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HR Support on New Employee Onboarding & Orientation

Editor's Note: Keep tabs on new employees - beyond the first day of employment.

Melissa A. SilverOverview: While it is important for HR to make a new employee feel welcome on his or her first day of employment, in order to establish a long lasting employment relationship HR should continue to nurture the new employee after orientation is over. In order to prepare new hires to succeed and motivate them to work hard, HR should continue to onboard new employees over the first several months of employment. An onboarding process and/or checklist should be in place so that no new employee is neglected.

New employees will continue to have questions and require assistance after their first day. HR should facilitate regular meetings with the new hires to assess how they are transitioning to the new job. Also, during these meetings it should be determined if the new hires require any additional assistance or training. By being proactive and initiating contact with new employees on a regular basis, new hires will be able to properly and effectively fulfill their responsibilities faster. The smoother the transition into the new hire's new role, the more likely it will validate his or her decision to accept employment with the new employer.

After three months of employment, HR should have the new employee complete a survey to provide feedback on the onboarding procedure and request suggestions on how it could be improved. Based on the feedback, HR should modify the onboarding and orientation procedure and checklist, as appropriate.

Trends: In light of the fact that HR are increasingly resorting to technology based programs to conduct new employee orientation this can inadvertently disconnect the new employee from the organization and appear "cold". Therefore, HR are increasingly moving toward incorporating social onboarding into this process where new employees become engaged and connected with the organization by helping them create and build relationships with their colleagues. Initiating the dialogue between new hires and their peers during the onboarding process can engender positive feelings by the new employee regarding his or her new employer on the very first day of employment.

Author: Melissa A. Silver, JD, Legal Editor

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Guidance for HR on the onboarding process.

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