Why onboarding is crucial for small business recruitment

Recruiting the right candidate can be a very hard task, it’s a lengthy and time consuming process, which is why it is so demotivating when your great employees move on. Retaining top talent is every business owner’s challenge after they overcome the hurdle of recruitment. Onboarding is one of the many after-recruitment elements to ensure you get the best return on your hire.

Onboarding for recruitment

It starts with onboarding. Onboarding is the formal process you put in place to make sure your new employee is well trained to handle the work ahead of them, and ready to handle everything your company requires.

Onboarding is going to differ from company to company, but within most companies, onboarding should involve some degree of the following:

1. Training 

First and foremost, onboarding involves thorough and complete training. Yes, training is an investment, but training pays off in more ways than one – from increasing early productivity to improving loyalty and satisfaction. Taking the time to make sure someone is thoroughly trained, no matter how skilled they are, is important.

2. Introductions

Unfortunately most businesses will briefly introduce a new candidate to everyone in the office and move on without helping them get to know one another. A better way is to take the team out for lunch or coffee so that they feel connected to each other and are able to learn names and personalities in an informal setting.

3. Print a list of need-to-know basics 

Not knowing small and simple tasks around a new office can be frustrating for a new recruit. Where is the photocopier? Who does someone contact if they need supplies? Who handles phone calls? What time is lunch and do people go together? These small little bits of information that can help someone feel like they are a part of the company and can be written down in an informal welcome guide so your new recruit has a reference point instead of having to ask too many questions.

You’ll have to consider everything that makes your workplace unique and place it in your onboarding process but investing time in ensuring your new candidate settles quickly means you’ll more likely get a productive and loyal employee.

Saxon Marsden-Huggins is the managing director of Recruit Shop, which offers recruitment services to small businesses in Australia and New Zealand.