Engaging new employees is vital to the success of your business. Engaged employees are committed, happy and motivated. The level of engagement also has an impact on their productivity, happiness and perception of the business.
According to the cohesion theory – usually applied to sporting teams, but it can crossover to teams of any sort, including businesses – familiarity between team members and processes is perhaps the most important factor to any team’s overall success.
Retention and keeping your employees happy and at your business can be hugely assisted by a smooth induction process. Here are Peninsula’s top tips on how to do it.
Show That You Were Expecting Them
First impressions matter. When your employee is beginning their first day of their new job, make sure you’re there – to greet them, introduce them to the team, and more.
Do they have all the documents they need to have? And we’re not talking just about contracts. Policies, health and safety information, and other internal documentation should be readied for the employee and sent to them to complete prior to their first day if applicable.
Will you or someone make a presentation to the employee, or give them a guided tour of the workplace?
Make sure you have prepared for their induction into the company. It will have a positive impact on the employee and give them peace-of-mind that you’ve set them up for success in the company.
Assign Them a Buddy
Joining a new business, or any team, can be a daunting prospect. You don’t know anyone. You have to put new names to new faces. You’re not sure who does what and who reports to who.
Assigning your new employee a buddy can smoothe their induction to the company. The buddy can help befriend the new hire, introduce them to other colleagues, show them the best local lunch spots, and more.
Importantly, assigning a buddy to the new employee gives them someone to lean on in case they have any questions about their new job that they may not want to raise with their manager.
Introduce Them to the Team
Taking the lead and introducing your new hire to the team should be considered vital to any new employee’s induction.
The team needs to know the employee’s name, obviously, and they need to know what the employee’s role is as well, so they can figure out how the new person fits into the team. Likewise the employee should know who everyone is and what they do.
Start with Small Manageable Tasks
Engaging new employees is more than about the perception or the impression. It is about allowing them the time to process their new role and duties. Don’t throw the employee in the deep end with complex tasks straight away. There’s always a lot to take in in induction, so ease the employee and your team in.
Give your employee simple tasks to help them acclimatise to their new role. Plan out these tasks in advance – give your employees a weeks’ worth of tasks and vary them enough they will touch on all aspects of their role which they will soon begin to experience day in, day out. Make sure they understand what they have to do, but don’t just leave them to their own devices. Make sure someone is available to answer their questions and talk them through any issues that might arise.
Empower your employees with Peninsula
Peninsula works with business owners and employers optimising their HR and WHS to create efficient workplaces and engaging employee experiences. Our tailored end-to-end services look after your staff management, leave entitlements, health and safety, and everything in between. Contact us today to learn how we can help you.