You’ve done everything right so far. You’ve performed a thorough and rigorous recruitment process, conducted countless interviews, and identified the ideal job candidate. So what comes next? How do you make sure you capture and keep the candidate of your choice?
The obvious next step is to extend a job offer, and while that sounds simple enough, there are potential pitfalls throughout the offer process. Job offers should be made orally, either in person or over the phone. A written offer letter or package can follow, but you would hate to lose Mr. or Ms. Right because he or she accepted another offer while yours was traveling via snail mail.
Of course, what the offer actually consists of will depend on your company’s individual compensation packages, benefit plans and employee perks. Just avoid making any promises you cannot keep. Don’t imply that the new hire will be able to work a flexible schedule if the team he or she is joining has been working 60 hour weeks for the past 18 months. Instead, set realistic expectations – it will help prevent disappointment, potential performance issues, and perhaps even litigation down the road.
When you extend a job offer, include the following information about the position:
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Position title and department
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Work location and schedule
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Salary (of course, this is often open for negotiation)
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Benefits
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Start date
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Any employee paperwork required by the company
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Contingencies that could lead to a withdrawal of the offer (i.e. drug testing, background checks, etc.)
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Date by which you expect a response to the offer
Now let’s assume the ideal job candidate accepts your offer, joins your company and becomes the new person at the office. In a perfect world, he or she would hit the ground running and contribute at optimum performance levels on day one, but such a world doesn’t exist. Even the most experienced professionals need a honeymoon period to get up to speed on the organization’s proprietary practices and unique protocols. Unfortunately, too often companies do little to properly introduce new hires to the company.
Research suggests that an effective onboarding process can accelerate new employees’ productivity and help to ensure that they stay on the job, thus decreasing a company’s cost of turnover. The sooner new employees become oriented to a company’s culture and understand what is expected of them, the sooner they can begin to positively contribute to the organization’s operations and its bottom line. On the other hand, an ineffective or nonexistent onboarding process can cause a new employee to feel overwhelmed, undervalued and frustrated. This often results in the employee leaving the company within the first year.
Successful orientation programs introduce a company’s history, culture, processes and people in a fun and interesting way. When new employees are engendered with positive emotions toward their company, they are more prone to be excited about their jobs and want to work hard. But an orientation method that works for one company will not necessarily work for another. Monday morning orientation seminars are common for larger companies that have a new group of employees starting each week, but for companies that may only hire one or two people every six months, these seminars can be inefficient. If scheduled bi-monthly or only once a quarter, by the time a seminar comes up on the calendar a new employee who has been on the job six to eight weeks has already had to sink or swim on his own.
What are some alternative methods for onboarding new employees?
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Send an email to employees prior to their start dates welcoming them to the company. The email could provide a link and password to the company’s intranet site where organizational information is posted. In this way, new hires can take some time to review things like a company history, managerial bios and frequently asked questions before they show up for their first day of work.
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Conduct a shadowing program where new employees spend their first few days or weeks alongside a coworker assigned to show them the ropes. Shadowing can be especially effective when a position involves a process or function that the new employee needs to learn and understand.
By thoroughly explaining the why, when, where and how of the job before unleashing them to tackle a project on their own, employees will feel better prepared and more confident when they receive their first assignment. Mentors are an effective means for orienting new employees who are filling managerial or professional positions.
These new hires may be experienced in their field, but need guidance to navigate the organization’s policies, protocols and politics. A mentoring relationship can last a few weeks or indefinitely depending on the connections that formed between employees. -
Environmental and social factors also play an important part in successful employee orientation. Nothing would make an invited guest feel more unwelcome in your home than having you seemingly forget their scheduled arrival.
The same is true when a new employee shows up on his first day and no one seems to have prepared for him or her. It sends a signal that his or her arrival is either unexpected or unimportant. -
Assign someone the responsibility of greeting a new employee. Greeters can help new employees establish their bearings and feel immediately welcomed (Just knowing where the coffee and bathrooms are located can make someone instantly feel more at home). Also, remember to send out an email or post a notice welcoming a new employee.
Encourage everyone to introduce themselves to their new co-worker throughout the day. Finally, if possible, arrange for a small group to have lunch with a new employee the first day or throughout the first week. It is a great way for someone new to get to know everyone and begin to feel like a part of the team. -
Supervisors are critical to making new employees feel valued and engaged from the outset. They should determine in advance where a new employee will be physically located— if people, files or equipment need to be moved to create space— and arrange for that before the new employee’s start date.
Supervisors should also set aside time to spend with a new employee to discuss in detail the expectations and goals for the job, as well as company and departmental protocol. The sooner a new employee is up to speed on processes and procedures, the sooner he or she can be productive without the constant oversight of a supervisor.
Successfully orienting employees to a company involves more than one method, one step, one person or one day. It’s a process that, when executed effectively, can result in one more committed manager, one more productive salesperson or one more fulfilled administrative assistant. Do the math – an investment in your company’s orientation process can make a meaningful and measurable impact on your company. For more information on extending job offers or structuring successful onboarding programs, contact G&A Partners at (713) 784-1181.
