4 Tips to Build Connection Into Your Onboarding Process

Posted in Talent & Onboarding

by Sarah Mulcahy

You’ve just found your next amazing new hire – congratulations! That’s no small feat in today’s environment. Although the economic climate is challenging, experts agree that the labor shortage isn’t going away anytime soon.

“It is a fundamental error to think that as COVID-19 recedes, hiring difficulties will evaporate,” says Svenja Gudell, economist at Indeed. “Deep-seated and long-term supply dynamics will continue to be a major force that creates a persistent gap between employer demand for new hires and the supply of candidates.”

That means focusing on a standout employee experience is paramount. You can’t afford to lose your new hire before they’ve even stepped through the door (according to Korn Ferry, 10-25% of new hires leave within the first six months!).

Here are four simple ways you can quickly bring your new employee into the fold, build connection, and get them excited about their decision to join your team.

Tip #1: Get personal. 💜

New hires want to feel like the onboarding experience is personalized to them and that they’re participating in an experience with a bigger, meaningful purpose. They’re making a personal commitment to your company and you should do the same for them.

Here are some ways to get personal:

  • Encourage new hires to share who they are as people and what enables them to be their best selves.
  • Get the paperwork out of the way during pre-boarding so day one is all about meeting new people and building connections.
  • Start building the manager-employee relationship as soon as possibly. Nudge managers to send personal messages and welcome videos. Enboarder makes this easy for you!
towfiqu-barbhuiya-0ZUoBtLw3y4-unsplash

Tip #2: Provide helpful nudges. ℹ️

Most of us are inundated with pings and notifications all day and night. It’s no wonder sometimes there are steps in the onboarding process that get missed. That’s where nudges from onboarding software come in handy. Nudges are helpful, bite-sized, and relevant communications delivered at the right time with the right information.

Here are some helpful nudges:

  • Send a message to your hiring manager with a link to the onboarding checklist one week before a new hire starts.
  • Keep new hires excited with a few messages like “We’re so excited you’re joining us!” and “Did you have any questions before your first day?” in the weeks and days before their start date.
  • Give IT/security notice when they need to get laptops/equipment ready.

Tip #3: Make it easier. ✅

Combine the helpful nudges above with an easy process overall and you’re well on your way to helping give new hires a more amazing onboarding experience. Wherever you can, help reduce the amount of steps, log-ins, and clicks needed to complete tasks.

Here are some ways to make the process easier:

  • Ask new hires which communication channel they prefer (Slack? Email? Text?) and then use it.
  • Use a direct link to content instead of sending them to a system log-in.
  • Make each task easier to complete with one click. For example, the integration between
    Enboarder and Equifax allows new hires to more seamlessly complete their USCIS Form
    I-9 from start to finish, from nearly anywhere on almost any device. That means less administrative work for HR and less risk of errors, too. Did you know civil penalties have increased 7.7%? All it takes is a forgotten signature, incorrect document choice, or a missed re-verification to turn your relatively benign-looking I-9 form into a potential liability.

Tip #4: Get the whole team involved. 🫶

The last – and most important – tip is to make your new hire feel supported and included on the team from the very start. This will be the foundation on which human connection is built within the team, across teams, and with the organization (if you want more information on rethinking connection in hybrid work, check out this report from Enboarder and RedThread Research).

Here are some ways to encourage team involvement:

  • Encourage them to introduce themselves and welcome the new hire to the company.
  • Set up a buddy system and send nudge reminders to buddies and managers to make sure they’re connecting with the new hire.

Building a connected culture ⚒️

By building four tips into your onboarding process – getting personal, using nudges, making it easy, and team involvement – you can set your new hire up for success and reassure them they made the right choice by joining your organization.

Want to learn more? 👀Check out this Hybrid Onboarding Blueprint today.

Become an Enboarder insider!