Onboarding a new employee begins well before the employee’s first day on the job. Manage expectations with regular communication with the new hire prior to the start date. It will ensure that both parties understand the conditions of employment and will make everyone more comfortable on the first day and moving forward.
Here are four tasks to complete prior to the new employee’s start date:
- Confirm your new employee’s acceptance of the position.
- Make sure you know what paperwork is required and with whom the new employee will meet to complete it (e.g., Human Resources, payroll coordinator, benefits assistant).
- Stay in regular communication with your new employees via email or phone during the period between the acceptance and the start date; make sure they understand the conditions of employment and anything they need to do before their new job starts.
- Provide critical first-day information (e.g., when to arrive, where to park, where to report, what to wear, what documents to bring to complete, what the schedule will be).
This is the first of eight tips that will appear weekly on this blog.