Employee onboarding is a crucial process for any company. The first 90 days of a new employee's job are extremely important, as it's the period when they get to know the company culture, policies, and their colleagues. A well-planned onboarding program is essential to ensure that new hires become productive and satisfied employees.
To achieve this, companies need to develop an effective onboarding strategy that can help new employees settle in and start delivering results. In this article, we will explore some proven employee onboarding strategies that can make the first 90 days of employment a success.
30, 60 and 90-Day Employee Onboarding Best Practices
During the first 90 days of an employee's job, they are usually considered to be on probation. This is because they need time to learn their job responsibilities and get accustomed to the company's culture. Moreover, they are also trying to understand the company and their colleagues to determine whether the job is a good fit for them.
To simplify the new employee onboarding process, it's recommended to create a 30, 60, and 90-day plan that establishes practical expectations and measurable benchmarks.
Prior to the First Day
In order to make the onboarding process as smooth as possible, you should give your new employee access to their new hire paperwork prior to their first day. This ensures that they can complete it before they start work. You may also want to give them access to welcome videos and a few preliminary training modules to help them feel like a part of the team and to get them ready for their first day.
Your Employee’s First Day
Many companies are now hiring and onboarding new employees for remote and hybrid work. This means that fewer employees are coming into the office.
In fact, your company may no longer even have a physical office. Because of this, your employee’s first day is vitally important. You should make sure the new hire has all of their login credentials and information on all of the programs they will need in order to do their jobs.
Next, you should schedule a video call to speak with your new hire and help them through the process of logging in and getting acclimated to the software. You can also review the employee's new hire paperwork to make sure it’s filled out correctly and completely.
Once the preliminary items are complete, you should introduce your new employee to their coworkers. If your employee is remote, you can do this via a video call. If your employee’s first day is in-person, you can show them around the building, introduce each coworker, and explain a little bit about the individual and their job duties. Once the building tour and introductions are over, the employee should start their orientation and training.
First 30 Days
When you hire a new employee, it's important to create a plan for their first 30 days. Decide what you want them to accomplish and set benchmarks for them to meet. Make sure to share these goals with your new hire. Additionally, assign a certain amount of training for them to complete, and consider pairing them with a mentor or coach to help answer any questions they may have about their new position, job duties and training.
Don’t forget to check in with your employee after two and four weeks to answer any questions and provide additional information and clarification.After your employee has completed their first 30 days, they should be feeling more confident in their role and getting into a routine with their work. They should also be developing professional relationships with their coworkers and starting to feel like a part of the team.
Days 31 Through 60
During days 31 through 60 of an employee's tenure, they should still be completing their new hire training and learning advanced tasks. By this stage, they should be comfortable with the workflow and ready to take on additional tasks without feeling overwhelmed. It's a good idea to meet with their direct supervisor at this point to check on how the employee is doing and to see if there is anything else they need to perform their job better. If any additional training or mentoring is necessary, it should be offered.
It's also important to check in with the new employee on days 45 and 60. This provides an opportunity to address any further questions from the employee and to determine how they feel about their position and the company.
Days 61 Through 90
During days 61 through 90, your new employee should be taking more of the lead in accomplishing their tasks. They should need less supervision, and they should be nearly finished with their initial training modules. At this stage, it’s a good idea to bring them aboard for longer-term projects so that they can apply their skills and become a vital part of the team. Giving your new employee new responsibilities also shows them that you trust their work ethic and ability to get things done.
To ensure the smooth functioning of the work, it is recommended to schedule two meetings, one at day 75 and the other at day 90. The objective of the first meeting is to gather the employee's feedback on their job and responsibilities. Address any queries they may have and determine if they require any additional resources or training to enhance their efficiency at work.
On day 90, you should evaluate their job performance thus far, highlight the skills your employee has developed and give them a plan for their next three, six and nine months. At this point, you should be able to gauge their enthusiasm for the job and your company, and whether or not they’ll make a great long-term employee. You can also discuss their future advancement opportunities. If everything goes well, the next meeting you should have with your employee is on their anniversary date.
Get Help Streamlining Your Employee Onboarding with Help from Payday Payroll
At Payday Payroll, we offer a prebuilt applicant tracking and onboarding system that can help simplify your new hire process and ensure that all the tasks get completed. This software can help you determine which jobs your company needs to fill. It can help you vet your applicants and track their process in the hiring queue. It can also help you schedule interviews and check references, and it can help you successfully onboard your new employee.
To learn more about how we can help you hire and onboard new employees so that you can maximize your company's productivity.