Are you looking for ideas to power up employee onboarding? Most companies do a good job of training new hires on the technical aspects of the job, but often, the soft skills training is missing.
What’s the difference between technical skills and soft skills? Technical skills include hard skills like math and reading, as well as knowing how to use the software and tools (e.g., AI cold outreach software) necessary for the job. Soft skills are interpersonal skills like communication, teamwork, and problem-solving.
Soft skills are just as important as technical skills. They are the skills that will help your employees get along with their coworkers and work with your clients and customers. Use these 12 ideas to power up employee onboarding and train your employees on the soft skills they need to succeed.
1. Set up new hires with a buddy
One of the most common complaints from new employees is they don’t know who to ask for help. In fact, 22% of employees who left their jobs within the first 45 days said their manager was the reason.
To make sure new employees know who to turn to, set them up with a buddy. This person can be a peer, a team member, or someone from another department. The goal is to give new employees a go-to person who can help them navigate the company, answer basic questions, and offer moral support.
Encourage buddies to meet with new employees on their first day and check in with them at least once a week for the first month.
2. Help them get social
It can be tough for new employees to feel part of the team when they’re working remotely. After all, they don’t have the opportunity to bump into their colleagues in the hallway or join them for a quick coffee break.
That’s why it’s so important to help new hires get social. Introduce them to their colleagues, and encourage them to set up virtual coffee meetings or lunch breaks with their new work friends.
You can also create a dedicated social space for new hires to get to know each other and their colleagues. This could be a private Slack channel or a group chat on Microsoft Teams or WhatsApp.
In addition to helping new hires feel welcome and part of the team, this can also help to reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation that can come with remote work. Many companies take a similar approach externally, too — for example, using referral programs through tools like ReferralCandy to strengthen customer communities and encourage social sharing. Bringing that same mindset to onboarding ensures your new employees feel like they belong and are empowered to connect from day one.
3. Make it easy for new hires to learn
New hires need to learn a lot of information about their new company, their role, and the tools they’ll be using. It’s easy to overwhelm new employees with information that’s hard to retain.
One way to combat this is by creating a learning hub. A learning hub, such as an employee onboarding software, is a place where new hires can go to learn about their new company and role. You can include articles, videos which can be created easily with AI video agents, and other resources that will help new hires get up to speed.
A learning hub can also be a great place to include interactive content like quizzes and polls to help new hires retain information. You can also include a place for new hires to ask questions and get answers.
4. Make sure they have all of the tools they need
You wouldn’t expect a new chef to come in and cook without any tools, so why would you expect a new employee to come in and work without any tools?
Make sure your new employees have all of the tools they need to get to work. This could include things like their computer, phone, email, software, and any other tools or equipment they’ll need to do their job.
If possible, set up their computer and email before they start, and have all of the tools and equipment they’ll need waiting for them on their first day. This will help them feel welcome and get to work right away.
5. Make a good first impression
First impressions matter. If you want to make a good first impression, you need to put effort into the onboarding process.
This means more than just having a clean and organized workspace. It means taking the time to make your new employees feel welcome and valued.
One way to do this is to introduce them to the team on their first day. You could also have a small welcome party or give them a welcome gift. HR can make new members feel welcome with clear and concise employee benefit communication. Whatever you do, make sure you take the time to make a good first impression.
You only get one chance to do that, and it can set the tone for your new employee’s entire experience with your company.
6. Make sure new hires understand their role
It’s easy to get bogged down in the details of company culture and policies and forget to clearly define the new hire’s role within the company. This might seem like a no-brainer, but it’s actually a common pitfall that can leave new employees feeling lost.
To avoid this, make sure you’re giving new hires a clear understanding of what their job entails, potentially using AI recruiting tools to map roles and responsibilities effectively. This is a great time to go over their job description, key responsibilities, and how their role contributes to the overall goals of the company.
You should also make sure they know who they’ll be working with and how their role fits into the larger team.
7. Encourage new hires to ask questions
Starting a new job can be overwhelming. There are so many things to learn and remember, and it can be hard to know where to start. That’s why it’s important to encourage new hires to ask questions.
Don’t assume your new employees know what they’re doing. Instead, make it clear that you’re there to help and that they should come to you with any questions or concerns they may have.
Not only will this help your new employees feel supported, but it will also give you an opportunity to identify any areas where they may need additional guidance or training.
8. Make sure new hires know the company’s mission and values
One of the most important things you can do during the employee onboarding process is to communicate your company’s mission and values.
This is your opportunity to show new hires what your company stands for and what you hope to achieve.
Use this time to get them excited about their role in your company’s success.
9. Get new hires excited
It’s easy to get caught up in the logistics of onboarding, but you also want to create an experience that gets new hires excited to join the team.
You can do this by creating a pre-boarding experience that gives new hires a taste of your company culture and gets them excited to dive in.
For example, you can send them a welcome package with some company swag or a small gift. You can also give them access to the company’s internal communication tools so they can start to get to know their new team.
10. Check in with new hires
The onboarding process doesn’t end after a few weeks. It’s important to continue checking in with new hires to see how they are doing and if they have any questions or concerns.
This can be as simple as a quick email using recruiting email templates or phone calls. You can also set up a more formal meeting to discuss their progress and get feedback on the onboarding process.
Checking in with new hires shows that you care about their success and are invested in helping them get off to a good start at your company.
11. Get feedback on the onboarding process
Finally, it’s important to get feedback on your onboarding process. After all, you want to make sure your new employees feel welcomed and prepared to succeed in their new roles.
To get feedback, consider sending out a survey to new employees after their first week or month. Ask them to rate their onboarding experience and to provide any suggestions for improvement.
You can also ask for feedback from the employees who are involved in the onboarding process, such as their managers and mentors. This will help you get a better sense of what’s working and what’s not, so you can make any necessary adjustments.
12. Make sure onboarding is ongoing
The first few weeks of a new employee’s time at your company are the perfect opportunity to get them up to speed on all things onboarding and to set the tone for what onboarding looks like at your company.
That doesn’t mean you need to talk to them about onboarding for hours on end. You can simply weave onboarding into your day-to-day conversations with new employees.
You can also set up a series of meetings with your new employee to discuss their onboarding experience and what they need to be successful in their role.
Conclusion
Use the above ideas to create a better onboarding process and watch your new hires become productive team members faster than ever before.
