“She accepted our job offer! Now what?”
The process of recruiting and hiring new employees is complicated. Agencies invest countless hours compiling job requirements, posting help wanted ads on sites like TalentZoo, even e-mailing industry contacts seeking the “right person” for their team. Far less time is dedicated to an employee’s actual orientation once they’re on board.
Below is a Critical Path highlighting several important steps in the new hire orientation process. It includes estimated turnaround times — leading up to and after his/her first day — and recommendations regarding which existing team members should be involved.
Rather than re-inventing the wheel each time an employee joins your team, create a template within your project management system; open a “job” bearing the name of the new Employee (e.g. “Employee Orientation: Dawn Travelstead”). As each step in the process is accomplished, mark it complete and move on to the next one.
By outlining key orientation steps and involving multiple team members in the process, you’ll find new employees become acclimated (and billable) much more quickly than when “baptized by fire.”
| TASK | TIMING |
RESPONSIBLE |
| Create training schedule | >2 days | HR Manager |
| Add employee to accounting program | >1 day | HR Manager |
| Prepare all tax and insurance forms | >1 day | HR Manager |
| Activate e-mail address | >1 day | IT Manager |
| Distribute training schedule | Day 1 | HR Manager |
| Print and distribute Employee Handbook | Day 1 | HR Manager |
| Set up voicemail and computer | Day 1 | New hire |
| Order office supplies | Day 1 | Office Manager, New hire |
| Return all signed tax and insurance forms | Day 2 | New hire |
| Project management system training | Day 2 | Traffic Manager, New hire |
| Gather business card information | Day 3 | Copywriter |
| Layout (business card) | Day 4 | Art Director |
| Layout approval (business card) | Day 4 | Creative Director, New hire |
| Artwork to printer (business card) | Day 5 | Production Manager |
| Introductory e-mail to Clients and Vendors | Day 6 | Supervisor, New hire |
| Write bio and press release | Day 6 | Copywriter |
| Post bio to agency web site | Day 7 | IT Manager |
| Distribute press release | Day 7 | Media Director |
| Order company credit card (if applicable) | Day 14 | HR Manager |
| Employee evaluation | Day 30 | Supervisor, New hire |
| Employee evaluation | Day 60 | Supervisor, New hire |
| Employee evaluation | Day 90 | Supervisor, New hire |
Whilst I absolutely agree that new employee orientation is an important step, I would suggest it goes much further than the first 7 days outlined above. To really achieve employee engagement and time to productivity requires a structured 6 month program encompassing knowledge transfer, understanding of company culture and social and professional networks. A long-term orientation program like this can either be developped internal or more often outsourced to a specialist supplier – see http://bit.ly/onboardin for an example
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