Did you know that an employee’s first day on the job can determine how long they stay with your company? A good onboarding process is extremely important for setting up a new employee for success and for boosting long-term retention. A strong onboarding experience can lead to faster ramp-up, higher productivity and long-term job satisfaction, while a poor experience almost always leads to turnover within the first year.
Onboarding can be challenging no matter the circumstances, but in a remote-first work environment like most companies are dealing with today, those challenges can quickly add up. However, with the right approach, you can give your new hires the tools to succeed while helping them shape a company’s positive impression.
Start Preparing Right Away
As soon as you receive a signed offer from the new employee, send them their new hire paperwork. This gives them plenty of time to return it to the office, either in person or via mail. Then, make sure the IT team sets up all logins and credentials at least one week in advance. If the new employee can’t log into critical programs on their first day, it will frustrate them – and you. Working ahead also ensures the tech team has plenty of time to deal with and correct any potential problems.
Plan A Personalized Welcome
If you are working in–house, make sure to greet the new employee at the door rather than making them wait or wander around the building. If your new employee is working remotely, greet them at the “virtual” door. Have a video call first thing in the morning on their first day to welcome them, go over the onboarding process, and invite the rest of their team to introduce themselves.
Keep Them Busy
It is important to keep new hires busy their first day and throughout the first week. Provide them with a structured schedule and a list of things to do so they don’t have to wonder what they should be working on next.
Make Your Expectations Clear
New employees need to understand exactly what you want from them and how you will measure success in the first few weeks. Set goals for day one, week one, 30 days, 60 days and 90 days. Hold regular check-ins with the employee to track progress for each milestone and determine what they need to achieve those goals.
Meet Regularly
It can be easy to forget about new employees, especially if they are remote, but it is very important to check regularly. Set a standing meeting time to check in to see how things are going, offer constructive feedback and monitor progress.
Are You Searching For Top Agriculture Talent?
If you are looking to improve your recruiting, hiring and retention processes for sales and marketing positions at your ag business, reach out to the expert agriculture recruiters at Morris Bixby today.