My Personalised Onboarding Experience proves that onboarding really does matter!
So, you have found the perfect candidate. Now it's time to welcome them into the workplace. “First impressions count” and attracting people is hard enough in this market but it seems that retaining them is also challenging at present.
There are a lot of resources Itch has used to ensure that Day 1 (and beyond) focuses on ensuring people have a great employee experience. We have had onboarding success using external consultants and the leadership team has spent hours reading articles, one worth reading is; “Onboarding Can Make or Break a New Hire’s Experience”, by the Harvard Business Review.
As the newest Itch, I thought I would speak about some of the things that Itch did, that created a fantastic onboarding experience for me!
I found stepping into an unknown environment on the first day is full of who, what, when, where, and why, so providing all the important details to me before I stepped into the workplace eases some of the minor stresses. Stresses that come from questions including "What should I wear?”, “Who do I ask for?” & “Will I need to know XYZ?”. After all, the last thing anyone wants is to arrive in thongs for a heavy-lifting job. Not only does it go against safety regulations, but it’ll also make the newcomer feel like a fish out of water.
The Welcoming When I first started at Itch, they did something that I had never experienced before. A first-day morning tea so I could get to know the team and vice versa! Complete with office chat, ice breaker questions and of course yummy food! Now for larger companies, breakfast/lunches for new starters aren’t always feasible as it is can be a large outgoing cost. However, the idea of an office coming together to celebrate the arrival of a new team member was the perfect way to make me feel welcome and get to know the new faces that I will now be sharing 5/7ths of my weeks with.
The Information Having a go-to job guide that contains all the information I needed to be a superstar at the job, made my stress melt away. Any important information I might have needed, whether it be logins, procedures or contacts was all in the guide. I could reach for it in times of need. This also saved my ‘buddy’ from being disrupted with small questions (because it's all in the guide). A helpful addition to the job guide was the organisation chart, a breakdown of each team member's role. That way, I knew who specialised in what areas and who was the right person to talk to.
The Go-To (The Steph) The job guide doesn't have ALL the answers. So, having someone available to offer me resources in times of need was greatly appreciated. Assigning me a buddy/mentor created an environment where questions are welcomed and asking for help is encouraged. Once upon a time, even David Beckham had to learn to kick a ball. Everyone starts somewhere and given the right support can excel in the new opportunity they have landed. When I started at Itch, I had a Steph. Steph was (and still is) my go-to for all questions. Which was great because she's in a similar role to mine. Steph was and continues to be approachable, friendly, and welcoming, everything that a newbie like me needed!
The Vision Being introduced to the company's goals, history and vision for the future gave me a perspective on how and why the business operates. It highlighted my purpose, where I stood in the grand scheme of things and why my presence was so valuable. This demonstrated that my new employer respects the work the employees put in and allows new starters - like me - to envision their future at the company. Gratitude plays such a vital role in operating a business, after all without staff, it wouldn’t be operating at all.
If you are reading this, it’s more than likely, that you have found a perfect fit for your business, or you've just landed a new role. So, congratulations are in order! The following 3 months will be challenging yet rewarding as everybody finds their groove in the office, and in no time, they will learn to bend it like Beckham!
Receptionist + Admin Assistant