If you run a business, you know how hard it can be to get a new colleague up to speed on how your organisation works. There’s a lot of administration and effort involved, and you sometimes wonder whether it’s even worthwhile.

Many companies do a poor job with onboarding. Low-quality firms often leave it mainly to the person who has just joined, expecting them to figure out how things work and what they should do next. That approach is a great way to increase churn. People don’t like staying at companies that don’t appreciate them or show them the ropes.

So, what are some ways you can improve your onboarding and make it easier?

Use pre-onboarding skeleton

Large companies that bring on dozens of new staff every month often have a pre-onboarding skeleton. The goal is to build systems that make onboarding easier.

For example, you could add a lightweight welcome portal to your IT system so that when new staff get their login credentials, they can start work almost immediately and feel productive right away. You can also use administrative de-risking, such as pre-filling forms for banking deposits or benefits enrollment. That can speed up the process and let you get more done faster. If you have blank profiles ready to go, all you need to do is type in the new colleague’s name.

Find a reliable partner

The next step is to find a reliable partner for your onboarding. You need the best ID card printer you can find to ensure you always have the components required to integrate the new staff member. 

Don’t choose the cheapest option, like a lot of brands do. That usually doesn’t lead to the best outcome, and you may end up regretting the day you decided to go with the person offering the lowest price.

Instead, check the quality and make sure you understand your partner thoroughly before bringing them on board. Make sure they can deliver new ID cards and credentials quickly, so you’re not left waiting.

Respect the new colleague’s nervous system

Seamless colleague onboarding means respecting the new team member’s nervous system. Do not dump them into four hours of compliance training right away. They will not be able to absorb that information, along with everything else they need to do that day.

Instead, optimise the day so they feel like they belong. Get them set up on Slack if needed, and assign a welcome ambassador someone they can go to with basic questions, even something as simple as the location of the bathroom.

If you can implement a buddy system, that helps too. When colleagues have a peer mentor who is not their manager, they are better able to get a handle on how the company operates and what they should be doing.

Provide tooling and integration

After the first couple of days, the final task is to provide the new colleague with the tools and integrations they need. This helps build their operational muscle. For example, you could offer short training on your tech stack or provide more clarity on their specific role over the next 90 days.