Bringing a new employee onboard usually means your company is growing, which is excellent news! But when a new employee feels overwhelmed or unsure, how do you avoid a slowdown that can affect the whole team and determine whether a project will be successful or not?
Make your goals crystal clear
Knowing what is expected will help any employee understand the project as well as their own role. This means getting started quicker and hopefully reaching that goal quicker. As a bonus, by approaching employees with the project goal rather than laying out every step, you can help employees feel trusted and more a part of the greater team.
Make sure their desk and equipment are set up
There is nothing worse than getting to a new job and finding that you don’t have a computer to work on or a place to sit. Similarly, sitting around while others scramble to get your desk ready can make employees feel awkward as though you are working for them, not vice versa. Setting their desk and equipment up, making sure they have all of the essentials and perhaps something a little extra, like a welcome card, will help them to feel a very needed part of the team.
Introduce them to everybody
A welcome lunch is always a good idea, but not always possible. At the least, introduce your new employee to their project team. If you can, introduce them to all of the employees. It may seem overwhelming, but it makes the employee more approachable so that they can integrate with the team quickly.
Provide a new employee handbook
No one likes feeling new and having to ask a million questions. By putting together a handbook, you can provide every new employee with a head start. Give them the way to access the software or WIFI passwords they will need, the employee rulebook (dress code, hours, parking, etc.), an org chart, and any other documentation that will bring them up to speed quickly. Another bonus: once you create this handbook once, you can ask the new employee to add to it for the next new employee, thus consistently updating it.
Set up a quick follow up meeting
Setting goals and sitting with employees on a regular basis to go over their performance is excellent, but have you ever considered whether the employee is getting everything they need to be your best employee? After the first few days, provide the new employee with a 30-minute meeting where they can ask questions or make suggestions to improve your onboarding process.
At Spectra360, we understand the value of onboarding quickly to your company’s bottom line as well as to the team’s morale. We work with the best candidates within the professional services arena, commercial drivers, and shipping/ receiving staff. We are experts at integrating candidates into project teams seamlessly as we focus on finding the best fit for your needs, both as it pertains to skills and culture.
Spectra360 works with logistics companies worldwide to provide the best employees, whether on a Contract, Temp to Hire, Direct Hire or Managed Services basis. If you need help finding quality employees, give us a call today: 888.290.5908
