Creating an Onboarding experience that feels like…home.

Congrats! You’ve just scored an amazing new hire!

Now, let’s make sure that hard work pays off by keeping them excited and engaged right from day one.

Onboarding is a game-changer and nailing it can dramatically boost your new hire retention. You want it to feel like this beautiful porch…. welcoming and inviting. Like they just found home! 🏡

Here’s a sample template help you make a killer first impression:

𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟭: 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲
Morning:
Coffee Chat: Start with a casual virtual coffee with your manager. It’s the perfect time to get to know each other and set the tone for a great working relationship. A 1:1 personal welcome is a great first impression.
Office Tour/Virtual Walkthrough: Whether you’re in the office or remote, we’ll give you a quick tour of the workspace, so you know your way around - no getting lost here!
Meet the Team: A fun, informal team meeting with some icebreakers to introduce you to the crew.
Afternoon:
Tech Setup: We’ll make sure you’re all set with the tools and tech you need to hit the ground running.
Leadership Welcome: A brief but warm welcome message from our senior leadership team to give you a taste of the big picture.

𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟭: 𝗚𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝗼𝘃𝗲
Day 2-3:
Department Intros: Meet key players from different departments to see how everything fits together.
Shadowing: Get a feel for how we work by sitting in on meetings and projects.
Day 4-5:
Project Kickoff: Dive into your first project, with plenty of support from your team.
Manager Check-In: We’ll touch base to see how your first week went and plan out what’s next and set up our regular 1:1's. Staying connected will be key.

𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝟭: 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝘁𝘀
Week 2-3:
Learning & Development: Explore our learning resources and start growing your skills.
Networking: Attend a company-wide event to start building connections outside your immediate team.
Feedback: We want to hear from you - what’s working, and what can we do better? Getting early feedback from your new team member shows that you care and helps guide any needed adjustments.
Week 4:
Project Presentation: Share what you’ve been learning with your team. It’s your time to shine and how off your skills for the first time.

𝗢𝗻𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄: We’ll wrap up the onboarding process with a final check-in, setting goals for the next few months.

Your new hire should get a message from their onboarding experience, and this is what it should say: 𝙒𝙚’𝙧𝙚 𝙏𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙃𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙔𝙤𝙪!

Whether you are a big or small company, finding the time to set up a structured and awesome onboarding process is critical. Get leaders from other departments, peers, and teammates to help you. Devise a system that you can follow each and every time taking the guess work out when that new hire arrives.

Key Tip: Ensure your stellar onboarding experience extends through both the overall organization AND into their specific department. Your new hire is likely anxious and needs all the support they can get! This template can be tailored to what makes sense for your situation, but no matter WHAT you build be consistent.

Trust me, this effort will pay dividends on day one and well into the future.⭐