April 07, 2015
The start of a successful business relationship begins with delivering an unforgettable first impression. When it comes to onboarding, ensuring a positive experience is critical for the long-term success and productivity for IT contractors or consultants. According to an article from Lessonly, “Organizations with a standard onboarding process experience 54 percent greater new hire productivity and 50 percent greater new hire retention.”
How well established is your organization’s onboarding process? What steps do you take to create an effective transition for new hires? Or, are you wondering why the onboarding process even matters? Keep reading to learn more!
What is it and Why Do You Need a Process?
An article from HC Onlinestates, “New employee onboarding is the process of getting new hires adjusted to the social and performance aspects of their new jobs quickly and smoothly. It is the process through which new hires learn the attitudes, knowledge, skills, and behaviors required to function effectively within an organization.”
Typically management and human resources are responsible for planning and implementing a successful onboarding process for all new hires, including contract workers. One of the main goals of your process should be to ensure that new hires feel comfortable and ready to work! So, while contract workers may not, technically, be permanent employees, you should still try and provide them with the warmest and most informative welcome possible.
What Should the Process Be?
The key is to have a simple, yet structured onboarding process to not only help a new hire’s first day run as smoothly as possible, but to also help managers and supervisors plan appropriately. Did you hire a contractor through an IT consulting or staffing firm? See if you can work with them to help make the process even more efficient for you and your new team member.
Below we’ve included some things to keep in mind when creating your process! Can you check off all of them?
Onboarding Checklist:
- Have the planning process and expectations been communicated to all parties involved in the hiring process?
- Has the new hire been adequately educated on their role, responsibilities, who they report to, the company culture, and the company mission?
- Has the proper paperwork been completed for the new hire?
- Is there a functional workspace or desk ready for the new hire’s first day?
- Will they have all the necessary supplies and technology to get started?
- Is there an orientation program in place to cover the company procedures and policies, as well as the who, what, when, and where of the organization?
- How will you introduce them to the rest of the team?
- Do you have a 30 day employee feedback meeting as part of your process?
These are just handful of items to consider when developing your onboarding program for IT contractors. It is best to tailor the needs of your program with the needs of your organization for it to be as effective as possible. Getting acclimated at a new client or within a new role can be a bit uncomfortable at first for some people, so it’s important to have a process in place to make that transition as comfortable and seamless as possible. This will help productivity in both the short and long term for your IT department!
How does your organization handle new IT contractors? Please share!
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Posted By: Anastasia Hoosman