{"id":7077,"date":"2022-01-27T01:13:20","date_gmt":"2022-01-27T01:13:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/01\/27\/optimize-your-onboarding-process-with-workflow-automation-free-template-process-street\/"},"modified":"2022-01-27T01:13:20","modified_gmt":"2022-01-27T01:13:20","slug":"optimize-your-onboarding-process-with-workflow-automation-free-template-process-street","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/01\/27\/optimize-your-onboarding-process-with-workflow-automation-free-template-process-street\/","title":{"rendered":"Optimize Your Onboarding Process With Workflow Automation (+ Free Template!) | Process Street"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

\n

\"Optimize<\/p>\n

The CEO says he needs a new role filled ASAP with a list of qualifications. Filling the role will be a challenge, sure \u2013 but it\u2019s not the main problem. <\/p>\n

How are you going to get this new hire up-to-speed thoroughly in as short a time as possible when you don\u2019t have any sort of standardized structure for doing that? <\/p>\n

Simple: Build one.<\/p>\n

Easy for me to say, right? It\u2019s my job to build processes; I do it all the time. And that\u2019s true. At Process Street<\/a>, we do build processes all the time. Sometimes just for the heck of it. You might even say we\u2019re pretty darn good at it. <\/p>\n

This means \u2013 that\u2019s right \u2013 we\u2019ve already built the process you need. You can thank us later. Meanwhile, check out the rest of the post and exactly how you can optimize your onboarding so everyone has a good experience:<\/p>\n

To the process mobile!
<\/p>\n

A cautionary tale of one company\u2019s onboarding woes<\/h2>\n

Consider this:<\/p>\n

Bruce and some of his colleagues decide to found a security firm together. It makes sense; they end up working together more often than not and they have a good dynamic. <\/p>\n

After a few years and some major milestones, this company is the one everyone turns to in a crisis. Clients don\u2019t even bother with public emergency services; they go straight to Bruce\u2019s company. Things are good, but, as a result, Bruce is busier than ever and he needs a good right hand to look after the day-to-day operations. <\/p>\n

Bruce hires Dick. It\u2019s a little rocky at first. Dick is ambitious and eager to take on every new challenge, but he still has a lot to learn. Soon enough, though, they establish a routine and Dick becomes a cornerstone of the company, even creating and running a second branch.<\/p>\n

Dick decides to strike out on his own. It\u2019s fine \u2013 no hard feelings. These things happen. Bruce and Dick still even collaborate from time to time. But Bruce needs a new VP. <\/p>\n

\"onboarding

He hires Jason. Jason isn\u2019t the obvious choice: he lacks experience, he\u2019s a little impulsive, but Bruce thinks Jason will be a solid asset with some mentorship and guidance. After all, Dick worked out in the end. <\/p>\n

It does not work out. Jason ends up leaving the company under pretty dramatic circumstances, joins a competitor, and shares some vital proprietary information. It\u2019s a whole thing. <\/p>\n

Bruce is off the whole idea of hiring a replacement now. He\u2019ll just do it himself because then he knows it\u2019ll be done correctly. But his co-founders are concerned. He\u2019s working non-stop and it\u2019s only a matter of time before he gets utterly burnt out or has a breakdown or something. <\/p>\n

There\u2019s a new freelancer making some waves. She\u2019s self-taught but has a good head on her shoulders and the rest of the company\u2019s leadership are pretty insistent about recruiting her. <\/p>\n

After the interview, Bruce has to agree. Kate is focused, determined, and innovative. He could even see her taking over as CEO \u2013 one day. Not soon, but maybe at some point in the very distant future. <\/p>\n

So he hires her, but now Bruce has a dilemma. He doesn\u2019t want to make the same mistakes he made with Dick, and he certainly doesn\u2019t want to repeat the whole Jason ordeal.<\/p>\n

Bruce needs an onboarding process. <\/p>\n

[Disclaimer: Any resemblance to fictional characters from an immensely popular entertainment franchise is absolutely intentional.]<\/em><\/p>\n

Be the HR they need\u2026<\/h2>\n

In the early days of a startup<\/a>, a loose, ad hoc training structure is fine. The team is small. There aren\u2019t a lot of set processes yet. Everyone is still figuring out how it\u2019s all going to work as a cohesive unit<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As a company scales<\/a>, however, this approach just isn\u2019t good enough. <\/p>\n

Going back to the example of Bruce, the biggest problem with his prot\u00e9g\u00e9s was the inconsistency in their individual training. Dick learned things Jason didn\u2019t, and vice versa; learning skills the moment they\u2019re needed isn\u2019t really an effective way to learn those skills. Or at least be able to perform them well. <\/p>\n

Employees who haven\u2019t been primed to complete a task, and then get reprimanded for not performing that task well, get frustrated. Frustration leads to resentment which leads to churn and churn is bad<\/a>. <\/p>\n

You wouldn\u2019t trash a $60,000 piece of software because you left out some vital code; if you don\u2019t provide your new hires with a good foundation, that is exactly what you\u2019re doing. <\/p>\n

With me so far?<\/p>\n

[Disclaimer: The investment in a new hire isn\u2019t just about salary. Most new hires take at least 6 months to reach 100% productivity<\/a>, plus training materials, plus the time of the new hire, manager, and anyone involved in training and the lost productivity as a result of doing training sessions rather than their normal tasks and responsibilities.]<\/em><\/p>\n

\"onboarding<\/p>\n

The first day shouldn\u2019t be the First Day<\/h3>\n

Onboarding should start before your new employee ever walks in the door. Typically, this is referred to as \u201cpre-onboarding,\u201d<\/a> but what you call it doesn\u2019t really matter. The important thing to keep in mind is that this is your prep time.<\/p>\n

HR-Do List:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Welcome the employee to the company ?<\/li>\n
  2. Ensure necessary paperwork is filled out & filed (DocuSign<\/a> anyone?)<\/li>\n
  3. Provide employee handbook (Pages<\/a> is awesome for this)<\/li>\n
  4. Notify team\/department\/company of new hire & encourage them to say hello (Slack<\/a> all the way!)<\/li>\n
  5. Make sure space (physical or digital) is set up for them (logins, desks, apps, etc.)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Consistency & standardization<\/h3>\n

    The biggest complaint employees have about the onboarding process is its lack of consistency<\/a>. Different trainers and\/or managers have different approaches, different priorities, and different methods. <\/p>\n

    This results in a workforce that doesn\u2019t have a consistent way of performing tasks and generally ends up with inconsistent results, confusion, and frustration on the part of both employee and manager. <\/p>\n

    Standardizing your onboarding process<\/a> means everyone gets the same experience, regardless of who is running the process<\/a>. This is cool for a few reasons:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. If someone is sick, unavailable, or no longer with the company, anyone else can step in and fill their shoes.<\/li>\n
    2. Line managers can be confident of their team\u2019s knowledge and abilities because everyone\u2019s learned the same thing.<\/li>\n
    3. New employees feel confident in taking initiative and ownership of their tasks because they\u2019re fully prepared to handle any situation.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Transparency & honesty<\/h3>\n

      From day one (or pre-day one), you need to keep your new hire in the loop. Walk them through the onboarding process so they have a roadmap of what they\u2019ll be doing, how long it will take, and what the desired outcome is.<\/p>\n

      The roadmap guarantees the employee doesn\u2019t have to worry about surprises. They can monitor their own progress to see how they\u2019re doing or if they\u2019re falling behind in a certain area. It also includes them in the process; onboarding is a process they actively participate in as opposed to something that\u2019s done to them.<\/p>\n

      Communication is key here. You need to be able to explain your expectations clearly, and the new employee needs to be able to explain any obstacles they encounter (there are always obstacles). Learning is tricky, and not everyone does it the same way. Maintaining strong, open communication<\/a> fosters trust and ensures the onboarding process will be successful.<\/p>\n

      Culture & values<\/h3>\n

      On average, we spend more time with our coworkers than anyone else \u2013 even our partners. Most people rate job satisfaction as strongly influenced by the quality of their work relationships<\/a>. Building these relationships is super important for your new employee \u2013 but they\u2019re going to need your help to do it. <\/p>\n

      Think about the quintessential \u201cnew kid\u201d standing alone in the cafeteria with their little tray of undetermined institutional food staring at a sea of strangers who already have their established groups and cultures. Where do you sit when you don\u2019t know the rules?<\/p>\n

      No matter how old we get, whenever we start a new job, we are that kid in the cafeteria. <\/p>\n

      \"onboarding<\/p>\n

      Try: \u201cHey, this is Herbie. He\u2019s great at explaining the more technical stuff, and he makes up his own cocktails<\/a>, which are actually pretty good.\u201d<\/p>\n

      Or: \u201cSophie does a lot of video work, and hey \u2013 isn\u2019t that the same university you went to? What a coincidence!\u201d<\/p>\n

      Personalize it. Everyone loves personalization. <\/p>\n

      There\u2019s a sneaky reason for helping your new hire make work-friends, though: culture and values. Sure, you told them what the values are. They\u2019re printed on everything. Everyone talks about the company culture<\/a>. It\u2019s great. <\/p>\n

      None of that makes culture and values happen<\/a>, though. Living them every day does. Your existing employees are your company\u2019s emissaries: They model your organization\u2019s culture and values to every new hire, client, or collaborator they come in contact with. <\/p>\n

      Through these work relationships, new employees will see that your values aren\u2019t just something that\u2019s said; they\u2019re something that\u2019s done.<\/p>\n

      \"onboarding<\/p>\n

      Mentorship<\/h3>\n

      Time is always a thing. There\u2019s never enough of it. No matter how much you get done in a day, it seems like that to-do list never gets any shorter. <\/p>\n

      Onboarding is not exempt from this, and time crunches can cause a huge problem with the onboarding experience. Even with a standardized structure, onboarding might be rushed through, sessions may get cut off abruptly, something unexpected might come up that needs to be handled ASAP. Stuff happens. <\/p>\n

      Using mentors or \u201cbuddies\u201d<\/a> is one way to alleviate that problem. The idea here is that the mentor\/buddy will have time for their duties specifically allocated so they can provide their mentee with the time and attention they need.<\/p>\n

      The mentor isn\u2019t overwhelmed by extra responsibilities on top of their normal workload. The employee has a designated person they can go to with any problem they have \u2013 meaning they only have to ask one person instead of five, and that one person will be able to answer promptly because they aren\u2019t juggling a million other things.<\/p>\n

      It also establishes the very first solid relationship between the new employee and an existing one. I already mentioned how important work relationships are; a good mentor sets the tone for the new employee\u2019s entire experience at the company. <\/p>\n

      A mentor points out the good places to sit in the cafeteria.<\/p>\n

      Repeat Continuously<\/h3>\n

      Successful onboarding should last a minimum of 3-6 months<\/a>, depending on your industry. In some organizations, it goes on for 2-3 years. <\/p>\n

      Whether officially or unofficially referred to as \u201conboarding,\u201d the process never stops. Even an employee that\u2019s worked for your company for 15 years will need continuous upskilling, training, and mentorship<\/a>. <\/p>\n

      Regular 1:1 meetings are perfect for touching base with your employees even after the formal training period is finished. These meetings should be employee-directed and focus on the obstacles, issues, or questions they\u2019re dealing with at the moment. <\/p>\n

      Just like in an interview: If you\u2019re doing most of the talking, you\u2019re doing it wrong.<\/p>\n

      Employee onboarding: Everything\u2019s impossible until somebody does it<\/h2>\n