The Onboarding Process

Tips and tricks for onboarding

The last interviews have been completed and the employment contract has been signed. You may have a week or two left before your new colleague spends their first working day with you and gets to learn all the processes and workflows of your company. To ensure the onboarding process runs as smoothly as possible, there is a lot to prepare. Not just the onboarding itself — even beforehand, there are many important steps that lead to success.

Before Onboarding

First and foremost, it is always important to prepare all the key formalities. This includes preparing all documents that your new colleague needs to sign. Make sure that paperwork such as the personnel form is signed in advance if possible, or as quickly as possible after the new colleague has been hired. Prepare all necessary devices and work materials such as a laptop, office keys, hardware for the home office setup, and anything else colleagues may need in your company. Set up all necessary accounts and login credentials so that all relevant services and software can be used from day one. It is also possible, for example, to support the onboarding process with the help of software. To make your new team member feel at home from the very first second, the workstation should be fully set up on the first working day. You might even brighten up the new workspace with some chocolate or a small welcome gift.

The person responsible for onboarding the new colleague should take the time — especially during the first week, and above all on the first day — to carry out the onboarding properly and answer any questions that arise. Onboarding should not be seen as secondary and should receive sufficient attention. Time should also be taken to show your new employee around the company’s premises so that they feel comfortable and know where everything is.

Don’t forget to announce the new employee to the rest of the company. That way, nobody is surprised when a new face appears in the office and everyone can welcome the new colleague warmly.

The duration of onboarding is equally individual, but should not be underestimated. With well-organized onboarding, the intensive phase typically lasts one month. During this first month, the foundations are laid for the new employee so that they can begin working independently. It can take up to a year for new employees to get to know all the processes in your company and contribute to them. So don’t rush the onboarding process and give your new colleague the time they need to learn everything about the company.

Digitizing the Onboarding Process

There are several reasons why you should digitize your onboarding. For example, in industries with a high employee turnover rate — such as agencies — it is particularly advantageous to always have the onboarding content readily available. The content is frequently needed and should always be easily accessible. The same applies to large companies that, simply due to the number of employees, may have a high turnover rate. In these cases, having a digitized onboarding process ready can save a great deal of time and make the entire procedure easier.

Digitizing processes is especially worthwhile for companies that use complex or extensive software. In such cases, a single verbal explanation is often not enough to sustainably understand the relevant software. A digitized onboarding process creates a reference resource, and as the induction progresses, your new colleagues can independently find answers to questions. Furthermore, screenshots or short videos can be incorporated in this format to illustrate processes and workflows visually — and thus generally in a more understandable way.

For implementing digital onboarding, a presentation or PDF is one option. It is also possible to carry out onboarding using the wiki function of a software solution, such as the one offered by projectfacts. Many ERP systems have the option of making a wiki function available. For more information about our wiki function, contact us here!

After the First Month

After the first intensive phase of onboarding, it is a good idea to ask your new colleague for feedback. In the feedback session, you will ideally receive an honest assessment from a third party about your onboarding process. Use the opportunity to improve the process, perhaps add new questions, and generally gauge the mood of employees regarding the overall onboarding process. Make sure to collect repeated feedback at regular intervals to ensure that no questions remain unanswered.

We are happy to help you with the technical implementation of a digitized wiki! Contact us here!

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