Onboarding your new hire
How to set your team up for success.
Last week, I wrote about moving beyond solopreneurship and hiring the right team members for your business at the right time.
Once you’ve made the decision to make your first hire — meaning you’ve:
Determined the role
Defined the activities the person will take on to help move your business in the desired direction (aka a job or position description)
Prepared your list of nonnegotiables, so you hold firm when you’re tempted to go with someone who is “that close” but does not quite meet them
And then you’ve:
Decided how you’ll communicate this to the world to find the right person (whether through your network/community, your email list, your social media channels, a company like Upwork or Fiverr, or a VA firm)
Conducted your interviews (I recommend having at least three solid candidates from which to choose)
Checked their references
Extended the offer to the right person — it’s a match for you and for them (hours to be worked and pay included)
Agreed upon a start date
Now the real work begins as you bring them into your business and guide them to contribute in a meaningful way, whether supporting you and/or your clients.
Onboarding.
Before this unicorn you’ve found gets started, you need to think about the experience you want to create for them in your business. This will say a lot about you and your brand. The goal is to set the new hire up for success and make your life easier.
Creating an Onboarding Plan is your tool to do exactly that.
What exactly is a New Hire Onboarding Plan?
A new hire onboarding plan is a structured process designed to effectively integrate a new employee into your business. It typically includes several key components that ensure your new hire feels welcomed, informed, and equipped to succeed in their role, whether full-time or part-time, on payroll or contract.
The key components include:
Welcome the new hire
Orientation
Administrative setup
Training overview - give them the plan for their first week
Provide an organizational overview
Share the company’s mission, vision, values, and culture
Share your organizational structure
Help them understand their responsibilities and how they integrate with your team
Provide position-specific training
Facilitate integration into the team
Detail your performance expectations:
Set clear goals for the first 30, 60, and 90 days
Discuss how success will be measured in their role
Here’s a sample to get you started.
It breaks down the key activities by day for the first week and then for the remaining weeks of their first month. It might look like this:
Week 1 - Day 1
Meet in person or on Zoom to welcome them and cover…
HR and administrative tasks:
Review and sign any contracts electronically (if not already done)
Discuss your company policies and procedures
Cover when, how, and to whom invoices should be submitted and when and how they can expect to be paid, OR
Establish payroll and benefits setup if the new hire is on payroll
IT onboarding:
Have their company email account set up and ready to use (if you’re providing this)
Go over the online tools you use and share the necessary passwords or have them set up their own accounts
Orientation and introduction to your company culture
Company overview
Structure and team members and how they fit in
Introduction to your company mission, vision, culture and values
Week 1 Day 2: Team meet and greet
Schedule virtual (or in-person) introductions with team members
Review the team meeting schedule and any documents used to facilitate those meetings
Schedule weekly 1:1 meetings for the first month
Schedule their 90-Day Review, so it’s on both of your calendars and it’s not a surprise to the new hire when the time comes
Week 1 Day 3: Client overviews and position expectations:
Client project overviews
Players at the client
Deep dive on retainers and/or projects
The new hire’s role in delivering services to the client or supporting you in relation to the client
Continue with Day 4 and Day 5 to cover the other priorities for Week 1.
Week 2: Independent work and feedback sessions
Set initial priorities:
Present a project plan for their role, get their feedback, answer their questions
Lay out their initial priorities and your expectations
Detail the work product to be delivered in the next week
Regular check-ins:
Conduct frequent one-on-one virtual meetings with the new hire to address questions, provide feedback, and offer guidance
This gives you an idea of what goes into a solid Onboarding Plan… and yes, it’s a lot.
ChatGPT can be a great place to start if you’re stuck on what to include. Write a prompt detailing the person’s role and that you’d like an onboarding plan by day for the first week, then weekly for the remaining 30 days. This will give you something to work from and get your brain firing in terms of all the things you want to include.
Before you get started creating your plan, think about the little things like:
Do they need a company email address?
How often and when will you meet?
When and how often will you pay them, whether it’s on payroll or via ACH transfer once you’ve received their invoice?
How will you pay them?
What availability do you expect from them?
What response time do you have in mind?
What tools will you use to communicate?
What business information do they need access to?
The list could go on, but you get the idea. Having as much of this outlined to include in your Onboarding Plan will allow you to set expectations and, where you’re open to suggestions regarding how best to work together, set the stage for a productive conversation and relationship from the get-go.
Taking it to the next level.
I have one client who decided that how they welcome new hires to their team, and how they interact with them on an ongoing basis, is a refection of their company values and their brand, and this is not lost on the members of the team. Every one of them has commented how much they appreciate being a part of the business.
And it all started with their onboarding Day 1. This client took the onboarding process to the next level (insert chef’s kiss emoji).
Each new hire receives a custom Google Doc with tabs:
Welcoming them to the team
Detailing their onboarding plan
Providing details on the ways of working within their business
Listing company contacts and links
Including relevant client details.
It’s simple (and you know how much I love simple), thoughtful, and highly effective.
And the beauty is that once you’ve created your Onboarding Plan, you have it to work from for your next hire.
So, what does effectively managing the team member look like? More to come on that.
Until next time.
Katherine
#ICYMI
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