Hiring employees is one step, integrating them at best is another! Just like in school, the induction process is a must in companies. An organization that works on the integration of a new recruit in its premises, within the teams and with the managers, will see a definite impact on the quality of the collaboration. Conversely, if it is not done seriously and the candidate experience is poor, it can lead to a breach of the probationary period, which has a cost for the company. The integration phase is called onboarding, and to conduct it, you need a plan 💪 !
What is an onboarding plan?
Like all plans, it frames the way you will conduct a project, in this case, the integration of new employees!
This plan brings together all your integration resources:
- the tools to be made available
- the important dates: the arrival of the newcomer, the major stages of onboarding, the end of the trial period
- the detailed steps of your internal integration process
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What are the benefits?
For the company, having a good integration plan allows to :
- get off to a good start with the employee
- limit the risk of financial loss due to a post-recruitment departure
- make the workplace a pleasant and productive place
- save time thanks to internal communication and clear processes from the start
- build employee loyalty and improve the company's employer brand
How do you build one?
Onboarding programs should be tailored to your company, its identity, size, budget, etc.
To create a good onboarding plan:
- take into account the employee's profile (junior/senior, fixed-term contract/freelance)
- Involve several actors: key employee who recently arrived, team members, managers, HR manager or other human resources representative.
- plan for the time needed to integrate the person as well as possible
- stay within your budget
Use your previous hires
How did you welcome your first employees? What did you learn from their integration? What can be improved? To take back? To be abandoned? If you have many employees, what feedback do the latest arrivals have on their integration?
Use a tool to create it
On an excel file or a specific task management tool, you can detail the tasks to be performed to prepare and ensure an integration. This way, you can recall the role of the people involved in the onboarding process and identify them directly in the tool.
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Sample onboarding plan for a new employee
Send an introductory email
To ensure a smooth integration and to help the new employee get acquainted with your company, you can already send him/her an introductory email about the onboarding. In this e-mail, remind the newcomer of the tasks listed in the job description and inform him/her of what will happen during the first few days. In addition, attach a digital welcome booklet or even a questionnaire to enable you to prepare the onboarding as well as possible internally.
👉 Learn more about the introductory email
Prepare the documents for the day of the onboarding
→ health insurance, luncheon vouchers, etc.
→ welcome booklet, company organization chart and/or toolbox
→ the internal rules
→ HR documents: mission statement and objectives, readings, training plan, etc.
Gather the material and tools
→ computer, phone, create an email address, passwords, drive account, slack etc.
Involve other team members
→ share the onboarding program with the people involved in the process
→ inform the referents, tutors and team members of the key dates to mobilize them on the day
Organizing the integration day
→ Welcome coffee with the team & welcome booklet.
→ 2 hours on the history, company values, culture, vision, roadmap.
→ Coffees with team members and manager.
→ Time to set up tools and reading of docs.
Organize the management during the first days
For juniors:
→ Framing the first few days is the key!
→ The objective for managers: 1 hour of management per week
For autonomous profiles:
→ Have them analyze and propose solutions
→ Put them in charge of meetings / productions, etc.
→ The objective for the managers is not to abandon them from the start!
From a distance:
→ Adapt the rituals: more rituals, more communication
→ The objective for the managers: to trust and be transparent!
Anticipate the onboarding follow-up
After the first few days of integrating newcomers, don't let go! Once the recruitment of a new employee has been completed, a certain amount of time is necessary for him/her to feel comfortable in his/her new professional life. You can check in with your new colleague regularly to receive feedback on his or her feelings and guide him or her towards fulfillment:
→ review at 1 week, then 1 month, then 3 or 6 months
→ surprise report: this is a written feedback that the employee writes alone and its objective is to obtain feedback on his/her feelings about the company, his/her arrival, his/her integration, the atmosphere and the work environment.
→ mandatory annual HR review (or 2 months for an internship)
Monitoring onboarding also allows you to get feedback and improve your integration plan!
To go further
👉Our full article on onboarding
👉How to write a promise to hire?
👉 How to develop your employer brand?
To take action
👉 Create a recruiter space and post free ads on jobs_that_makesense