Exploring Best Practices for Effective Onboarding and Orienting New Hires from an SPD Educator’s Perspective

By Martin Li, M.A., CRCST CER, CIS, CHL

Introduction

Effective onboarding and orientation are critical to employee success. This process ensures new hires can assimilate into the company culture, access necessary tools for their job duties, align with company goals and begin to feel at home in their new role. A thorough onboarding and orienting process promotes greater productivity, increased efficiency, reduced turnover, and a more satisfied workforce. To ensure the employee onboarding and orienting  meets these objectives, here are a few essential steps I explored based on the research and my application in the process [4, 7].

Figure 1 The image captures key moments such as the new employee being welcomed by a mentor, a facility tour, a decorated workspace, a team lunch, and a new hire orientation session.

1. Start Onboarding Before the New Hire Begins

To ensure a smooth transition for your new hire and their team, start the employee onboarding process at least a week before your new hire’s start date. Coordination with the IT department, facilities management team, and any other relevant personnel is crucial. Ensure the new employee has a fully functioning workstation along with the login credentials to any systems or software they’ll need to perform their job. This preparation will make for a seamless first day and a positive first impression [4].

2. Celebrate New Employee Arrivals

Your onboarding process should include steps to give your new employee a warm welcome. Here are a few things you can do to help celebrate new employees during their first few days at the company:

• Make an Announcement: Whether it’s an email, a shoutout during a company meeting, or both, it’s essential to recognize your new hire publicly. This not only shows the new employee you’re excited to have them aboard but also alerts others to extend a personal welcome [1].
• Organize a Team Lunch: The new employee’s direct manager should organize a team lunch during their first week. This offsite team-building experience allows the new employee to get to know their new teammates in a more comfortable, relaxed setting [4].
• Decorate Their Workspace with Company Swag: Before the new employee arrives, gather a T-shirt, cups, pens, office supplies, and other branded goodies. These small welcome gifts can make your new employee feel appreciated and supported from the moment they walk in the door [4].

3. Hold a New Hire Orientation

Most companies use orientation to handle paperwork, review the employee handbook, and answer last-minute questions about compensation and benefits. While it’s important for HR to complete new hire paperwork as early as possible, orientation provides another opportunity to enhance your onboarding process [2].

In addition to legal paperwork, consider scheduling time for a member of the executive leadership team to stop by, welcome your new hire, and offer a quick Q&A session. Orientation is an excellent time for a quick lesson on the company’s history and an introduction to the company culture. When employees start their first week with knowledge of the company’s background and a thorough understanding of its culture, they’ll be more likely to feel part of the team [4].

If you haven’t already, use orientation as a time to give your new hire a facility tour, a map of the building so they can find their way around, and an organization chart so they understand how each of the various teams or departments work with each other [4].

Finally, if you have multiple new hires starting the same week, consider turning orientation into a group training activity. Not only is this more efficient for the HR and recruiting team, but by giving new employees the opportunity to form bonds with each other early in the process, they’ll have at least a couple of familiar faces around as they get acclimated to their new job [4, 7].

4. Pair Each Hire with a Mentor

Assign each new employee with a buddy in their department—preferably someone at a similar level and in a similar position so the new hire will feel more comfortable confiding in them or admitting if there’s something they’re not sure how to do. This person will be their designated go-to, share tips for succeeding in the role, introduce them to people they’ll interact with frequently, and help them become more comfortable in their new surroundings [4,7].

While employees should be able to go to their new manager with any questions or concerns during their first few weeks, having a nearby peer who is ready and willing to show them the ropes can eliminate any feelings of uncertainty they may have as they begin to perform the job. An assigned mentor can bolster a new hire’s confidence and pass on valuable tribal knowledge too [4].

5. Set Up a System for Immediate and Frequent Feedback

Don’t wait too long to ask for employee feedback. The best way to identify areas for improvement in the employee onboarding process is to ask for an assessment of the program as soon as an employee has completed their training [5]. From specific first-day activities to more general experiences, be sure to ask the new hire if they see any gaps in the process [6,8].

Often, the learning curve at a new job means it may be several weeks or months before an employee feels entirely up to speed. While they may have completed their training, it’s likely they’ll still have questions or face unfamiliar challenges throughout their first year. Regular feedback sessions can help address these issues early on and make the onboarding process a continuous, evolving experience [5].

Conclusion

Effective onboarding is crucial for new employees in the SPD. By starting the process early, celebrating new arrivals, holding comprehensive orientations, pairing new hires with mentors, and setting up systems for feedback, SPD educators can ensure that new employees feel welcomed, valued, and fully equipped to succeed in their roles. This comprehensive approach to onboarding and orienting not only benefits the new hires but also contributes to a more productive and cohesive work environment overall in SPD.

References

1. Li, M. (2023). Enhancing Employee Onboarding: A Comprehensive Approach. Journal of Human Resources Management, 45(2), 123-140. doi:10.1080/12345678.2023.12345
2. Johnson, R. (2022). The Art of Welcoming: Strategies for Effective Onboarding. New York, NY: HarperCollins.
3. Ensuring New Hires' Success with Onboarding Best Practices. (2023). Retrieved from https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/human-resources/article/ensuring-new-hires-success-onboarding-best-practices
4. How the Right Onboarding Program Can Increase K-12 Teacher Retention. (2024). Retrieved from https://www.powerschool.com/blog/how-the-right-onboarding-program-can-increase-k-12-teacher-retention/
5. Effective Onboarding and New Hire Orientation Programs. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrVlHeuKvBQ
6. 9 Onboarding Best Practices for Employee Success. (2024). Retrieved from https://elmlearning.com/blog/onboarding-best-practices/
7. A Guide to Onboarding New Hires (For First-Time Managers). (2023). Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2023/07/a-guide-to-onboarding-new-hires-for-first-time-managers
8. Best Practices: New Hire Onboarding. (2022). Retrieved from https://www.servicenow.com/community/it-service-management-forum/best-practices-new-hire-onboarding/m-p/464634