One of the best ways to create a favorable impression of your company with new hires is to have a smooth and structured on boarding process. This involves scheduling orientations, trainings, etc and having your new employee’s work space ready to go on the first day.
Notification and Planning
The first step in the on boarding process is to notify IT of the new hire and provide the pertinent information they will need. This includes the full name of the new employee. Make sure you double check the spelling as changing a username after the fact is much more involved than setting up a new username.
We like to see two weeks notification before a new employee starts. This allows time to order a computer (If the new employee is receiving a new machine) and any other needed equipment such as a mobile phone, desktop scanner, or additional monitors. If the new employee will be using an existing computer, this notice gives us ample time to backup the previous user’s date and prepare the machine for your new employee.
Your IT department will likely request additional information during this process. What is their Job Title and what Department will be they be working in? They will need to know what additional or specialized software the new employee will need. What additional accounts will need to be setup SharePoint, Software As A Service Accounts, etc)? This information should all be included in your standard on boarding process.
Account Setup
Once the needed information has been collected and the equipment procured, it’s time to start setting up accounts for the new employee. First we’ll set up a new user account on your office’s server and set the appropriate permissions for their Department and Job Title. We’ll configure things like User Folders and Network Drive access.
We’ll also setup the user’s email account, either in house or using a cloud provider such as Office 365. Depending on your company and what software and services you use, we may need to setup access to SharePoint along with Microsoft OneDrive or DropBox for Business.
User Profile Setup
Once we have the accounts setup for the new employee, we’ll move on to setting up their computer and other equipment. First, we’ll configure their User Profile by logging on to their computer with their new credentials. During User Profile configuration, we’ll setup Microsoft Outlook with their email account. We’ll add the office’s printers and any local or desktop printer(s) the user will need access to.
During this step we will also setup Scan to Email and/or Scan to Folder for the new user, by adding them to the Address Book on your copier and configuring any necessary folders on the workstation or server.
New User Credential Sheet
Every new employee (and the person responsible for their orientation) should receive a New User Credential Sheet. One way to quickly detail an otherwise successful on boarding process is to not have the new users credential’s when they arrive. This results in calls to the help desk or your outsourced IT provider in a frantic attempt to find a username and password.
A concise “cheat sheet” for the employee solves this once and for wall. Username, Password, Email address, webmail access instructions, mobile phone number, office phone and fax number, online account credentials, and other items should be included on this sheet.
Need Some Help?
The on boarding process can be stressful for everyone involved. The new employee is in an unfamiliar environment and expected to produce almost immediately. Existing employees involved in the on boarding process are taking time away from their priorities (which don’t go way) to get the new employee up to speed as quickly as possible. Productivity will take a hit during this process, this should be expected and it should be planned for.
A smooth onboarding process make’s an excellent first impression and sets a professional tone with your new employee. It minimizes lost productivity for your existing employees and gets your new employee up to speed and contributing faster. If you have questions about how best to onboard new employees, please Contact Us or leave us a comment below.
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Need some help developing an onboarding process? Download our OnBoarding Forms below.
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