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company and his/her position, an Onboarding Program is an interactive approach between you and your new employee that makes certain you address both his/her and the organization’s needs so that her performance aligns with your expectations from day one. Imagine how much more effective your area of responsibility will be if your employees are more productive sooner and aren’t dedicating their time toward tracking down information, looking for phone numbers or guessing what they should do next? An effective Onboarding Program typically includes three phases: planning, initial orientation and position training. Studies have shown that programs designed in this way improve employee performance by 11 percent, increase employee discretionary effort by 20 percent and reduce turnover by 54 percent.

Materials Gathering
Just think about how you would have felt on your first day if your hiring manager had handed you your business cards, computer, phone, office supplies and parking/office access cards in addition to those facility keys. You can really make a positive first impression on your new employee by gathering all of the supplies needed during the planning phase, so they are all waiting on the first day.

Paperwork and Systems Access
Your employee’s first day will be a busy one for both of you. To make your life easier, gather and/or print any written materials the employee will need during initial orientation during the planning phase. This may include a handbook of company policies, payroll paperwork, training documents, a company phone list, or anything else needed. If the employee will need access to the company network or facility equipment such as a fee computer or terminal PC, include this in your preparations too. And don’t forget about the employee herself during this phase! There is often a one- to two-week time span between when a new employee accepts the position and her first day. To reassure your new employee regarding her decision and the plans that are being made for her, make contact with her during this planning phase. If you are able to share details regarding her initial orientation plan when you make contact, it will help to her to start feeling a part of your company prior to the start of her new role.

Planning
Much of what you will need to do to make your Onboarding Program effective will happen before your new employee starts working. During this Planning Phase you will be making preparations to ensure things go smoothly, such as gathering equipment, supplies and paperwork for your new employee, and mapping out the remaining two phases of the onboarding process.

Job Preparedness
During the planning phase, ask yourself what your new employee will need to know, and when, to be successful in their new position. Once these needs are identified, you can develop an initial orientation and position training plan to address them. When creating these plans, consider what your employee will need to know about the company and its culture and values and who the employee should meet and will count on to assist with being integrated into her position and the company. Also consider the technical skills he or she will need to acquire for her position and build a training plan to address these needs. Sequence this plan out over a reasonable timeframe, usually 60 to 90 days, so your employee has enough time to complete each segment while performing her job. Document the plan so she can refer to it and progress can be tracked as objectives are completed.

Initial Orientation
All of the effort you made during the planning phase is about to pay off, because you are going to make a positive first impression on your new employee and help get her career off to a great start. The only objective to your new employee’s first day is to introduce her to your organization and what she’s going to learn during her initial training plan. When she arrives, you or a representative from Human Resources should greet her. Adults like to fit into the company’s community as soon as possible. This acclimation begins day one with introductions, a group lunch, pre-scheduled introductory calls and an organizational announcement delivered to other employees who will interact
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May 2010 Parking

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