Onboarding new hires at your promo company involves so much more than getting them a desk and a login – it can be the difference between them feeling like a fish out of water or a valuable contributor from day one.

Nearly all leaders believe that onboarding programs are important, but only 69% have a formal process for employees. By improving your onboarding experience, you can boost retention and productivity by 52% and 60%, respectively.

Where should you start? Rachele Collins, Ph.D., from ADP’s Strategic Advisory Services team, has a few ideas. In this issue of PromoPro Daily, we share her tips for kicking it up a notch, whether you’re onboarding in-person, remote or hybrid employees.

Use an automated process. According to Collins, the foundation of a strong onboarding journey is a modern, easy-to-use digital process with embedded workflows, electronic tools and documentation, and mobile access.

Customize the onboarding plan. Each new employee should have a plan that outlines the specific goals and objectives for their role. Collins recommends creating a structured onboarding project that helps the new hire understand their early career path and demonstrates their importance to the organization.

Make new hires feel special before they begin. Send them promo they can use at work, along with a welcome letter from their new manager.

Make a great first impression on day one. Collins says the early days of a new hire’s experience offer an important opportunity for organizational bonding. Beyond making sure the new staff member has all the tools and resources they need to do their job, leaders should also take extra steps to welcome them. This could be including a photo and short bio about them on the company intranet or taking the team out to lunch to get to know the new hire.

Map everything out for them. Depending on the size of your promo company, it can help to create an organizational chart that shows different departments and roles. Collins says you may also want to create an FAQ sheet that includes links to resources and answers to common questions from new hires.

Make it fun. Try creating a scavenger hunt for the new employee to search electronically for key organizational facts and earn points they can redeem for promo. You could also plan visits to different departments so the new hire understands how their work is connected to other parts of the company.

Check in regularly. At minimum, check in with new hires weekly or biweekly for the first 60 days. Collins says this allows the new employee to ask questions and understand their performance expectations.

Creating a robust onboarding process can help accelerate productivity, minimize the learning curve and maximize potential. If you’re bringing in some new staff members, think about implementing the ideas above to elevate their experience from the get-go.

Compiled by Audrey Sellers
Source: Rachele Collins, PhD, is a senior principal client experience analyst in ADP's Strategic Advisory Services. Her areas of expertise include process improvement, measurement, benchmarking, finance and human capital best practices, and organization development.