It Starts Before the First Day
The onboarding process for new employees doesn’t begin on their first day at work, but rather during the recruitment phase. This is where a realistic picture of the role is communicated, laying the foundation for a successful onboarding experience from day one.
It’s not just about providing information about the workplace and job responsibilities – it’s about involving, motivating, and building relationships from the very beginning.
Preparing for the First Day: Pre-boarding
The next phase is all about preparation – pre-boarding – to ensure everything is ready before your new employee's first day. This includes:
- Providing relevant information in advance
- Ensuring equipment, access, and systems are set up
- Sharing a clear schedule for the first weeks
- Introducing the team ahead of time, if possible
- Setting up a “timeline” with meetings with key people in the organization
All of this helps your new colleague feel welcome and ready to get started from day one.
Create a Clear Written Onboarding Plan
It’s essential to prepare a written onboarding plan that clearly communicates key information. This provides new employees with predictability and a sense of security, and serves as a simple guide. The plan often includes:
- Defined goals for the first weeks and months
- Clear responsibilities – who is in charge of what
- Available resources and support persons (colleagues who can assist the new hire)
- A timeline for introductions, training, and follow-up
6 Steps to a Successful Onboarding
The onboarding process may vary from company to company, but typically includes the following steps:
- Preparations before the first day
- A formal welcome to the company, with a clear introduction
- Orientation on company culture, values, and ways of working
- Introduction to the team and assigned tasks
- Training in necessary tools, systems, and routines
- Ongoing feedback and support as needed
Learning Games That Simplify Onboarding
By using Wittario learning games, you can significantly enhance your onboarding process. Employers can create an engaging and interactive experience for new hires by integrating games into their training programs.
With Wittario, you offer an onboarding experience that is active, motivating, and effective – helping new employees feel confident and become productive faster in their new roles.
Game-based onboarding provides an opportunity to introduce the company's values, culture, workflows, and key information in a fun and memorable way.
By combining learning videos, illustrations, and clear explanations with engaging tasks, new employees can develop practical skills and gain a stronger understanding of their role within the company. This helps to boost both motivation and confidence early in the onboarding process.
Make the New Employee an Active Participant in the Onboarding Process
The more active and engaged your new employee is during onboarding, the greater the chance of success. Encourage them to ask any and all questions.
Introduce them to their team as early as possible, and if you can, assign a buddy or mentor to support them during the first period.
At the same time, it’s important that the new hire is aware of, understands, and accepts the challenges that come with the role.
Evaluating Knowledge and Skills Through Games
Wittario learning games are not only effective for training new employees – they also offer a great way to evaluate the knowledge and skills of both new hires and more experienced staff.
With game-based evaluation, you can make the process more informal, helping to identify and address knowledge gaps early. This can boost productivity and reduce training costs.
Game-based learning also encourages teamwork and collaboration, as employees must work together to solve tasks and challenges. This helps build stronger connections and contributes to a more positive work environment.
In short, Wittario’s learning games offer a creative approach to onboarding – improving efficiency, engagement, and the overall success of new employees in the workplace.
Strong Leadership in Onboarding
As a manager, you need to be present and engaged from day one. Your role in the onboarding process is crucial – establishing a good connection with the new employee can have a significant impact on how productive they become in their role.
Here’s what you can do:
- Discuss the role and responsibilities
- Help build internal networks
- Schedule regular one-on-one meetings during the trial period
- Promote an open and transparent communication culture
The content and structure of onboarding should encourage new employees to contribute their full potential to the company.