There will come a time in your growth journey when you're expanding so rapidly that micromanaging each new employee's initial weeks becomes unfeasible. The good news? With a bit of preparation and templating, you can streamline your onboarding process, ensuring a smooth transition for every newcomer without consuming too much of your time.
In this article, I'll delve into steps you should prioritize before entering a hiring spree. Ideally, these preparations are tackled when you're between hiring phases, allowing you to set things up, test, and make necessary adjustments as new team members join.
Now, a word on the intended audience: This guide presumes you have an HR department handling HR-related tasks. Our focus will be specifically on Engineering Onboarding. Additionally, even though you're likely part of a bigger team, we'll approach this as if you're a solo act. This isn't to downplay team dynamics, but rather to keep things simple and avoid assigning roles for this brief overview.
Build Tooling Templates
If you're fortunate enough to have just one environment, one tech stack, and a single set of tools, that's wonderful! Document them. Everything your engineers require to perform their tasks should be clearly outlined.
By doing so, this documentation transforms into a handy checklist for every new hire.
For those running larger companies with multiple tech stacks, you'll likely need several lists. Don't fret; create those lists. It's far more efficient to select the appropriate list for a new hire than to scramble and piece things together on their first day.
An Onboarding Guide
Let's discuss the onboarding guide, a tailored document specifically for the new recruit. While certain names within it might change, the majority of the document remains consistent.
I advocate for a comprehensive guide. It should not only orient the newcomer but also provide actionable suggestions for their first month.
Kick things off with an introduction to the company, followed by a snapshot of the engineering team. Though these sections change infrequently, it's a good practice to revisit them quarterly.
Subsequently, provide an overview of the specific team the new hire will join, highlighting their goals for the upcoming quarter. This section should also include names and contact details of team members, enabling the newcomer to connect effortlessly.
In terms of layout, I've discovered that tables work best for the next two parts:
- People to Meet: Start with team leads and immediate colleagues labeled as "meet in the first week," then progressively introduce others.
- Action Items: For instance, on day one, ensure they complete their I-9 form. By the end of week one, they should ship a PR. By the end of the month, they should wrap up all mandatory HR onboarding training. You get the drift.
While these tables are typically static (barring the names of individuals to meet), it's still advisable to review them periodically for relevance.
Conclude the guide with a resources section, detailing benefits, environment setup instructions, and links to archives of video demos and tech talks. This section doesn’t demand constant scrutiny, but occasional revisits can be beneficial.
A Manager's Checklist
With your tools in place and a checklist for your new hire, you're already simplifying the onboarding process for your team.
Now, let’s make it even more straightforward for you. There are specific tasks that you, as the manager or leader, need to accomplish at various stages—actions like "ordering a laptop" or "collecting I-9 information." Instead of relying on your memory, establish a checklist for yourself.
Presently, my personal checklist is divided into three distinct sections: one for the onboarding facilitator, another for the new hire's manager (though this could be the same individual), and the last one for the team lead who'll be working closely with the new recruit. Adjust these categories as necessary to suit your organization's structure.
By integrating this kind of checklist with the previously mentioned guide and toolset templates, your onboarding procedure will already surpass many remote enterprises. But your work doesn't stop here. The next step is to continually gather feedback and refine the process.
An Audit
A month after each new hire joins, schedule a meeting specifically to review the onboarding process:
- How did you find the experience?
- What aspects did you appreciate?
- What could have been enhanced?
- Were there any significant oversights?
- Did any aspects take you an inordinate amount of time to grasp?
Remember, these individuals have just navigated through your onboarding process. They approached it with a fresh perspective, devoid of the in-depth business understanding you possess. By soliciting their feedback early, you obtain invaluable insights that can guide future refinements.
Your onboarding program will continually evolve; it's not a static entity. However, it's crucial not to make changes based on every single piece of feedback. An isolated issue faced by one person might not necessarily be a flaw in your program. Always seek corroborative feedback before implementing substantial changes.
And with that... best of luck! Continue growing and innovating. If there are any tools or strategies you've incorporated into your onboarding that you think would benefit me, I'm all ears.
