Posted

Good onboarding can bring your new people “up to speed” more quickly, allowing them to contribute and giving them a confidence boost.  Poor onboarding has the opposite effect: It leaves your new hires feeling confused, lost, and concerned that they may have taken the wrong job.

To keep your people and encourage them to contribute their best, avoid making the most common onboarding mistakes:

  1. Waiting for the first day to start onboarding. People learn more easily if they feel comfortable and prepared. To put your new employee in the right frame of mind to learn, provide some information before the first day.  An employee handbook or company materials to review, a review of the dress code, and a packet including any paperwork you want them to bring and a copy of the onboarding schedule will help them arrive ready to learn.
  2. Failing to set clear expectations or explain company policies. Most new employees leave a job quickly when the job is not clearly explained or they are asked to do different work than they expected. While a clear hiring process can reduce this risk, onboarding must clarify the expectations, company policies, and the connection between the person’s everyday work and the company’s overall mission and goals.  Giving the employee multiple chances to ask questions can also help clarify expectations, so they can perform well on the job.
  3. “One size fits all” onboarding. Managers do best when they differentiate management styles to fit each member of their team – so why start that relationship by treating each team member exactly the same? Before onboarding begins, ask a new hire about their learning style, and adjust the training accordingly.  Create an open conversation with the new employee in which feedback and questions are encouraged.
  4. Limiting onboarding to a week (or less). You’ll want to spend up to a week, at first, with onboarding as the primary focus. But you’ll also want to make learning and training an ongoing process, even as the employee is starting to get to work “on the job.”  Give the new employee a “go-to” person for questions, resources, and general support.

At SMR Group Ltd, our recruiters specialize in connecting clients in the medical device, biotech, and pharmaceutical industries with the best sales and marketing talent available.  Contact us today to learn more.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *