“Most shops don’t have any onboarding structure whatsoever,” David Roman, owner of Done with Care Auto Repair in Merriam, Kan., says.
This is a mistake. Onboarding helps bring employees into the culture and will set them up for future success. Roman estimates that it takes roughly two years for an employee to become proficient, and proper onboarding can help speed up or slow that process down.
“Make a conscious effort to make them feel a part of the team,” Roman says. Roman, along with author of “Almost HIred: What’s Really Standing Between You and the Job You Want,” Jackie Ducci and CEO of the hiring platform Tallo, Casey Welch, share their tips for effective onboarding.
Be organized.
The first day shouldn’t be thrown together, it should be well-thought out before the employee walks through the door, Ducci says. There should be someone assigned to walk the new hire around and introduce them to everyone to make them feel welcome, there should be time set aside to do paperwork and the new hire should also get a chance to have time with their direct supervisor to get acquainted, Ducci says.
It doesn’t need to get overwhelming, Roman says. Just create a structure. Even if it’s just three things that you need to accomplish on day one, that's better than nothing.
Don’t assume they know.
Every company has procedures, but those procedures aren’t universally known. Simple processes, like where to put keys to vehicles, need to be explained to the new hire, Roman says. If you don’t do that, they may do it the way they’ve always done it and make you frustrated, when, in reality, it was on you to explain that system.
Create a plan.
It’s more than the first day, there should be a plan for the new hire’s first year, Roman says. There should be check-ins at 30, 45, 90 days and periodically after that.
