Spring time often feels like its about fresh starts. This is one of the reasons why many people tend to be looking for or starting a new job at this time of year.
So if you’re about to take the plunge into a new job, or if you’re an employer with new staff coming onto the team – this weeks blog is the one for you.
We’re talking about onboarding new employees, and all of the best things that can be done to ensure a smooth and productive start.
Start early and communicate well
Starting well ahead of a joining date is the best way to ensure that IT onboarding is done smoothly and efficiently. The chief reason for wanting to get the information you need as soon as possible is that it can take a bit of time to get a laptop and phone configured for your new starter to use – even more so if the device has been used by a previous staff member.
Make sure you’re getting information from the new starter so everything can be set up in good time. For example for email address you may want to check their preferred name – do they want to be Elizabeth or Liz @xcompany.com?
The worst thing to do is to end up leaving this to the day that a new employee starts, as you might have someone sitting around twiddling their thumbs whilst their IT is set up. Not the best of starts.
It is a easy temptation to try and cover all the training requirement in the first few days or weeks of a job. Whilst this is understandable, it seems to make productive use of time whilst the new start is getting up the speed with the requirements of the role, front loading this training can be problematic.
It is easy to get fatigued and not take in all of the learning if all of your training is clumped together. It makes more sense to make sure you cover off the absolute basics / essentials – like how to use the IT systems for the role and GDPR compliance, then stagger some less time urgent training over the following weeks.
Make sure the training is done, but it doesn’t all need to be done at once.
One thing you will want to do early doors for new starts is to set our an IT use policy. This doesn’t have to be long or complex, but it should set out what work devices can and can’t be used for, plus any possible disciplinary procedures for breach of the policy.
When the IT side of onboarding is done right, it makes the entire process of starting a new job a lot smoother and easier for both the new starter and the business they are joining.
If you’re a business owner or employer struggling with managing IT for your growing business, we are here to help. Learn about the services that we offer here, or contact us directly to have a conversation around your specific needs.
