Are You Setting Your New Hires Up For Success or Failure? - Onboarding Part 1
As a CEO or business owner, it's natural to want new hires to hit the ground running from day one—but could rushing onboarding do more harm than good? We have an onboarding horror story to share that might just change the way you think about welcoming new team members. Discover what’s acceptable—and what’s not—when it comes to bringing fresh talent into your business.
New Hire Perspective:
One of our Move HR team members shared a particularly challenging onboarding experience from their past: In the week leading up to their start date at a new company, the CEO scheduled four separate mandatory meetings. Despite being informed that the new hire was still employed full-time and wrapping up at their current job, the CEO "compromised" by suggesting the meetings could take place at 6 AM or even 6 PM. This left the new hire questioning: "Is there some confusion about my start date?", "Does the company value my personal time?", "Am I being taken advantage of?", and "If it's like this now, what will it be like once I start?"
Adding to the stress, the new hire was also asked to complete a pre-onboarding project that required specialized software and research. Once complete this project would be shared company-wide as part of the “get to know you” welcome email. Unsurprisingly, the suggested time commitment of “2 hours” for this project was underestimated for those wishing to provide a great first impression. This overwhelming and inconsiderate approach set the stage for what would become the worst onboarding experience they had ever encountered — all before they had officially started!
How to Avoid This Scenario and Turn Great Ideas into Results
As a business owner or part of the senior leadership team, you want to ensure that every new hire has a fantastic first impression and a great onboarding experience when joining your company. First impressions are key to building long-lasting relationships and immersing new team members in your culture, products, and values from day one. While these onboarding activities are designed to achieve that – execution is crucial, here’s some tips:
Assign onboarding tasks (outside of tax/payroll and contract execution) after their official start date. Asking new hires to participate beforehand can lead to feelings of being undervalued and taken advantage of. Not to mention, great employees are being asked a lot in their final week to ensure there is a smooth transition – don’t add to their workload!
Requiring employees to "work" or "train" before their start date can put the company in a legally precarious position, including the risk of invalidating employment contracts or facing labour disputes.
First impressions are long-lasting. Beyond legal concerns, such actions can damage the relationship with the new hire by setting unrealistic expectations before they've even begun.
A strong onboarding experience sets the tone for your employees' future success and engagement. By creating a clear, well-structured program, you're investing in your team's productivity, morale, and retention. Onboarding is a critical aspect of running a business, and having a well-thought-out process is essential for getting new hires up to speed. Tools like an HRIS to automate data collection and signatures, combined with a 90-day onboarding plan and a detailed first-week schedule, provide the structure and clarity new hires need to succeed from day one. Check out part 2 of our onboarding blog later this week where we explore building an outstanding onboarding experience and share success stories!
If you're feeling overwhelmed or unsure about crafting an effective onboarding process, we can help. At Move HR, we specialize in providing tailored HR solutions that take the guesswork out of hiring, onboarding, and compliance, so you can focus on growing your business with confidence. Let us help you build the foundation for success—right from the start.
