How to successfully onboard new employees

Table of contents

1. Determine goals and benchmarks
2. Who is responsible for employee onboarding?
3. What activities should onboarding include?
4. Onboarding - the first day, week, and month
5. When is employee onboarding successful?
6. Easy LMS: the affordable solution to create excellent onboarding Courses

Determine goals and benchmarks

Generally speaking, the ultimate goal of employee onboarding is to reap the advantages of employee onboarding, like increased employee satisfaction and retention. To achieve this you should determine your specific goals, objectives, and metrics - that’s what an effective onboarding program should be designed around.

To define your goals, brainstorm a list of the knowledge, processes, and tools that someone in their role needs to know. Some common learning goals include an understanding of:

• Key values of the organization.
• Organizational structure.
• Company policies, procedures, and guidelines.
• Software and other tools.
• Daily tasks.
• Mandatory training.

After you define specific learning goals, determine what level of understanding and proficiency new hires need to reach before progressing to the next stage. Make it measurable, so you can assess their status (and the effectiveness of your onboarding). Measurable goals will also help you streamline employee onboarding, and create a cohesive timeline of learning goals that build on one another.

Measurable goals will also help you streamline employee onboarding, and create a cohesive timeline of learning goals that build on one another

Who is responsible for employee onboarding?

Onboarding new employees is a joint effort between human resources, IT, finance, and the new hire's department. Most of the time, the hiring manager will serve as the primary coordinator.

What activities should onboarding include?

• In-person workshops. During an in-person workshop a senior employee, HR trainer, or the head of learning and development teach a group of new hires relevant skills. These are ideal for complex topics and techniques that are best learned in person.
• Online activities. 40% of companies have a dedicated web-based portal that they use during onboarding and other related tasks [1]. New hires can use these portals to receive feedback and track their progress on learning goals. It can also contain online courses that they can complete on their own.
• Informal activities. Informal onboarding includes laid-back and unstructured activities. These are essential for giving a personal touch to your onboarding program. Informal activities should include social introductions like a new hire lunch, a welcome gift, impromptu small talk, or even a celebratory toast. Introductory meetings, observing co-workers while performing daily tasks, and check-ins with the coordinator also fall into this category.

Onboarding - the first day, week, and month

The first day

The first day of onboarding will mainly be orientation, like completing paperwork, an office tour, introductions, and creating company accounts. Give your new hire a warm welcome with a personalized gift and company lunch.

The first week

After the first day, onboarding should go beyond orientation and become more in-depth. They can start with a mix of online courses and in-person workshops on key values, organizational structure, and essential software. Assign a co-worker as an onboarding buddy to teach the new hires their daily tasks.

Assign a co-worker as an onboarding buddy to teach the new hires their daily tasks

This seasoned colleague can observe the new employee under supervision. It helps new employees learn in a low-pressure environment while getting it into muscle memory. End the week with a meeting with the new hire and manager to evaluate how it went.

The first month

During the rest of the first month, you can give them more tasks that they perform increasingly independently. As they become more comfortable, get them more involved in team meetings. Make sure to ask them for their feedback and first impressions!

Regular check-ins should continue throughout the first month. It is necessary to get their input on your onboarding plan and their progress. It is okay to reevaluate your schedule and provide more job-specific courses if needed.

When is employee onboarding successful?

Your onboarding is successful when new employees have a strong foundation from which they can grow into engaged and productive members of your team!

Easy LMS: the affordable solution to create excellent onboarding Courses

Easy LMS has all the features that you need to support your team’s onboarding! And all the features come at an affordable price. We offer three subscription types that start as low as $50 a month. We are known for our fair pricing!

You can cover onboarding topics through online Courses containing text, video, images, document attachments, and audio files. Our Exams are an ideal tool to evaluate whether new employees have met their onboarding goals. Its reporting includes a detailed overview of participants’ answers to help you identify areas that need more focus. Assessments can also be used as a way to learn more about the new hires' skill level.

The Academy provides you with a central place to keep all your onboarding content. You can organize the content into learning paths, which is ideal for onboarding as it will likely consist of many Courses. You can tie all your Courses together in a set order, which adds cohesion and keeps your new hires engaged!

Start benefiting from onboarding with Easy LMS today!

Useful resources

1. Urbanbound

Frequently Asked Questions