). What left a positive impression? What mistakes do you want to avoid?
Prepare well in advance of the start date. There are a lot of aspects to plan for – access to buildings/systems/tools, getting their workspace ready, ensuring they have the necessary equipment and supplies, identifying administrative tasks they’ll need to attend to, etc.
You are expected to use the checklist below when preparing for and onboarding your new employee. Because many of these activities are required for the School of Nursing to maintain its accreditation and remain in compliance with university policy and state/federal laws, you need to complete and submit the checklist by the end of the employee’s first month.
You should plan your new employee’s Week 1 schedule. This will help reduce ‘newbie’ anxiety and give your new employee a focal point to feel productive immediately. Be sure to build in opportunities for them to meet with others on the team, partner teams, stakeholders, leadership, etc. Take them to lunch on Day 1 and think about opportunities for others to take them to coffee later in the week.
Don’t overschedule. Leave time for them to settle into their workspace, take a breather from all the new information and faces, and make progress on onboarding activities.
Consider using the schedule template linked below. Once open, enter the employee’s name and start date to customize the schedule.
How you communicate has a profound impact on whether the new employee feels welcomed, excited, and confident in their decision to accept the position. Communicate with warmth and positivity. Anticipate/ask if they have questions or concerns. During the time leading up to the first day, check in with them, especially if there is a long runway to the start date.
A few days before the start date, send a ‘First Day Welcome’ email that includes arrival details and a schedule for the first week.
Onboarding doesn’t end after the first week. It typically takes several months for an employee to feel like they truly understand and can comfortably deliver on the expectations of the job. It may take even longer for the individual to adapt to community norms and the organizational culture.
Check in regularly with your new employee. Don’t assume they are doing well. Schedule regular check-ins. Ask questions, listen actively, offer support, review goals, and provide feedback. Once they are through the first month, set longer-term goals geared toward deepening role competence and building connections.
Thanks for all your work in helping onboard our newest colleagues!
¹ https://www.shrm.org/executive-network/insights/onboarding-key-to-elevating-company-culture