Is a new employee joining your company? With a well-structured induction process, you not only ensure that they settle into their job more easily and take on their tasks much more quickly, but also ensure a high level of satisfaction, motivation and commitment right from the start. In other words, the sound induction of new employees lays the foundation for a long-term employee-employer relationship.

Take advantage of the benefits and opportunities of a well-designed onboarding process. In this article, we tell you how to onboard new employees and how to design a successful onboarding process.

What is an onboarding process or induction plan?

The onboarding process is a step-by-step plan to integrate a new employee into the company and familiarise him/her with his/her work area. An onboarding process pursues the goal of ensuring as quickly as possible that the new employee can perform his or her tasks independently and take responsibility for his or her activities, is integrated into the social staff structure and gets to know the corporate culture. At the same time, the onboarding process lays the foundation for long-term commitment to the company at an early stage.

A successful onboarding process is the conclusion of a personnel recruitment and part of human resource management. This process thus has the following tasks:

•  Establish rules of conduct at the workplace and in the company
•  explain important guidelines, e.g. on safety at work
•  impart knowledge and skills relevant to the work
•  assign roles and functions within the organisation
•  facilitate entry and make it manageable
• promote communication between staff

Why is the induction of new employees so important?

It happens more often than most people think: new employees often leave a company during their probationary period or in their first year. In many cases, the brain drain can be traced back to an inadequate onboarding process.

Talents are left alone in the first working days and weeks, have no fixed contact person, there is a lack of meaningful tasks and background information or there is no orientation whatsoever, such as an induction plan. Thus, companies lose gained resources that cannot be easily replenished due to the shortage of skilled workers and the "war for talents". Moreover, you have certainly invested a lot of time, energy and costs in personnel recruiting. Don't let your efforts fail because of a missing onboarding process.

Because: If new professionals feel comfortable from the start, if they find meaning in their work and if they are integrated into the structures, they will no longer have any reason to leave the company.

A structured onboarding process ensures that employees are motivated from the start. 

• are motivated right from the start,
• feel welcome and comfortable,
• socialise and build relationships more easily,
•  settle into their work areas more quickly,
•  work more productively and efficiently,
•  build trust through appreciation and feel connected to the company,
• are more satisfied and happy to stay,
•  and make fewer mistakes and the risk of making mistakes in the first place is reduced.

Onboarding process: Preboarding

Even before the new employee has his or her first day at work, the onboarding process begins with preparation. In this way, you create the framework for a goal-oriented onboarding process and show appreciation, interest and attention from the very beginning. Feel free to use the following onboarding checklist to get inspiration for developing your onboarding process.

Here's what you should keep in mind during preboarding:

• Collect all documents that need to be signed by the employee.
• Prepare relevant documents such as telephone lists, contact information or general conditions.
• Directly give all necessary access and accesses.
• Set up the workplace with all equipment and work materials. At TROIKA, you will find a large selection of smart products for the desk that convince with functionality and design.
• A so-called "Welcome Box" also ensures a positive first impression. In this box, you can provide your new employee with a set of promotional gifts such as a pen or a mug and a personalised gift such as a lunch box with a name engraved on it.

Onboarding process: Orientation

Once the new employee's first day has arrived, the next step in the onboarding process is the orientation phase. In this phase, you pass on all important and relevant information, introduce your new colleague to the team, show them around the building and introduce them to their new workplace. Make the first day of the onboarding process as varied as possible and take your time. A small coffee break in between quickly loosens up the situation.

Onboarding process: Professional induction

The first few weeks of the onboarding process are now about the new employee familiarising himself with his tasks, learning to use the technology and settling into the workflow. Provide your fresh employee with a mentor who will train them, be the first point of contact for any questions or problems and help them integrate into the team.

It is equally important at this stage that you have a goal-setting meeting. Goals make it easier to position yourself within an existing structure. Furthermore, you should regularly invite for feedback meetings during the first weeks. Feedback ensures that the onboarding process is truly effective.

Experts advise following an onboarding process for at least a year, because most employees only decide after six months whether the job, the workplace and the company are a good fit for them.

Onboarding new employees - how to support the process

Sometimes it's the little things that make the difference - and this is also true for the onboarding process. Feel free to take a look around TROIKA's online shop and discover a wide selection of possible employee gifts. In combination with a sound onboarding process, you will leave a good first impression for a long-term positive relationship. It's also a great way to motivate new employees and strengthen their loyalty to the company.