The first 30 days – onboarding a new employee

When hiring a new employee, it’s so important to invest time and thought into their induction period.

This is so that the relationship is set up for success from day one and that your new hire feels welcomed, confident, and reassured in their new position.

Good inductions allow you to make sure that new hires can get started easily and quickly, making your business more efficient as a whole.

Here’s a guide to help you make your employee’s first 30 days a success – and of course, don’t forget that the newly hired employee also has a responsibility to contribute to the success of the induction period.

Before they start

To create the best first impression to your new team member, make sure that everything is set up for them when they arrive.

This includes not only things that are vital for them to start working, but also those that’ll make them feel welcome too.

For example, if your employee will be working in an office environment, you might need to organise their workstation setup, IT and email configuration; for those working in retail, you may want to create their personal till login and employee discount code; and for remote employees, you may require them to be added to your virtual office software (such as Slack) and share any relevant passwords with them (to communal file-sharing platforms, for example).

Let anyone else on the team know when the new hire will be starting.

For anyone who hasn’t yet met the employee, give them a little info around who they are and what their role will be in the business.

If you have the capacity, you could appoint one of the team to be a ‘buddy’ and support to the new recruit.

Make sure you have a helpful induction checklist to get ready for day one.

Day 1

As soon as the new recruit arrives, greet them and introduce them to the rest of the team, explaining briefly what each person does within the business.

Show them around the building, ensure they know where the facilities are, explain any specific procedures you have (health and safety, for example), and show them to their desk.

As well as the job, equipment and process related elements, remember to also introduce the ‘soft’ elements to the new employee, such as showing them what the culture is like, where to go locally to get lunch, etc.

Sit down with them and go through the main areas of your employee handbook to make sure everything is completely clear.

This meeting is also a good opportunity to discuss and agree their goals for the next 30 days.

They may well have come with their own ideas and suggestions already, so make sure that you listen to these and take them into account.

Providing that any equipment they need is all set, get them started on a project or task that they can get stuck into and feel part of the team from day one.

Debrief with them at the end of the day and ensure that nothing is causing any avoidable disruption, anxiety or discomfort.

1 week

Meet up with the new hire to discuss how they’ve found their first week and work through any problems that they may be experiencing.

Review the goals that you both agreed on day 1 and see whether any adjustments might be necessary in light of what you have both learned in the past week.

While you should ideally learn about the experience of their first week face to face, it’s a good idea to also set up a questionnaire for the employee to complete after week 1, so that not only will you have something to discuss but you can refer to it to steer your onboarding experience for future hires.

You can either do this together in your meeting or give them the option to complete it beforehand so that you can discuss it together.

Make sure you follow up on any actions agreed.

Ensure that you also include the new recruit in all relevant team meetings and activities.

2 weeks

After 2 weeks, the employee should be well into their work and familiar with the team and the business processes.

Now’s a great time to get together for another catch-up meeting to discuss how they’re feeling about the role, their responsibilities, and how they are progressing toward their goals.

It’s also beneficial to hold meetings with the new hire’s colleagues around this time to discuss how they feel they are settling into the role and to give them an opportunity to share any helpful points.

New recruits are often enthusiastic and optimistic about their goals and how things are going, especially in the early weeks of employment; many will be worried about raising points of concern or sounding negative or incapable.

Seeking views from trusted colleagues who may also be working with the new recruit can be a good gauge of the new recruit’s actual progress and team fit.

30 days

So, by now, the new (or not so new!) hire should be really settled in.

How have they found the job so far?

Is there anything they are unsure of or want to learn more about?

It’s time for another meeting and this meeting could open up ideas about a number of things, including potential training programmes they could benefit from and involvement in other activities, as well as provide a good moment to take stock of their evidenced competence to do the job well.

The 30-day check-in is the ideal time to get together to reflect on the past 30 days and discuss whether both of your expectations have been fulfilled.