First impressions are key when it comes to new employees – and not just from your perspective as the employer. How you treat your new hires during the onboarding process plays a significant role in how they view you as a manager and establishes how engaged they’ll feel regarding their contributions. Go beyond the standard informational training procedures and make your onboarding process as effective as possible with these steps.
Establish a Trustworthy Relationship
While it’s essential for any new employee’s success to ensure they have all of the background knowledge and other tools needed to succeed, an overly cautious approach can backfire. If you avoid giving them any type of accountability, it seems like you aren’t confident in their skills. Assign creative tasks or small projects to help them learn in a hands-on manner and show your faith in their competence.
Remain Accessible
No matter how talented or intelligent the candidate you hire, they will likely run into some issues where they need assistance. Communicate with your new hires and let them know how to best contact you with questions or concerns. Then make yourself available (i.e., try to go light on meetings or days off during the onboarding process). This provides a balance of autonomy without leaving them to make disheartening mistakes or waste time in utter confusion because they have no one to ask for help.
Prioritize Consistent Face Time
During the onboarding process, make time in your regular schedule to consistently have in-person conversations with your new hires. In addition to scheduled sit-down meetings, make it a point to have more spontaneous interactions where you stop by to make small talk and try to get to know them more as a person. As they become more acclimated, you can move more communication to phone or email, but face time is key at the beginning to discover their personality type and work style.
Work with a Leader in Hudson Valley Staffing
Ethan Allen Workforce Solutions offers a full range of employer services to help businesses operate efficiently, from staffing to administration. Since 1969, we have been serving the Hudson Valley area and have industry expertise combined with a high priority on providing personalized service to our clients. Contact us today to learn more about our workforce solutions and how they could be beneficial to your business.