Easy Mondays, Part 1 - Onboarding New Employees is a Group Effort

When an employer looks at the onboarding process, cost savings, compliance and efficiency are all areas of top concern. However, the experience of the new hire is another very important aspect of this initial phase of employment. Emerald Software Group has developed the concept of Easy Mondays as a way of focusing on how a new employee's first day at work is affected by the implementation of an effective, intuitive onboarding system.

Making a good initial impression is critical for successful acculturation. Having a stress-free way to handle the transactional side of onboarding (completing forms, etc) eases anxiety and reduces distractions. First Mondays can be difficult for everyone. Departments have to collaborate effectively to create a smooth transition for each new hire. Lack of communication can cause disruption in the onboarding process and leave employees without the ability to be productive on their first day.

Here is an overview of the various departments that must come together to create a seamless onboarding process using a typical approach:

Human Resources

Depending on the size of an organization's HR department, one person may handle all aspects of transactional onboarding. Or, there may be half a dozen different people involved. For example, an entry level HR employee may be responsible for copying forms and putting together the new hire packet. A specialist could be tasked with explaining the company's benefits plan.

A mid-level staff member may need to be on hand to answer any questions about corporate policies. The hiring manager would (hopefully) inspect each form including I9s, W4s, and all policy acknowledgements to ensure these are correctly completed and signed.

After this, another HR employee has to enter all the new hire's information in the HRIS database. The physical paperwork would need to be collated and filed. HR would also need to coordinate with the Training/Orientation department to make sure the new hire attends any required classes.

Payroll/Benefits

After HR has gathered all the necessary information, this must be forwarded to Payroll and Benefits. Depending on what system is in place, this may involve rekeying data (increasing the frequency of errors). Additional information may also be required such as bank routing numbers for direct deposit. Data and forms may need to be forwarded to a third party vendor if these administrative functions are outsourced.

IT/MIS Department

The IT department is involved in onboarding in several ways. The telecommunications specialist may need to assign a phone extension and assist in setting up voicemail as well as providing an actual phone and headset. Depending on where equipment such as hard drives, monitors, keyboards, and other computer inventory is stored, IT may also be required to supply these to the new hire.

The systems administrator will need to determine access rights and software privileges. The employee may also be assigned additional intangibles such as a company email address, time clock ID code, and login information for access to the company intranet.

Inventory Maintenance

The inventory control department will be tasked with providing any number of physical items. These may have widely varying lead times but all need to show up in time for the new hire's first Monday. Examples of requisitioned items include an ID badge (which IT or HR will need to encode for swiping time clocks and/or facility access doors).

Office equipment from large furnishings like seating down to incidentals like a stapler should be ready and waiting. Uniforms, tools, safety equipment and other necessary items will also need to be provided without delay.

Training/Orientation Department

The Training department will need to have a slot available in class for the new hire along with any training materials (such as a manual or workbook). They will need to document attendance and prepare for follow up to test knowledge retention. Additional forms may need to be signed showing that the employee understands safety protocols, anti-harassment policies, and other topics covered during orientation.

Manager and Coworkers

The new hire needs to be greeted by the department manager and oriented by an immediate supervisor to start acculturation off on the right foot. A senior coworker may be assigned as a mentor. This individual would be responsible for providing a tour of the facility and introducing the new employee to each member of the existing team.

If a company social network portal exists, the new employee will need to be encouraged to participate in filling out a profile and browsing information about the company. The organization's history, mission statement, core objectives, and vision for the future need to be communicated effectively on the first day.

Many Onboarding Challenges - One Solution

It is evident from this extensive list that if even one person fails to complete their assigned tasks the new hire's perception of the employer/employee relationship will be negatively impacted. An onboarding product streamlines the process for each department and for the new employee.

Redundant steps can be eliminated completely and others take a fraction of the time they did previously. Data is delivered to each system without the need to rekey anything. The workflow is automated and accountability is easily monitored. This ensures that each department is doing its job on time every time. Such attention to detail makes it evident that the process is highly organized and that the employee's time and productivity is valued.

The new hire's satisfaction is also guaranteed with the use of a simple interface that eliminates errors, omissions, and entry of duplicate data on multiple forms. Acculturation takes place in a way that feels natural to the employee but that is also tracked and analyzed so the new hire experience can be continuously improved. This stress-free system makes Easy Mondays a reality rather than simply an ideal.