The COVID-19 pandemic has changed many things, especially how organizations onboard new employees. As workplace environments shift to incorporate remote workers and staff who have returned back to the office, many organizations are reevaluating how their onboarding process looks. The experts at Prescott HR are here to share several tips for onboarding best practices below!

Get Prepared Before Their Start Day
Before your new employee even begins their first day, make sure your office is prepared to welcome them. Start by gathering all the right materials to make their first day as easy as possible. If you are unsure of what your employees use from day to day, ask around with employees in a similar role. Be sure to have all the right paperwork printed out and ready for the employee to sign. Prepare a list of passwords and important information regarding technology for the new employee to review. The goal is to have everything ready so that you are not printing out anything on their first day, which can make you seem unprepared.
Involve Your Team
It’s helpful to prepare your team when a new employee is starting, if possible. You want to let others in the office know that someone is joining the team and when their start date is, so they will be welcoming on the new employees start date.
Take Care of Paperwork Early
When your new employee arrives for their first day, it’s helpful to get the paperwork and logistics of the job completed early. Once this step is completed early, it will give your employee more time to focus on learning about new team members and the office.
Create a Buddy System
Starting a new job can be overwhelming, which is why we recommend setting your new employee up with a “buddy” during the onboarding process. This can be an employee in a similar role who can help answer questions, show them the layout of the office, and just feel like a friend to your new employee.
Provide Opportunities to Connect with Other Coworkers
If creating a buddy system is not something you’re interested in, you can find other ways to help your new employee connect with team members. One great example is to allow your new employee to go out to lunch or coffee with a teammate to learn a bit about the organization from outside of the office. You could also host a team-building exercise so that the new employee has a chance to get to know their new team members quickly.
Conduct Check-In Meetings
Another helpful tip for onboarding a new employee is to regularly complete “check in” meetings between management and the new employee. These can be casual and informal short meetings where management can answer questions and help foster a positive professional relationship with the new employee.
Prescott HR offers a wide range of outsourced HR solutions that can help you establish a successful onboarding process at your organization. Our UnIntimated HR practices allow us to be focused and effective, providing your business with exactly what you need. Give us a call today at 443-351-8818 or contact us online.