You’ve gone through interviews and extended an offer to Cristobal from the last module. Before he starts, you’ll need to take some specific steps to make sure that onboarding goes smoothly and sets your new hire up for success. One of the things you’re going to need is an internal document to guide him through the onboarding process. This document might include:

• An agenda for the first day, and a high level schedule for the first couple of weeks

• A welcome or onboarding video or meeting

• A list and copy of any required paperwork

• Any log-ins for accounts, tools, etc., that he may need

• Who to contact with what questions

Finally, make sure that his office is set up. You’ll also need to share anything he will need to know about the office, whether it’s virtual, remote, or hybrid. For example, what does accessibility look like? And, if he runs into an accessibility issue, who should he contact?

Share this plan with Cristobal’s team. This can make sure everyone is on the same page and that they can give him guidance if needed.

It's crucial to have a new hire handbook to ensure he has the answers to high level questions and knows who to reach out to for additional questions and guidance.

Check out our New Hire Handbook template to build out your own!

We’ll talk more about how Cristobal’s first day might look in the next lesson.

Now that we have everything set up, It’s time for Cristobal’s first day. Based on the last lesson, what can you do to help set him up for success? First off, you’ll need to make sure that you reiterate how to request accommodations. This includes who to speak with if he needs help.

Second, he will need access to his email account, virtual meeting software, Slack or other internal communications, and any other technology or software that requires a login. Cristobal may not be able to fully participate in onboarding without these, so any issues with access should be addressed quickly.

Finally, make sure that you share orientation materials and schedules. You might also consider assigning Cristobal a mentor or onboarding buddy. This person can help him go through the onboarding processes while building connections and fostering belonging.

An ERG can also help with belonging! ERGs, or employee resource groups, are voluntary, employee-led groups that are organized around a shared identity, such as race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, veteran or caregiver status, or cultural background. One recent study showed that new employees at 90% of companies with ERGs felt they were better supported during the onboarding process.

If your company doesn’t have any ERGs yet — or if you’re interested in starting one — check out our ERG Foundations course. In that course, we take you through the process of setting up and starting a well-organized ERG.

In the next lesson, we’ll look more closely at how to build a progressive onboarding timeline.

Now that Cristobal is set up in his role, it’s time to make sure others know he’s on board! Take some time in internal communications or meetings to introduce him to the rest of the company. Just be sure to give him a heads up first — being put on the spot can often be uncomfortable and cause embarrassment.

Now, let’s turn our attention to goals. Goals created in a new hire’s 30, 60, and 90-day plans can be partially set up by a manager. Once Cristobal has more context and training, he can add in additional information.

When you set up Cristobal’s 90-day plan, consider having themes for each month. Since he’s onboarding, the first month might be focused on learning. Then, as he gains more knowledge, the second month can involve contributing. Finally, the third month might look like carrying out his role’s responsibilities.

But, how do we set up these goals?

One way is by using scorecards. According to the Professional Leadership Institute, a scorecard can be “an enhanced version of a job description.” These cards can help you gauge how closely aligned to company values and role requirements Cristobal is. Depending on his role, you might track key performance indicators (KPIs), how well he’s taking on responsibilities, and how he is demonstrating the core values of the company.

Scorecards don’t just have to be for new employees. These can be a helpful way to frame ongoing goals and evaluation. If you use scorecards in an ongoing fashion, both the employee and manager should rate how well the employee is meeting goals. If there is a disparity between these measurements, talk about it. See what may be causing that disconnect.

As Amanda mentions in this lesson, it’s important to learn more about your new hires. An onboarding survey can be a useful way to do so! Some of the things you’ll want to explore might include the kinds of tasks that excite them or how new hires prefer to receive feedback and praise. Having this information makes it easier to meet employees where they are and effectively guide them through periods of growth.

Check out our Sample Onboarding Survey resource.

Cristobal has completed his initial paperwork and the first day of onboarding. What now?

Attending an orientation meeting allows the company to officially welcome new hires and inform them about the company’s guiding principles and culture. You can also teach them about how the company operates and any guidelines or rules they need to know.

Orientations look different for every company. You can use methods such as in person or virtual meetings, videos, courses, or a combination of multiple of these mediums. However you set this up, make sure that it’s interactive and engaging.

Commonly covered topics include PTO, sick leave, benefits, how to request accommodations, and how to handle workplace harassment. Make sure you’re not forgetting anything with our sample Onboarding Checklist resource.

Before we move on to the final module of this course, let’s recap Section 2.

In Lecture 1, we went over how to collect the information your new hire will need. This includes paperwork, a first-day agenda, log-ins for accounts and tools, and contact information for folks to reach out to if needed. Our sample New Hire Handbook will help you collect all the necessary information in one place.

Then, in Lecture 2, we talked more about how to set up a new hire for success. Not only does this include collecting and sharing information, but it might also involve connecting new hires with mentors, onboarding buddies, and ERGs.

We dove deeper into using scorecards in Lecture 3. Scorecards enable you and your hypothetical hire, Cristobal, to talk through goals, the role’s responsibilities, and any issues or sources of disconnect that pop up. 30, 60, and 90-day plans can also help. It’s also vital to learn as much about your new hire, how they communicate, and what ways are best to share feedback with them. Make sure that you use our Onboarding Survey resource to think through questions you may want to ask.

Finally, in Lecture 4, we highlighted the importance of orientation. Using a checklist, like the resource you’ll receive at the end of the course, can help you think through the activities Cristobal will need to complete. Don’t forget to make the process interactive, foster connection with others, and set expectations around how long the onboarding process will take. Being clear and concise about your expectations will set your new hire up for success.

In the next section, we’ll talk about how onboarding may look different for hybrid or remote employees and how to gather feedback. Amanada will also share some of the top onboarding mistakes and how to avoid them.

Onboarding a new employee virtually or in a hybrid fashion can look a little different than it does in person. You won't get the chance to run into your new hire, Cristobal, in the hall or stop by his office for a quick check-in conversation. Instead, you'll have to intentionally set up these interactions with meetings, you’ll have to intentionally set up check-ins or other meetings. Thankfully, you can supplement live meetings with other forms of media, such as videos from key leaders and an employee directory. You might also consider using an LMS (learning management system) or onboarding software to keep everything organized.

You can check out some of our favorite onboarding software options below.

Trainual

Not every onboarding platform is easy to personalize, but Trainual is. Since it guides you through creating an onboarding manual and workflows, it’s also incredibly easy to use on the backend. You can embed media into your playbooks, too, including a Spotify playlist. Trainual asks people questions, such as “What’s your name?” If your employees have been filling out a lot of paperwork, this can feel like a breath of fresh air. Plus, not only is Trainual available on the web, it’s also an app for both Android and Apple devices.

Sapling

If you’re onboarding many employees at once, Sapling is a great investment. You can create workflows and tasks, and assign them to your employees. The Smart Automation features, such as regular reminder emails, can make a big difference for new employees. Sapling is only available on the web.

Coassemble

If you want to use templates to create an engaging onboarding experience, Coassemble might be what you need. This dynamic web-based platform helps you build courses for your onboarding program. You can add everything from royalty-free photos to flashcards, quizzes, and much more. This platform is easy to use, highly customizable, and even fun!

With the growth in remote work, new tools for onboarding are popping up regularly. We’ll continuously update the top tools as new ones become available, so check back regularly!

In the next lesson, we’ll cover the importance of collecting feedback from newly onboarded employees.

It’s easy to assume that your job is done once your hire completes onboarding. But, how do you know how the onboarding process really went? Or if something needs to be changed?

Collecting feedback from new hires helps you understand if onboarding is set up well or if changes need to be made. But that also means employees need to know that you’ll be soliciting feedback. Informing them of this early on gives them the opportunity to keep track of any issues they run into during onboarding. Otherwise, they may not recall these instances when it comes time to share feedback.

There are companies that prioritize collecting this kind of information in meetings. However, you might not get real feedback if that’s the only method you use. After all, Cristobal, our hypothetical hire, is still new and might be uncomfortable sharing his comments directly. Even if he is comfortable sharing, there are other reasons that communicating via writing might be better. For example, if he doesn’t speak the company’s dominant language fluently, he might feel more comfortable writing out his responses.

Just like people have different learning styles, we all have different feedback styles. Asking someone to share feedback on the spot can be jarring, but that’s especially true if they’re someone who needs time to reflect.

So, how do we get feedback?

Think through how your company shares information. It probably comes through in different ways from different people. Many cultures see and handle feedback differently. To meet them where they are, consider collecting feedback in a couple of different ways. For example, collecting feedback anonymously in a survey might help employees feel more psychologically safe. They’re more likely to share their true thoughts;and allowing them to be authentic in their feedback will help foster feelings of belonging.

However, even leaving anonymous feedback won’t always feel comfortable for everyone. Which is why we recommend scaled survey responses instead of just yes or no questions on a survey. The more ways you can get feedback, the better informed your employees can keep you. You can learn more about collecting data mindfully in our Measuring DEIB course.

Gathering feedback is only as good as what you do with that information. Make sure that you take actionable steps as needed. If Cristobal shares that harmful language is being used in an onboarding course, that’s something that you need to respond to — and address immediately. Finally, follow back up with him and let him know how you handled the situation. This lets Cristobal and others know their concerns matter.

You’re nearly done with this course! In the last lesson, we’ll cover some of the most common onboarding mistakes — and how you can avoid them.

Crafting your onboarding process is like creating a recipe. Recipes are guidelines that help you craft a tasty snack or dessert, like a pie. Just like with any recipe, an onboarding process can be easy or complicated. Let’s recap.

If you add too much butter — or too many details, in this case — your crust doesn’t stay together. Your employees don’t know what information they need to remember or what things are just background information. But, if you don’t add enough butter, your pie crust might be too hard. Your employees will feel like they weren’t prepared enough to take on their roles or responsibilities.

If your onboarding process doesn’t have enough connection, people might slip through the cracks. Likewise, if your ingredients aren’t mixed enough, your pie dough might not have the right consistency. Instead of mixing and kneading the perfect dough, there might be too much flour in one spot or not enough salt in another.

Finally, if your pie tastes awful but you keep serving it to people without making changes, people won’t enjoy it. They might even warn others to avoid the pie. Similarly, if you don’t measure how well onboarding went and don’t know what might need to be fixed, that can make it hard to hire future employees.

Hopefully, this course has helped think about how to make the perfect onboarding ‘pie’ for your organization. Before you start perfecting your own recipe, make sure that you complete the final assessment. Once you do, you’ll get a copy of PowerToFly’s own Onboarding Template.