FAQ:s About Onboarding

HR experts Sandra Carls and Thomas Eklof answer questions about onboarding.

A lot of HR people are looking for guidance around stubborn colleagues, long preboarding periods, remote working and culture. We hear you. Let’s get some answers in place!

What steps can you take to implement a new onboarding process while ensuring the workforce is happy throughout the process? 

We are often talking about the onboarding process, and how it needs to be crystal clear, planned for and a given part of every organization. A business consists of different people with different ideas and beliefs. Of course it is important to get everyone on the train when welcoming a new colleague or implementing a restructure. But how do you succeed?

The answer is change management. The main reason people feel a resistance to change in the workplace is that the change is coming out of nowhere. A better idea is to keep your employees in the loop at all times. You need to anchor the information early on in order to make your workforce feel valued. 

Improve your chances of collaborative colleagues through: 

• Tell them about the change in advance
• Explain the purpose of the change and welcome any questions
• Try to be nuanced and engage your people in the change
• Regularly repeat why the change is needed throughout the process
• Ask for, and embrace, feedback
• Hang in there

It is never easy to start a new onboarding process, and resistance from colleagues is a natural part of it. Try to remember that the goal is to welcome new colleagues in a better way, and that the purpose of the change outweighs the hard work. A smooth onboarding process is a must if you want to keep valuable talent in the company.

A new colleague is arriving in 3 months. How do we keep in touch?

You might not know this, but it happens pretty often that people who have signed an employment contract choose to leave before their first day. Therefore, it is crucial to keep the dialogue running. 

One way to do this is to share information regarding the position regularly. Unique information that makes the employee feel special. You can do this in an email or in a HR portal. Dig deeper into all the benefits that your company has to offer the employee, share a video of the team, tell them about the company culture, request information about what equipment the employee prefers and any other important thing that could be of interest. Some companies choose to send a small gift or flowers to greet the new team member.

What is most important is that the closest manager calls the new colleague regularly. Check in on the status and create a natural opportunity to remind them about how happy you are about the recruitment. If one of the colleagues reaches out, this can be a great way to make the new employee feel welcomed as well.

Better your chances of keeping new talent before the first work day by:

• Let the closest manager call new employees regularly to check in
• Tell your colleagues about the new employee and encourage them to make contact via LinkedIn
• Share information about the role and the workplace regularly
• Send a gift or flowers to the new employee

It does not take much to make a person feel valued. Show that you care and that the team is looking forward to the new addition. Often that is all that it takes.

We are a remote team. How do we create an onboarding process that works?

Go digital. Some businesses take this far and order VR equipment for everyone because they want to keep the physical feeling of an actual office. However, you have done enough if you create a solid process for online meetings. Find out more in our blog post about digital onboarding.

How do we explain company culture?

Culture emerges when people interact. It can be difficult to explain in words. But if you narrow it down to behavior, you can try. Because behavior is easier to describe than culture.

• Write down what jargon you appreciate at the office
• Explain why you avoid certain words, tones or subjects
• Describe the office schedule and how it works – coffee breaks, dress codes and everything that happens regularly

Culture is something we experience and feel, rather than something we consciously create. By sharing information that you actually can put into words, you create better conditions for new employees to understand (and become part of) the culture.

How can Hailey help you with onboarding?

With Hailey, you can standardize the onboarding process so that everyone gets the same experience. As an administrator, you can build workflows that kicks in whenever a new employee is introduced. The system sends out a note about what is expected in good time before the first working day, so that the people concerned are aware of all expectations.

Make sure everyone gets a warm welcome by keeping the onboarding process in Hailey!