If your business is in the process of hiring new employees, you may be preparing your onboarding process and wondering how to avoid onboarding mistakes. The onboarding process is the first time your new hires are immersed in the day-to-day operations of the company, and can set the tone for the rest of your working relationship. In order to avoid confusion, promote transparency, and remain productive, it’s important that you do your research onboarding mistakes to avoid. Even if your company has EPLI insurance, make sure to carefully avoid these common onboarding errors.
Starting the Onboarding Process on the New Hire’s First Day
Although this may be a common way of running the onboarding process, beginning onboarding on the first day the new hire physically steps into your offices is a mistake for several reasons. Throwing the new employee into the thick of things too suddenly can lead to disorientation, can cause confusion about key job functions, and can compress the welcome timeline, making things feel rush and disorganized. Instead, you may want to consider:
- Personalizing the new hire’s welcome to the business
- Having the new employee fill out basic paperwork and get other formalities out of the way before the first day
- Giving new employees an opportunity to get pressing questions answered
- Sending him or her the new employee handbook and inviting him or her to upcoming meetings or retreats
Neglecting To Give New Hires Full Tours of the Office and Introductions to Company Culture
You may already include basic training and pointers as part of your onboarding process, but how much time do you take to help new employees feel like they’re truly part of the company? For many new employees, learning about the company culture can be just as helpful as being walked through how to use the fax machine. Make sure to demonstrate to your new hires:
- Company values
- Shared aims
- A sense of trust and community
- A caring, supportive work environment
Giving Unclear Job Descriptions or Setting False Expectations
Lastly, it’s important to use the onboarding process to create realistic, clear-cut job expectations. Skimming over the job description or being vague isn’t helpful for the new hire or for the company. Make sure you:
- Explain the day-to-day expectations of the job
- Detail the typical schedule of this position
- Set clear-cut goals and expectations for the new employees
- Answer all questions to avoid confusion and unclear directions
Even for companies equipped with EPLI insurance, it’s important to make sure the onboarding process goes as smoothly as possible. Without a strong onboarding process, you could risk confusing, alienating, or even losing new employees. Fortunately, starting with pre-boarding, giving full office tours, immersing new hires in the company culture, and setting clear-cut expectations and goals are moves that can help your business institute an effective onboarding process. Make sure you avoid the mistakes listed here at all costs.
About Haughn & Associates
Founded by Michael Haughn in 1986, Haughn & Associates is a full-service, family-owned, independent insurance agency based out of Dublin, Ohio. H&A strives to provide the best possible price and unique insurance solutions across a myriad of industries, including construction, IT, Habitation & Commercial Property, Agriculture, and Engineering. Devoted to providing the best of business insurance, life and disability insurance, personal insurance, employee benefits, and bonds, H&A is proof that success lies in long-standing client relations and satisfaction. To learn more about how H&A can be of service to you, contact us at (877) 802-2278.
