How to create an onboarding plan for new employees in 10 steps

An effective onboarding plan sets your organization up for high retention, strong productivity, and great profit. It creates a positive work culture where new hires can engage to deliver results. 

Maximize your investments in new employees through an efficient and cost-effective onboarding program. We’ve listed the right steps to integrate fresh members for their best performance.

What is an onboarding plan?

An onboarding plan is your organized and structured path that introduces new hires to their role, team, organization, and culture. It’s a well-thought-out process that delivers all the information, training, and resources an employee needs to succeed.

Onboarding new employees is a step-by-step process that creates contributing members of the business. They learn the professional and social factors that’ll affect the quality of their work, which will impact their success and longevity.

A well-planned onboarding helps new employees settle into their roles faster through relevant training and supportive mentorship. It guides them through the systems, expectations, and tools where they can advance right away.

Effective onboarding can grow revenue 2.5 times more and raise profits 1.9 times greater. Let’s explore your best plan to set this up.

Onboarding plan step #1 - Assess the information and insight you should deliver

Lay the foundation by determining everything your new hire will need to integrate and contribute to the organization. Ask yourselves what essential activities, learnings, and experiences will make an employee productive.

Consult with team managers on the skills, tools, responsibilities, and goals to cover. Select the organizational policies, processes, and systems relevant to the incomer’s role. This step defines the onboarding’s deliverables and milestones.

Don’t forget the soft skills the learner should obtain. Beyond the hard competencies, what attitudes, behaviors, and norms should new members take in? Use checklists and job-specific databases to ease the effort.

Onboarding plan step #2 - Set measurable goals and expectations

Now that you’ve determined the essential achievements and milestones, it’s time to set metrics and timelines to make your objectives trackable. What’s the expected timeline and pace? This places clear steps for your new hires to follow.

Solidify the tasks for your onboarding employees to complete. Set job-specific metrics like the number of deals closed, systems set up, and articles published during this period.

Make sure these goals and expectations are measurable. Consider the following models:

• SMART - Make your new hire’s onboarding Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
• Three C’s - Measure the competency of your fresh employees based on Clarity, Confidence, and Connection.

Onboarding plan step #3 - Prepare everything your new hires need

After determining your onboarding needs and the metrics to track, you’ll have to prepare the tools and supplies that’ll equip employees in this process. It’s the assembly period for all logistical needs of new hires.

In this stage, your onboarding checklist should cover technical setups, office credentials, workstation organization, login information, and job supplies. Access to position-based documents and hardware should be established.

At this point, you should prepare to include new hires on all communication channels that’ll keep them in the loop according to their team and role. Work on setting up the facilities and devices they’ll be using.

Onboarding plan step #4 - Implement tools and create courses

Training new employees is an effortful task that benefits from the optimization and centralization HR programs and learning platforms offer. Integrating software to automate and speed up onboarding assignments is a worthwhile investment.

A learning management system (LMS) helps ease workload management while increasing learner engagement. It’s your reliable tool for the next step of creating employee courses. These materials can teach organizational processes, company guides, product details, and team strategies.

Digital platforms create the most efficient onboarding experience, boosting knowledge retention and increasing skill development. It saves time and costs on your end, all while improving effectiveness.

A system like SC Training (formerly EdApp) helps you get the most out of workplace learning. Their complete Admin Experience gives you full and flexible control over learners, metrics, completion, and courses. Create engaging and impactful content in no time using their creator tool.

Build the most effective onboarding plan with SC Training and sign up today!

Onboarding plan step #5 - Build rapport before the first day

Make sure to plan for the preboarding stage of hiring. An accepted job offer doesn’t guarantee they’ll come on the first day. So including this in your onboarding best practices secures follow-through and builds good working relationships, even before day one.

Prepare strategies and initiatives that keep new hires excited leading up to their start date. Deliver warm welcome messages that set a good impression of the company. Help ease job anxiety and uncertainty by offering necessary information at this time.

This is a great opportunity to express appreciation for your new employees, validating their capabilities. These actions let them know they’ll be valued and recognized once they step into the company.

Onboarding plan step #6 - Map out the entire first week

The first week is the most crucial period of the onboarding plan. Put in all the effort and care to make your new hires feel welcome and comfortable in your organization. Build their sense of belonging through warm introductions to the company, workplace, role, and team.

It’s important during this time to slowly build their commitment and focus. The first day is ideal for orientations, tours, and informal introductions. Inform them about the company mission, job department, and team routines.

Then you can ease your hires into their assignments and roles for the rest of the week. Start their learning on the necessary programs, equipment, and systems for their job. This is when you clarify their position, give hands-on experiences, and offer resource tutorials.

Onboarding plan step #7 - Plan for the long game

New employee training doesn’t end in the first week. A formative and well-rounded plan spreads the timeline throughout the first year. It’s in your onboarding best practices to use this long period to build positive behavior and promote independence.

Including a 30-60-90 day plan in your onboarding helps organize learning goals and pace milestones. Here’s a planning guide for your new members’ first quarter and the rest of their first year.

First 30 days

Building on your first week, the first month should help hires settle into their positions and integrate into the organization. This is when you slowly increase their responsibilities and set small general goals.

The first 30 days are the optimal period to familiarize them with company policies, products, hierarchy, and expectations. Focus on integrating them socially and systematically.

First 60 days

Once new hires complete their first month, you can introduce them to more job-specific tasks. Empower them to dive deeper into their roles through specific training and practices.

The goal is for them to begin contributing to the organization. You can place higher performance expectations and expand their learnings.

First 90 days

As they’re close to completing their first quarter, your new hires should be in sync with their work and environment. They can be considered fully onboarded, but still need ongoing support, advice, and learning.

With higher independence and competency, you can entrust them with more complex assignments. Track their performance and mastery, and begin scheduling formal evaluations and reviews. At this point, start discussing their longer-term goals and career-growth plans.

The rest of the first year

Development should be continuous throughout the first year. Past the first quarter, plan out reviews and active dialogues about their progress. Regularly check for additional training, issues, and concerns.

Encourage them to join new committees and take on more responsibilities. Schedule feedback sessions on the onboarding process and reset goals.

Planning for a year-long onboarding is taxing. But you can be sure the effort is worth it, as employees are 2.6 times more likely to be happy with their workplace after an excellent onboarding experience.

Make new hire development and learning easier by using technologies like SC Training. Their Course Management tool seamlessly controls your learner's journey. Keep them on track through due dates, paths, and prioritization.

Onboarding plan step #8 - Assign a mentor

Select an appropriate mentor for your new employee, based on their goals, milestones, and year-long plans. Mentors will be the member’s consistent figure to answer questions and guide learning.

They’re also a reliable source of support. These assigned people help you orient new hires through unfamiliar environments, systems, and routines.

Onboarding plan step #9 - Evaluate outcomes

The great undertaking of planning onboarding presents many opportunities for improvement. If employee growth is continuous, so is the refinement of the system that develops them. Tracking outcomes and insights will make future onboarding more effective.

Plan and schedule evaluations with your new hires once they’re fully integrated. Interview them on their feedback, inputs, and reactions for the whole process. You can also evaluate outcomes based on progress data and assessment scores.

Produce great new employee programs from the jump with SC Training. Deliver tailored learning and help members hit milestones fast with the Learner Experience tool. Collect valuable scores and data with their comprehensive Reporting and Analytics.

Onboarding plan step #10 - Make time for regular check-ins and touchpoints

Consistent check-ins and approachable touchpoints give your new employees constant support and guidance. These regular follow-up meetings make them feel cared for and let them know that the company is truly invested in their growth.

These check-ins should discuss a new hire’s progress and address any concerns. It’s a time to share new insights and expectations. Making an effort to promote these touchpoints can improve retention and job satisfaction.

Deliver impactful learning by using SC Training in your onboarding plan. Sign up today!