9 tips for a successful employee onboarding process

A study by Bersin by Deloitte shows that, without the right onboarding for new employees, companies can lose 4% of their employees the first month and, even worse, about 22% before the first 90 days. 

Now we have emphasized that it is very important to have an excellent onboarding process for your new employees so that they can do their best, in this article, we'll provide you with some advice that can be useful during the initial interaction process and that will determine the stay (or not) of your new employees. 

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There are many tactics you can employ in the onboarding of your employees so that they have a great first day at your company. Make it unforgettable and outstanding so you turn them into personal ambassadors of your company from day 1. 

Let's move on straight to the 9 creative ideas you can put into practice at your company for the onboarding of your new employees.

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1. Offer customized and meaningful products 

Promotional products aren't a new idea in the onboarding of new employees. However, what you give them as a gift is important. Even though you feel like buying a diary and a pen with your logo on them, stop for a moment and think. 

What does a new employee really need for his/her position?

• A notepad to take quick notes and carry around. 
• A pen.
• A bottle of water. 
• A folder to keep his/her documents safely. 
• A laptop bag. 
• A small kit with post-its, clips, a stapler, a marker, among others. 
• Laptop stickers that represent the culture of the company, with its logo or vision messages. 
• A coffee mug with the company's logo and, maybe, the name of the new employee. 
• A t-shirt with the company's logo. 

These are some of the products you can offer employees as a gift and you can customize them as you wish. For instance, if you own a shoe store, you could give your employees a pair of your best shoes: there's no better way to make them feel connected with your brand. 

2. Arrange dates 

One of the biggest mistakes you can make in the onboarding of new employees is making them eat their lunch or first meal alone in the office. We all know that the first days of work are difficult for all new employees because they try to gain as much knowledge as they can in a short time so that they can start working on the assigned tasks on their own. 

Don't assume that your new employee will find a coworker to have lunch with since not everybody can approach strangers and have lunch with them. 

Therefore, if you can establish the date for their hiring, it would be a good idea to do it with a small team they will work within their position. If the new employee is part of the marketing team, ask the team members to bring him/her up to date, not just by informing him/her his/her tasks, but by telling him/her the company's story and the latest news to make him/her feel comfortable. 

3. Make their desk matter

Prepare a clean desk for your new employee and put a "Welcome" sign on it so that he/she can find it easily and smile when he/she sees it. You could even leave a few corporate gifts as a friendly gesture. A bottle of water, a small kit with things he/she will use next to his/her coffee mug are small but meaningful things that will make your new employee feel good.

4. Create a positive moment

Inspiring your new employees' loyalty is only possible if you differentiate yourself from other companies in the onboarding process. Your new employees know they have to give their best so that the company thrives; therefore, encourage them with a price or commission if they engage in some important activity.  

However, apart from the incentive, give them something meaningful such as a pen or a planner. You'll surprise them and it'll be something interesting for their first day at the company. 

5. Know the story behind the person

Even though it is important for your new employee to know each one of his/her coworkers and he/she should introduce himself/herself officially, it would be a good idea for them to get to know their new colleague by allowing him/her to tell everything he/she wants. This will allow them both, the new employee and his/her coworkers, to gain confidence in one another. 

This way, all teams can get to know the new employee personally: they can find things in common and begin conversations with long-lasting effects. 

6. Make the tour around the office be a fun and rewarding experience 

Take new employees on a tour around the office and the main areas of the company, such as, where the coffee machine and the toilets are and then, you can take them to their desk as part of the onboarding process. 

However, it's up to you how you prepare that tour so that it becomes an experience that adds value to their work.

7. Take them to the team dinner

If it's not on the first day, do it on their first week; if you can't do it with the whole team, at least schedule a dinner with a small team they'll work with. 

One thing is to have lunch at the office, but a completely different thing is to have dinner at a fancy restaurant. You can get to know a person in depth when having dinner at a restaurant because this is the time when people feel more comfortable with themselves. You'll help everybody get to know the new employee and, at the same time, the new employee will get to know everybody better. 

8. Schedule a friendly game of any sport

Most companies have a game they identify with: football, tennis, paddle tennis, or any board game such as chess, checkers, poker, darts, among others.

A good "after office" plan could be to take your new employees to a friendly game with a small group and to show them the routine of the team. You'll help them feel calm and to have a better relationship with the team. 

9. Make the onboarding be about the employee 

It's easy for you to get carried away talking about the company, its culture, values and vision. Even though it is important to tell your new employees about it, it shouldn't be it. 

Your new employees know your company is good, that's the reason they wanted to work there. So, keep the corporate talk short and make the onboarding be about the new employees. Include some stories or engage in some activities or conversations with the important people of your company where they all can talk, make questions and get to know the company. 

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Now you have these innovative ideas about the onboarding process at hand, all you need to do is begin the onboarding. If it gets overwhelming, it means you need an onboarding smart tool that can automate most of your processes which will give you more time to come up with great ideas for it.