Will You Be Welcoming a New Employee?
Compared to 2019, new hiring looks very different. Still, new employees are joining agencies every day. New Level Partners connected with hiring managers and new hires to learn what’s different about the onboarding process. Many things have changed, especially when agencies' employees are working from home or a smaller staff rotate in-office times.
Below are tips if you are hiring over the next 60 days:
Having a plan has always been an important strategy, now more than ever. Map out the first three weeks day by day. The first impression sets the stage for future expectations. A schedule with a mission, timing, and outcome for each day will communicate how employees and teams are expected to perform at your agency.
- Arrange HR-related requirements on their first day.
- Schedule guest one-on-one speakers from the agency to talk about their role and culture.
- Set online learning assignments for completing a certain number of courses each day.
- Organize recordings of all operations and procedural training that takes place remotely via zoom or webinar. These can be terrific reference tools for the new hire. Finding the information they need when they need it will build confidence.
- Integrate report backs or quizzes. Accountability starts with the new hire sharing what they learned to encourage them to ask questions and get more.
Make your new hire feel welcome; create a plan. Nothing is worse than a new employee showing up for work and feeling lost. Here are some ways to make a great impression that first day:
- Make them feel they are part of the team – introductions are a must – and virtual conference calls are perfect for this.
- Send the new employee a welcome basket or a swag bag with your company's marketing materials.
- Schedule virtual lunches – not every day but sprinkle them in throughout.
- Can you assign a different buddy for the first three weeks?
- Rotate buddy assignments for the first three weeks.
- Include them in meetings and remember to ask them to share questions with you afterward.
As a leader, be sure to check-in daily – this can be a longer meeting on Monday morning to reset the plan for the week and then at lunch or end of the day to discuss questions. Employees value leadership and guidance. The first 90 days on a new job can be tense for the new employee – now more than ever. Every connection and discussion will ease this tension and create a supportive onboarding process.
New Level Partners (NLP), founded in 2001, specializes in training solutions for the Property and Casualty Insurance Industry. NLP designs, develops, and delivers customized and interactive training programs, both instructor-led and web-based. A wide range of instructional design tools and technologies ensure NLP’s programs are the most interactive and effective on the market.
Need help with a training plan? Please visit https://www.myagencycampus.com/ for more information.
