Why do we need to check-in?
Companies regularly hire candidates, and most companies have a vigorous hiring process beginning at the shortlisting of candidates and then conducting various rounds of interviews. However, in our experience, once the employee is hired, companies, or rather managers, do not have a set process to see if the new hire is doing well and adjusting to the culture.
Here we have compiled a list of activities that help managers check-in with new hires and help them feel more comfortable and ease their transition into the new workplace culture.
Automated check-ins
People simply forget to check-in. It happens way more often than we would care to admit. In order to ensure that managers interact with every new employee, we need to have an automated process. It is simple to implement and goes a long way in boosting employee morale.
Objectives
Now that we have got the method out of the way, let us discuss about what we want to achieve with the check-in. A company needs to have a clear structure defining the objectives of every check in. How often should managers check in? What are the common issues new hires face? Few examples of the objectives include:
- Are they comfortable?
- Do they understand their work?
- Are they happy with their colleagues?
- Is the onboarding process complete?
These are just a few examples. It is up to the management to decide the objective. This important thing is to check-in with the employee. It makes the employee feel welcomed.
Frequency
Check-ins should be frequent enough to make a positive impact, but spaced apart enough that the process doesn’t feel overwhelming or intimidating. The first question could be on the 2nd day, another follow-up next week, and perhaps one at the end of the month. You can also have quarterly and yearly check-ins.
Convenient
Nothing kills your mood more than jumping through hoops to give a small feedback. The effort isn’t worth the reward. Make your check-ins convenient so the new hire can give honest feedback.
Act on the feedback
Now that your new hires and giving you feedback, be sure you act on it. People love it when they feel that they are heard. It feels inclusive. Remember, they are new to the company and the culture. Actively taking feedback and making changes will go a long way.
Confidentiality
Ensure confidentiality. People often speak their hearts out when they have no fear of being judged. Use this as an opportunity to get unfiltered feedback from your new hires. It is a great way to measure the effectiveness of your policies.
Conclusion
A well-structured check-in program can be a huge opportunity to get feedback from your employees and improve the workplace culture. You can use the feedback to improve employee retention and loyalty as well as design a culture that works best for your productivity.
Authentic Staffing Agency regularly conducts check-ins with new hires to understand how well they are doing at their new job. We have got numerous positive feedbacks and also found many gaps in our hiring processes which were creating obstacles in an otherwise seamless process.
Checking-in helped us overcome those obstacles and it has been quite a learning experience with a lot of valuable insights from our employees. We believe in continuous improvement, and the employee check-in program has been a valuable tool in it.
