A new hire’s first week goes a long way toward setting the tone for the rest of the employee’s time at your company. It is increasingly important to do the right things to make onboarding successful so that your new employee can jump into the position and start contributing right away.

Here are some tips for successful onboarding during the first week of employment.

1. Host a social event so the new hire can get to know the team.

Some social time, such as a lunch or a coffee hour, will give your new hire a chance to converse with co-workers in a less formal setting than a meeting or work session, which helps ensure that everyone is more comfortable going forward as a team.

2. Send an introductory email to the staff.

It is important to let your staff know that a new hire has come on board. An email to the staff can give some background about qualifications and even include a photo of the new hire so that the staff can begin putting a name with a face.

3. Make expectations clear.

The first week is a good time to explain what is expected as far as work hours, dress code, and job duties of the position. If you let too much time go by without setting clear expectations, employees tend to form their own habits, and it becomes more difficult to change them at that point.

4. Set some goals together.

Once the new hire gets a good idea of what the exact job duties will be, it is wise to set some short and long-term goals for the position so that everyone understands what needs to be accomplished. The new hire should have input into the goals, which will help your new employee to take ownership of his or her job responsibilities and goals quickly.

5. Give a tour and take time for orientation. 

Do not expect a new hire to jump straight in without explaining important things about the facility, where things are located, and how things work around the office. At some point, every current employee learned these things, and your new hire may struggle if no one explains these basic things quickly.

6. Check in frequently and schedule Q & A sessions. 

Setting aside a few minutes each day of the first week to check in and answer any questions a new hire may have will make a big difference in your new employee’s comfort levels and will lessen the time it takes for your hire to get up to speed with assignments and projects.

7. Review the first week.

At the end of the first week, reviewing will ensure that lingering questions get answered as well as give the employee a chance to talk about how everything is going so far.

Onboarding as a Continual Process

Effective onboarding starts before an actual hire and lasts well beyond the first week of work. A robust talent management solution can help you keep onboarding on track throughout the entire cycle. ThriveTRM can follow and track recruits from first contact right through the onboarding process, and can be used to make sure all the bases are covered while onboarding proceeds. Schedule a demo to see how ThriveTRM facilitates better onboarding today.