Employee Onboarding Mistakes That You Might Want to Avoid
Onboarding new employees is one of the most important aspects of any company, yet it’s also one of the most difficult. Onboarding is the process of integrating a new employee into an organization or familiarizing a new customer or client with one’s products or services and it’s something that every organization should have. You want to make sure that you’re onboarding your new employees correctly so that they feel comfortable and welcomed into the company, but you also don’t want to make any mistakes that could cost you down the road. Here are some mistakes to avoid when onboarding new employees.
1) Lack Of Planning And Organization
One of the biggest mistakes that companies make when onboarding new employees is not properly planning or organizing the process. Many times, companies will hire new employees without having everything in place to successfully integrate them into the company, which leads to problems down the road. A lack of organization can also lead to new employees not fully understanding what they need to do during their first week or month, meaning that they’ll be confused and won’t know who they should ask for help. Without having everything in place prior to onboarding new employees, problems are sure to arise. That’s why planning is one of the onboarding objectives that every company should have. So when hiring new employees, make sure to have everything in place before onboarding so you can avoid problems.
2) Forgetting To Follow Up With New Employees
If you want your new hires to feel comfortable and welcomed into the company, then one of the most important things that you should do is follow up with them after they’ve started working for you. A lack of communication and follow-up is one of the most common mistakes that companies make when onboarding new employees, and it can create a lot of problems down the road. You should always check in with new employees when they’ve been starting for about a week or two to see how everything’s going and whether or not they have any questions. It’s also a good idea to periodically check in with new employees throughout their first few months or year of employment to make sure that everything is going smoothly and they’re still happy.
3) Not Offering Mentorship Or Guidance
Many companies wait for new hires to ask questions about the company, rather than offering them guidance and mentorship. This is a mistake that many companies make because they think new employees should figure things out on their own, but there are better ways to handle this situation. Every company should have an onboarding process that includes mentorship or guidance from current employees. New hires should be introduced around the office and given time to get to know everyone’s names before starting work. You can also have them shadow their supervisor or team for a day to give them an idea of what they’ll be doing throughout the week. If you want new hires to feel comfortable working with your company, then it’s important to offer them some guidance and mentorship during the onboarding process.
4) Not Doing Background Checks
If you want to make sure that you hire employees who could potentially do well at your company, then one of the things that you should always do is perform a background check. One huge mistake that companies make when hiring new employees is not doing a background check. A lot of employers believe that it’s unnecessary to do background checks on new employees, but it’s usually a mistake because you could find out that they don’t have the required experience or qualifications to do the job. Background checks are often quick and inexpensive, so it’s not worth skimping out on this step in your hiring process. If you want to avoid major problems down the road, then you should always do background checks on your new hires.
5) Not Providing Introduction To Company
If you want new hires at your company to feel welcomed and comfortable, then one of the things that you should do as soon as they come on board is introducing them to their new workplace. While it might seem obvious to do this step, many companies never provide a formal introduction or tour for new employees. You need to have an onboarding process in place that introduces new employees to the company and their surroundings before they start working. This is a good way to make sure that they feel comfortable when starting work, and it also prepares them for what needs to be done before starting work every day.
6) Providing Too Much Information At Once
You want to make sure new hires are getting all of the information they need before starting work, but it’s also important not to give them too much info. If you give new employees too much information at once, then they might get discouraged or overwhelmed by everything that needs to be done. It’s best to break down your onboarding process into a series of small steps so that new employees don’t feel the weight of everything from the start. You can also have a mentor or supervisor give them information as they need it, which is better than overwhelming them all at once.
7) Not Providing Enough Training Materials And Information
New hires might not know where to start when they first get started at your company, so it’s important to provide them with various training materials and information before they get started working. This includes letting them know where everything is located in the office, giving them manuals or instructions on how to do different tasks, and informing them about any policies that are essential for their success at the company. If you want new employees to feel welcome at your company, then you should make sure they have all of the information and materials they need to do their job before starting work.
The tips we outlined in this post can help you avoid the mistakes that many companies make when onboarding new employees. These include not providing enough training materials and information, giving too much info at once, or forgetting to do a background check during the hiring process. If you take these seven steps into consideration as your company begins to grow, then it will be easier for everyone involved with the onboarding process to feel confident about their role within the company.