You’ve Found Your Next Employee…Now What?

Effective onboarding begins well before a new employee’s first day and continues throughout the first several months of employment. In this month’s Workplace Update, The Workplace Advisors outline how employers can maintain momentum after extending an offer, prepare new hires for their first week and provide the structure and support needed to encourage long-term success.

Congratulations! After an extensive search that included days, weeks or months of reviewing resumes, screening candidates, coordinating interviews, and managing the decision-makers during the selection process, you have found the right person to fill your open position. The hard work is over, right? Unfortunately, no. Especially in this tough labor market, you still have work to do before the employee starts, on their first day, during their orientation period, within the critical first 60 to 90 days of employment and throughout their employment to ensure all of your hard work pays off with a happy, successful employee who contributes to the company for years to come.

After the Selection, Before the First Day

Once you have made your decision, the clock starts on a critical preboarding window. This is where many employers lose momentum and where many new hires quietly begin reconsidering their decision to work for you and resume their job search.

Provide the selected applicant with a conditional job offer that includes essential information: job title, supervisor, employee classification, salary, work schedule, work arrangements, and proposed start date. Include a reminder to bring any required documents on their first day, including what is needed for Form I-9 verification or to complete Form W-4. Include information about other aspects of employment, such as their relocation package or benefits. Clearly explain any required noncompete, nondisclosure or nonsolicitation agreements, as allowed in your state, so the employee is not surprised after starting.

Detail any requirements the employee needs to satisfy before their start date, such as a background check, drug test, or medical exam. Let the candidate know what to expect, how long these pre-employment screenings typically take and when they will hear back. Stay in communication with them, advocating for them with your providers if needed to help them through the process while meeting your standards.

Once the pre-employment checks are complete, get specific about the first day. Give the new hire a start time and location, tell them where to park and provide the name of the person they should ask for when they arrive. Go a step further and paint a picture of what their first day and week will look like. Should they bring lunch, or will something be provided? What should they wear? Is there a general schedule they can expect? At the same time, identify anything that is prohibited, such as weapons, personal devices, or outside technology, so there are no surprises or awkward conversations on the first day.

This is also the time to provide any new-hire paperwork that can reasonably be completed before someone sets foot in the building. The less administrative work waiting for the employee on their first day, the more time you will have for the things that matter, such as introductions and orientation.

Above all, stay in touch through regular check-ins and promptly answer questions as they arise. If there is a delay in the background check or a change in the start date, let the employee know. Do not leave a new hire wondering whether the offer fell through.

Behind the scenes, use this time to coordinate with the departments that help the first day run smoothly. Give IT notice to prepare the employee’s computer and system access, ask security to prepare a badge, contact the office manager to coordinate a workspace and prepare for the employee’s first day and week. Consider providing company merchandise so the employee feels like part of the team on the first day.

During the First Week

The first week is when the applicant becomes an employee. Keep in mind that new hires have a lot of information to absorb, so structure and pacing matter.

On the first day, finish any remaining new-hire paperwork that was not or could not be completed before the employee started. For example, while the employee can complete Section 1 of Form I-9 before the first day, the company must complete Section 2 by the third day of employment. Train the employee on critical functions such as logging time, reporting concerns, and accessing important information. Schedule required training, such as harassment prevention training, which is required in some states, and safety training.

Provide the new hire with resources related to the company and their employment, including the employee handbook, benefits brochures, or a summary plan description and anything else that explains how things work at the company. These resources could be provided as hard copies or accessed through the company’s employee portal.

Help the new employee feel welcome rather than lost by providing a tour of the office, including their workspace, restrooms, break room, emergency exits, and required workplace posters.

Introduce them to the people they should know. This includes not only their supervisor and immediate team but also upper management, human resources, IT, and anyone they may need to approach with a question during their first month. Consider hosting a welcome breakfast or lunch where other employees can meet the new hire.

Assist the supervisor in creating a plan for the employee’s first day, week and month. Help the supervisor develop an onboarding plan with 30-, 60- and 90-day training, goals and evaluations. Suggest that the supervisor conduct interactive conversations with the new hire to receive feedback on how things are going, answer questions, and determine what else the employee may need.

Throughout the week, follow up on important dates and information the new hire will need going forward. Make sure the employee is not stuck waiting for basic necessities such as a uniform, badge, keys, working computer, or phone. These logistical gaps are minor on their own, but they add up quickly and send an unintended message about how organized—or disorganized—the workplace is.

During the Orientation Period

After the procedural nature of the first week, the employee is still new to the company and the position, so orientation needs to continue. Given the recency of their job search, they may also continue receiving enticing offers that could lure them away from your company if they are not yet convinced it is the right place for them.

Check that practical matters have been handled correctly. Did the new hire receive their first paycheck as expected? Were they able to enroll in benefits? Have they received all the tools and training they have needed so far?

Make sure the new hire knows whom they can turn to with questions or concerns. Many new employees hesitate to ask for help because they do not want to seem unprepared. A genuine, repeated invitation to reach out removes that barrier.

Finally, support the supervisor in doing their part. Help the supervisor communicate clear expectations, coordinate any ongoing training the new hire needs and document how things are going, both good and bad. A well-documented orientation period provides a much clearer and fairer picture of performance than relying on memory once formal reviews begin. Remind the supervisor that they need to be an available and reliable resource for the new hire and that failing to properly train a qualified new employee reflects poorly on the supervisor’s own performance.

The Bottom Line

Onboarding does not start on the first day, and it does not end after orientation. It is a continuous thread that runs from the moment you extend an offer through the first several months of employment as the new hire navigates the learning curve of a new company and position. Employers that treat preboarding, the first week and the orientation period as distinct, intentional phases position their new hires to become engaged, long-term employees rather than early flight risks.

The Workplace Advisors supports employers throughout the hiring and onboarding process, from finding the right candidate to researching new-hire requirements and working through issues as they arise.

One resource we find especially useful is planning a new employee’s first few months in four-week increments. This gives both the new hire and the company a clear, structured path through the early stages of the role. If you would like to use this approach, email us at hello@theworkplaceadvisors.com, and we will send you our New Hire Development Plan template and answer any questions you may have.

By Paige McAllister, Vice President of Compliance, The Workplace Advisors