There are plenty of stats out there to support the woefully obvious observation that onboarding is incredibly important for teaching and keeping the best people, but much of the process often relies on how much information a new employee can retain in the shortest period of time before they’re left to ‘get on with it’. This need-to-know information; videos, business processes, job expectations and general information is of course essential (I’ll be exploring best practice in the coming weeks), but what about the ‘nice-to-know’? The stuff that will help you realise potential and drive the very best from each member of your teams?
The below information was shared with me recently by the brilliant Dan Moore of Found Studio, and I think it’s a really good place to start. You could easily adapt this for your specific situation, adding or losing questions you think will be telling. Share with new starters, reflect on these with a new team or line managers and then explore the answers and see how that fits with your approach(es).
Not only will it give you an insight into how your people like to be treated, but also what they expect from you as an employer to maintain enthusiasm and happiness at work. Armed with this information, you’re likely to build trust and have a better all round view of each person your recruit (and those already working alongside you).
Introduction questions
You’ll convince me to get on board by …
What motivates me to come into work each day is …
The environments in which I thrive have …
The best way to give me feedback is …
The basics you should know about me are …
I add value to teams by …
In times of stress I prefer support to look like …
My best working patterns look like …
Exploring my future
The things which prevent me from doing my best are …
The environments in which I thrive have …
I’m really looking for …
By joining this team, I’m really looking forward to …
People might misunderstand me when I …
I add value to teams by …
People often say I’m brilliant at …
My absolute requirements to do great work are …
Three things I’ve done recently which I’m proud of are …
Joining a new team
The things which prevent me from doing my best are …
The environments in which I thrive have …
I’m really looking for …
By joining this team, I’m really looking forward to …
People might misunderstand me when I …
I add value to teams by …
People often say I’m brilliant at …
My absolute requirements to do great work are …
Three things I’ve done recently which I’m proud of are …
Pitching myself
The things which prevent me from doing my best are …
The environments in which I thrive have …
I’m really looking for …
By joining this team, I’m really looking forward to …
People might misunderstand me when I …
I add value to teams by …
People often say I’m brilliant at …
My absolute requirements to do great work are …
Three things I’ve done recently which I’m proud of are …
Strengthening existing teams
The things which prevent me from doing my best are …
The environments in which I thrive have …
I’m really looking for …
By joining this team, I’m really looking forward to …
People might misunderstand me when I …
I add value to teams by …
People often say I’m brilliant at …
My absolute requirements to do great work are …
Three things I’ve done recently which I’m proud of are …
A big thanks to Dan for sharing, hopefully it will add another facet to your onboarding/review process.
I’ve included this in my latest edition of Rambling On – an email I put together full of useful and interesting ‘stuff’ that business leaders might find helpful. You can sign up, here.
Andy.