What Are the Ways to Prepare a New Employee?

25 February 2020

It’s the end of your first day. You’ve completed a plethora of online applications, psychometric tests, digital interviews and hopped through all manner of recruitment rings of fire – and you’ve landed the job of your dreams. Or so you thought… But do you know what are the ways to prepare a new employee?

You arrived at your fancy new office, but there was no one to greet you. After waiting near an hour, your co-worker-to-be apologized and took you to your desk, only to find it hadn’t been cleared. Grimacing that your equipment hadn’t been set up, your ‘guide’ spun you around the office’s sea of blank faces. Did they even know you were starting? The awkward acclimations were interrupted by an irritated-looking administrator who lugged a thick binder of forms to fill in. You missed lunch with the gang.

After finally navigating through all the red tape, the person you were meant to shadow was never notified so you were given menial tasks to pass the time, while they were in an important meeting with a client. You stared at the clock, waiting, waiting, waiting.

With the day over, you’re just sad you didn’t get out sooner. Wait – is this really your dream job?

New hires expect and need their onboarding to run smoothly. The above scenario sounds like an exaggerated horror story, but in a survey, Cezanne HR asked new employees about their onboarding experiences and was shocked to find:

52% didn’t know what to expect on their first day
30% didn’t have a buddy
8% didn’t meet their managers
23% didn’t have a desk ready
6% didn’t get told about health and safety regulations
5% didn’t have data security training
6 didn’t have a laptop or computer.

Great onboarding is extremely important. It increases retention and reduces staffing costs. It delivers an engaging experience for new hires, so they connect with the organization and colleagues from the moment they’re given the offer. Also. it should turn first-day new employee anxiety into genuine excitement. It should make them feel prepared for the new job and welcome!

Of course, no one said it’s an easy process, and orchestrating the activities to get onboarding right is time-consuming for everyone. In addition, the burdens of paper-based systems or dancing between data spreadsheets, such as Excel, allow important processes to slip through the cracks – which shouldn’t happen in a modern workplace. However, with the right HR software, you can make new employee onboarding engaging and straightforward, while automating and streamlining the admin involved in bringing on new hires.

Contents

1 Here are the ways to prepare a new employee:

Here are the ways to prepare a new employee:

Stay in touch after the job offer

It’s very important for a new employee to engage with employers from the moment they’re hired. This can go beyond a simple email. Make sure you consider the following:

Welcome portals are a very common feature in HR software because they do precisely that: they welcome people. Welcome portals act as an information hub and enable constant communication. They are a platform to share all essential details, including the new hire’s start date, office location, and contact details. It’s also a great way to prepare the new hire by letting them know how their first day will be structured and what their first projects will be.
Make sure you send your new hire links to any documents they need. Provide them with essential advice including what they should bring with them on the first day or week, including items like their passport, P45, national insurance number and other relevant work documents. You could use your HR software system’s welcome portal to deliver this information and advice.
Get the paperwork out of the way in advance of the first day. Signing a lot of forms can delay more pressing tasks, such as the relevant introductions, training, and the new hire’s first projects. HR software can be especially effective here. Instead of wasting time filling out form after form, new hires can sign documents electronically. It streamlines admin processes and makes everything available in one place – and it can all be done before the starting date.

Making use of welcome portals and their visual content is a powerful way of engaging with new hires and allows companies to add photos and embed company videos – it might be a hello from a CEO, or a video demonstrating the company’s culture, or brand values and goals. Portals can also allow new hires to self-serve, adding a profile, information, bank details and the like.

Moreover, all information you collect should flow straight through to your HR system. Cloud HR solutions should come with onboarding modules that are simple to set up and accessible 24/7. Storing information in one place also cuts back on the task of re-entering the same data into multiple systems.

Prepare the desk

When your new hire’s first day comes, ensure you’ve got a plan:

assign someone to receive and greet them at the door
put in an order with IT and prepare all the relevant equipment: a computer, phone, email, and network access, and office supplies
moreover, ensure security and compliance policies are explained as appropriate.

Spread the duties for onboarding tasks across different departments. For example, the IT department might be responsible for setting up the new hire’s laptop and email; the finance team might organize payroll, and the line manager will arrange inductions as well as check-in meetings. HR software’s task management systems can help significantly here.

HR software makes it much easier for these departments to fully understand their roles in the onboarding process. Task managers and checklists make use of notifications, meaning important processes don’t get forgotten about. It gives an overview of what’s been done and what needs doing.

Involve your employees

Send the first-day welcome announcement to the organization and share the news of the new hire with the team. Give their name, title, and something that distinguishes them: it might be a hobby or interest, for instance. This allows current employees to easily see if they have anything in common, making everyone more prepared for the big day. Moreover, give your current employees details of the new hire’s background, making sure the new employee’s biggest strengths are acknowledged.

Find a peer and assign them to mentor/buddy the new hire. This will help the new hire to get settled and to be comfortable enough to ask any questions that are on their mind. This also helps build relationships with the team, integrating the new employee into the company significantly faster.

Also, consider explaining who’s who – HR software can create a staff directory mapping this for you. This will help your new hire to familiarise themselves with their co-workers and assists them in directing their queries to the right people from the right departments, so they don’t feel like they’re barraging their mentor with questions.

Planning welcome social help breaks the ice, too – and not just between the company and the new hire. From team lunches to company happy hours, both new hires and current employees can benefit from getting to know each other in a more open and casual environment, building stronger relationships and channels for collaboration.

Establish a formal training program

The importance of setting a clear and comprehensive training program can’t be overstated. Doing so helps prepare and motivate the new hire for the first day and sets a precedent for the weeks and months ahead as they approach their new projects. Such a structured program does much to ease their potential short- and longer-term worries. Indeed, the HR portal assists here, too. By being able to provide access to important training documents, setting out a comprehensive program schedule through calendars, and by making use of notifications to make clear to current employees what is expected of them in the onboarding process and when. On top of this, it’s an effective and simple way for new hires to view set assignments and tasks, as well as their own schedules.

Check-ins

Check-ins are a series of regular discussions between managers and employees about their progress. They are:

ongoing and build a rapport, setting short and long-term goals
an extremely effective way of ensuring employees are continuously aware of their professional development within the company, allowing them to express any concerns and ask questions, and
they form a crucial part of the onboarding process.

At the end of the first week, give the new hire the opportunity to ask any outstanding questions. This helps demonstrate your enthusiasm towards the employee’s start beyond just the first day and will help set a clear and lasting relationship between the new hire and the company.

HR software can make continuous performance reviews and check-ins an integral part of company culture. Cezanne HR, for instance, provides a seamless and engaging way of recording conversations, achievements and agreed goals or outcomes, so it’s easier to ensure everyone is aligned.

The right HR systems are equipped with performance management functions that allow employees to make use of their flexibility and to collaborate in an online forum where others can easily and securely request feedback, record check-in conversations, and track outcomes.

Poor onboarding is a wasted opportunity

The benefits of great onboarding are infinite. It reduces unnecessary barriers that might otherwise inhibit the new employee from settling in or performing at their best. It gets new hires up to speed swiftly and immerses them in the company’s values, vision, and culture.

Furthermore, great onboarding protects your new investment. A robust, systematic onboarding process boosts new hire retention by 50%, and new hires that experienced strong onboarding are 58% more likely to stay with the company for more than three years.

Why would you waste all your efforts with a dissatisfactory onboarding process?

Onboarding can be the difference between a quick and costly new employee turnover, and a long and lasting productive relationship.

Above are just some of the boxes to tick to ensure an engaging onboarding experience. Do you have any more? Let us know!

Read Also:

Content Rally

Content Rally wrapped around an online publication where you can publish your own intellectuals. It is a publishing platform designed to make great stories by content creators. This is your era, your place to be online. So come forward share your views, thoughts and ideas via Content Rally.

View all posts

Planning the Perfect Event Charter in Dubai

Dubai is the ideal destination for vacations, entertainment, and even business meetings. Planning an event charter in Dubai is beneficial, especially if you have capable partners who can help you organize a successful event. Planning an event can be tiresome, and planning a successful one is a big job. You need creativity and organization. What to Do Before Planning the Event: Some people feel that events are a waste of time and money, especially when done wrong. This is why you ought to plan your event to make it valuable to the participants. These meetings are excellent for sharing ideas, interactive learning, problem-solving, and creating valuable relationships. We gathered useful tips to help you. Define Your Goals: Every event charter has its objectives; for instance, do you need to do team-building with your team? The best way to come up with your goals is by establishing the results you want to accomplish after the event. Many people don’t like events because, at the end of the day, they end up learning nothing. When you lack clear goals, the event turns out to be a big waste. For instance, if you plan to use an exhibition stand design Dubai audience needs to get the message you seek to relay. Understand Your Audience: The best thing about knowing who will attend relates to the success of the event. For instance, if the event’s goal is to find a solution, you ought to have several key persons. If you want to talk about a general subject such as education, you need a larger audience. List down all the attendants you need, be specific, and make allowance for last-minute attendees. Create a Budget: If you are not careful, you can end up spending more than you intended that is why you ought to plan how much you need to invest. Don’t just estimate a specific number, break down the budget and see how much you need to spend. For instance, items like catering, nametags, and even exhibition stand in Dubai can be expensive. As you breakdown, the budget, don’t forget that your event will cost more than your estimate. Choose a Location: If you have a few attendees, you can use a conference hall; however, if you have more than 60 people, a larger hall is convenient. Think about the details and the strategies of your event when choosing a venue. Ask questions like will the audience at the back see the visual aids? If you are going to use sophisticated technology such as teleconferencing, confirm that the venue is appropriate. Ensure that the location is accessible and if not arrange transportation. Get a Team: To create a successful event charter in Dubai, you need a team of personnel who will help you to organize your meeting. Decide who you need in your team, for instance, speakers, venue management, logistics, and event sponsors. When you plan an event charter in Dubai, you ought to hire presenters who will talk and teach the audience. However, if you have a charismatic individual in your organization, he can be the speaker of the event. Choose someone who does not only teach but does this in an engaging manner. Develop an Agenda: You should know your goals at this point; this allows you to develop a plan on how to achieve these objectives. Jot down your main concepts and then break them into smaller topics to make them easier for the audience to understand. Decide whether you need visual aids and inform the technical team early and if you decide to use an exhibition design Dubai has several providers. Once your plans are set, you can go ahead and choose a date for your event charter. Make the event stand out by choosing a unique theme. Publicity is necessary when planning an event charter in Dubai. Promote your event by issuing a notice or announcing it on your website, use offline and online resources, and encourage people to register for the event. During the Workshop: Now that you have set your objectives and you have a plan, figure out how to make your event charter exciting. If you plan to have a group exercise, remember that many people are not good at public speaking, so keep the groups small. Combine different people in the groups; for instance, put people from different departments together. This encourages people to interact and look at things from different perspectives. Think of how to record ideas from each group. Many people overlook this aspect, which causes chaos because some people shout while others write down their results. Planning an event charter in Dubai can be exhausting if you don’t have a strategy. Several factors help you to have a successful event in Dubai, such as knowing your audience and creating a budget. Knowing who will attend allows you to choose the right location, while the budget prevents you from overspending. Read Also: 7 Ways To Plan A Smooth Business Succession Exploring Arabian Ranches 2 – Luxurious Living In Dubai

Your Cloud Kitchen Essentials: From Licenses to Restaurant Softwares

The pandemic has been a woe for a few, while a blessing for others. Several restaurants closed down while others have been constantly bearing the brunt. However, during this time taking commercial kitchen on share or cloud Kitchens gained immense popularity as COVID-19 disrupted the restaurant industry. So, What is a Cloud Kitchen? Cloud Kitchens are famously known as delivery-only restaurants. They cater specifically to online orders placed through virtual delivery companies such as Swiggy and Zomato. Cloud kitchens bring with themselves the opportunity to conveniently reach a wider audience of foodies. Sounds simple right? Well, setting up your own cloud kitchen is as uncomplicated as its definition. In this blog, we will specifically dig deeper into the licenses and essentials required to run a Cloud Kitchen. 1. Location: Finding the perfect location for your cloud kitchen shouldn’t be a challenge considering you don’t have to take into account factors such as accessibility, design, and parking, among others. You can opt for a place that is close to your target delivery locations. In comparison to dine-in restaurants, location acts as a prime differentiator for bringing down the cost of investment. 2.Licenses: Obviously, there is always a legal compliance requirement! Obtaining the apt licenses and certifications are important to conduct your business as well as provide customer satisfaction. FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) : FSSAI Licenses are mandatory for every food business operator in India. This license ensures that the kitchen is maintaining the food safety standards of India. After you file your application for the same, an inspection of the premise is conducted. The license is granted within 60 days if the procedure is successfully completed. The cost for a new license ranges between Rs. 2000- 5000. GST Registration: GST is levied on everyone dealing with the supply of goods and services across the country. In order for cloud kitchens to partner with food delivery platforms, they require a valid GST registration. GST Registration is required only if your aggregate turnover exceeds Rs.20 lakhs. At first, you need to file the enrollment form on https://www.gst.gov.in/. After which, you must submit the necessary documents and you will receive an acknowledgment number. The government does not charge any fees for GST Registration. Shop and Establishment Act: All commercial establishments nationwide come under the purview of this Act. You must file for this registration within 30 days of commencing your business. The registration certificate can be obtained by applying through the official website for your state. Registration fees for the same depend specifically on the location of the restaurant. It costs approximately Rs.1000 for a single registration in various cities. Trade License: Trade license allows you to start your cloud kitchen within a particular municipal limit. This helps in keeping up with public health concerns. Trade license fees include a fixed one-time payment along with renewal fees. Fire and Safety License: This license requires the kitchen owners to take precautions in case of the risk of fire. The license is issued within 7 days from the date of application. You can fill out the signup form and get started here- foodlicensing.fssai.gov.in 3. Restaurant Software: While running a cloud kitchen you ought to have a quick automated solution and smart technology. Petpooja’s cloud kitchen software is your one-stop destination for an efficient and user-friendly Point-of-Sale System(POS System). Having a restaurant POS system or a restaurant software aids in integrating online orders, inventory management, customer engagement, employee performance, and restaurant analysis. Given the current situation, it is integral for restaurants to set up their own POS System. It goes without saying that setting up your own cloud kitchen with Petpooja is easy and convenient. Follow these 3 basic steps to set up your cloud kitchen and you are good to go. Reach out to us on 7046223344 or shivani.dad@petpooja.com for more tips and guidance. We would love to help you grow your restaurant business! Read Also: Benefits of the Cloud: What Makes it Special? How to Choose the Best Commercial Restaurant Equipment The Basics of Restaurant Equipment Financing Kitchen Renovations Must be Done at Regular Intervals How Restaurant Space Landlords Can Be Successful

5 Tips to Finding Better Talent for Your Bar Business

Bar business owners or managers face an almost universal challenge: hiring the best staff. It's not about filling shifts nowadays. Your cooks and servers all play a part in the customer's experience. Choosing the best talent for those roles and your cocktails are equally important to your business’s success. Even a novice bar manager will tell you how crucial staff can be. Here are 5 useful tips to get the best employees. 5 Tips to Finding Better Talent for Your Bar Business: Bar business owners must follow the below mentioned points to select the best talent for their organization. 1. Attitude is Important: Your staff is your bar’s face. If a server or bartender approaches a customer with a negative attitude, the customer will leave, never to return. If you feel your staff is not performing well, ask yourself if you can trust them to run the bar for you. Staff is bound to mess up, but it’s their recovery that matters. If their attitude is affecting other employees, do something about it before they bring the whole bar business down. If you hire a great pro with a bad attitude, your cocktails will look nice, but your clientele will flee. Work ethic, team dynamic, and personality are much harder to teach than how to pour a drink right. Part of the process is finding job candidates. The other part is training them. As competition for great employees increases, bars now need to make more effort and tell a better story about the value of working in a team. There’s an imbalance between demand from bars and supply of quality staff. The people you hire have the greatest effect on the bar’s overall culture. 2. Know Your Market: Knowledge of the bar industry is important, but it’s not the only factor. Comprehension of best practices, industry standards, and good suppliers should be second nature to a decent bar manager. Do you know what the market in your area is like? Who are your main competitors? Is the bar you manage just another place to go, or is there a gap you can fill? Why might someone go to your bar business instead of the one down the street? Bar managers need to understand the competitive landscape they inhabit. 3. Hire the Right Bartenders: You cannot afford to hire fresher as bartenders and then train them to deliver. This will eat into your revenue and you will never get the desired results. The bar industry is a vibrant industry that faces a lot of attrition. If you are strategic in terms of looking for the right people, you will be successful. It is always a good idea to have at least 2 experienced bartenders and 4 fresher. This helps maintain the standard and helps you prepare the next rung of the leadership. A good bartender for your bar business is a big reason why some bars are successful, while others shut shop within a few months. Investing in the right bartender is probably going to be one of your toughest decisions. Train Employees to Upsell: Upselling customers is a great way to boost profits in your bar. This is where profits are made and success stories crafted. Upselling involves influencing customer preferences so that they end up making a choice that is beneficial for your establishment. It is also about the staff reading the body language of consumers. For example, if someone is celebrating a promotion, a staff can garner the public opinion of the group and suggest a far more expensive bottle than the one the customer had originally intended to purchase. Peer pressure, wanting to show off and winning over loved ones are reasons people fall easy victims to upselling. A bigger bill means better tips. People usually fix their tips at roughly around 10 to 15 percent of the total bill. Upselling helps boost employee morale as they get more tips and earnings from the same. By training your staff to upsell, you will be contributing to a better working environment. 4. Build Positive Relationships with Staff: Experienced bar managers know that success isn’t possible if you don’t manage your staff wisely. To establish an open and positive rapport, try to build positive relationships with them. A frustrated staff member affects performance, morale, and customer experience. While it’s often claimed business shouldn’t be personal, this is changing in many industries. When bar managers form relationships with their staff, they establish a personalized connection with someone who will become a reliable, long-term employee and attract people to your bar as well as keep loyal patrons coming back. Take the time to interact with your staff. 5. Believe in your Staff: It may seem easy to be a bar manager, but it’s definitely not. If you decided on this job because you thought it was glamorous, you might want to reconsider your decision. However, if you are running a bar because you want to, stay confident and passionate and project this mentality onto your staff. Encourage them and believe in them. They will reciprocate and this will reflect on the customer experience in turn. Your clients will keep coming back. They will visit you whenever they're thinking of a place to go out because of the positive, laid-back atmosphere you’ve managed to create. Final Thoughts: The right employees and attitude are very important for smooth operation, but getting a reliable bar POS system is just as essential. Your bar needs a firm grasp of cash flow, inventory management, and data. Moreover, an outstanding POS system will expedite and ease the bar management process. You can’t afford to dispense with a solid POS system. Read Also: The Best Red Wine That Suits Your Taste Is Your Company Offering Enough To Potential Employees?

What Are the Ways to Prepare a New Employee?