A Considerable Amount of Paperwork
Every new hire comes with a significant amount of paperwork that every employee must both read and sign. This paperwork consists of all of the legal documentation needed by the company and can include the following:
- Employment contract
- I-9
- W-4
- Confidentiality agreement
- Non-compete agreement
- Direct deposit form
- State tax withholding forms
- State new hire notification forms
- Designation of beneficiary
- And possibly more…
It’s important to get all of the necessary paperwork in order as quickly as possible so the new hire can go about learning the ropes of their new position. Greeting the new employee with a folder that has all of the required documentation already inside of it is a great way to keep this process organized. Keeping a checklist for HR can also be useful in ensuring that all necessary signatures have been obtained.
Employee Benefits
Explaining the benefits to your new hire is crucial, especially if the employee will need to make some choices. The documents for benefits may also need signatures that the employee will need to provide for you. Depending on what benefits your company offers, this explanation may cover the following:
- Insurance
– Health
– Dental
– Vision
– Life
– Disability - Retirement
- Any other perks
– PTO
– Employee wellness plans
– Reimbursements
Employee Handbook
It’s also critical for the new employee to be introduced to any policies or procedures at the very beginning. For example, employees should be informed of company policy regarding electronic device usage, whether or not there are drug tests, the expected dress code, and other such policies and procedures. All of these should be understood by a new hire before they actually begin working.
An employee handbook can be extremely useful in explaining your policies and procedures. Employees can refer to the handbook later if they have any questions. New hires should read the handbook thoroughly and sign when they have completed it to show that they understand its contents.
Including explaining policies and having a new employee sign that they have read and understood them can help protect the company legally as well.
Meeting the Team
Once all of the necessary paperwork has been signed and the new employee understands all of the procedures and policies, it’s time for the new employee to be introduced to the company. This should involve a tour of the workplace and introducing the new hire to his or her coworkers and supervisors. It’s important for a new employee to feel comfortable in their new workplace and know where they can get anything they might need to do their job well, whether that’s office supplies or getting questions answered.
Learning the Ropes
The next step is to provide the new employee with the training that he or she will need to properly do the job. This may involve hands-on training or shadowing a more experienced employee. Whatever the training involves, the employee should be given a clear understanding of what the training will entail, how long it will take, and what the expectations are for it so they have an idea of what the first few weeks at your company will be like.
It may take some time for a new hire to get up to speed and to be as productive as your more experienced employees. But that doesn’t mean that a new employee can’t be productive on day one. Providing a new employee with some simple tasks that are related to their job can go a long way towards making that employee feel like a productive and valued member of your team sooner.
