HR Guide : Onboarding a New Collaborator + Questionnaire

Let's start with a fact, did you know that 20% of new recruits plan to leave a company, from the first week, because of a poor reception on the human, administrative or material levels? The consequences of a failed recruitment can be costly, ranging between 10,000 and 100,000 euros, depending on the position. Thus, it becomes imperative to reinforce and formalize your practices in order to ensure a reliable and optimal onboarding experience.

Indeed, this subject is a key issue for the future of human resources management. It is therefore important to meticulously design an integration process that is both methodical and impactful for the newcomer, regardless of the period.

Why pay attention to the integration of an employee?

The integration process consists of several measures and strategies put in place by the company to welcome and support the new employee upon arrival.

The objective : to facilitate his adaptation, provide him with the necessary information and resources, promote his socialization within the organization and reassure him in his choice.

A successful onboarding process helps to provide newcomers with a positive experience from the start of their career with the company. This reduces stress, quickly acquires the skills needed to perform tasks, and fosters a sense of belonging and commitment to the company.

For the company, an efficient onboarding journey has many advantages. It reduces the turnover rate of new employees by promoting their retention and helping them quickly reach their full potential. A well-integrated employee will be more productive and contribute more quickly to the life of the company.

Let's see together how strategic this is and how to optimize this part through different means.

1 - The key stages of integration

In order to guide you in setting up a successful integration process, let's now explore the key stages that make it up.

• Anticipate the arrival of the new employee with the management team

Before the new employee arrives, it is crucial to meticulously plan the key elements of their integration, in order to ensure a smooth transition.

This begins with the development of a comprehensive job description, which must clearly define the responsibilities and expectations inherent in its new role. To do this, ask the team manager to help you. If you don't know how, learn how to write a job description.

At the same time, it is essential to identify any training needs in order to fill any gaps in the new employee. In addition, it is important to identify professional development opportunities, so as to promote their growth and fulfillment within your company.

internal communication plays an absolutely essential role in the successful integration of a new employee. It is imperative to transparently share information about his arrival with the teams concerned. This approach allows colleagues to prepare and gradually become familiar with the profile. By doing so, you will create a climate conducive to a smooth transition, where everyone feels involved and where the new employee can integrate optimally.

When it comes to offering specific training to your new employee, it is crucial to establish clear and consistent communication with the training department. By establishing a detailed communication plan, you will be able to effectively coordinate the various training sessions, thus guaranteeing the availability of the necessary resources and optimizing the learning process.

In order to facilitate the integration of the newcomer, we advise you to assign him a mentor. This mentor, chosen from among your experienced collaborators, then takes on the role of guide and support. Thanks to his solid expertise, he will assist his interlocutor in understanding your corporate culture, adapting to your work environment and navigating through your internal processes.

The creation of a personalized welcome booklet proves to be a powerful tool for providing the new employee with the information necessary for their debut within your company. This booklet can cover different details: corporate culture, values, internal policies, available resources, schedules or important contacts. By offering a well-designed welcome booklet, you provide the new employee with a reference, thus facilitating his adaptation.

In order to ensure a structured and efficient integration, it is essential to plan the different stages of the integration process:

1. Organizing meetings with team members.
2. The implementation of training and orientation sessions.
3. The presentation of the different facets of the company.

By setting a clear timeline and setting specific goals for each step, you'll create a framework for successful onboarding.

• The first day: the decisive step in the success of the onboarding process

Make sure the new employee's office is ready before they arrive. Prepare his workspace with the necessary supplies and equipment. Our advice : check that all the IT tools and software he will need are configured and ready to use. It would be a shame to show a lack of organization and seriousness on your part from the start!

To put your employee at ease from the first day, plan a dedicated person to welcome him so that he can show him around the premises and introduce him to the members of the team.

Our advice : encourage your members to be friendly and introduce themselves, this will foster a positive environment.

Present the company, its mission, its values and its culture. Explain to the employee the importance of his role within the organization and how he really contributes to the objectives of the company.

Give him a welcome booklet prepared beforehand. This document contains key information about the company: policies, processes, benefits, internal rules. It is a valuable resource that will allow the new employee to quickly become familiar with their new work environment.

Take advantage of the first day to discuss with the new collaborator his expectations, his objectives and his professional aspirations. This discussion will establish a solid foundation for his progression and development within the company.

By following these steps, you are helping to create an environment conducive to a successful integration and a fruitful working relationship. Once the first day is successful, it is essential to continue the operational integration of the new employee. This involves implementing concrete actions aimed at facilitating his adaptation within the team and allowing him to become fully operational in his role.

• Operationally integrate the new employee

The operational integration process is a set of activities and measures implemented by a company to facilitate the arrival and integration of a new employee into its operational functions. It allows the new employee to quickly take charge of his tasks and responsibilities, to adapt to his work environment and to contribute effectively to the achievement of the company's objectives.

From day one, support your employee. It is important to give him tasks (concrete and participative) and responsibilities from the start, while providing him with the resources and the framework necessary to succeed. Be sure to provide clear instructions and answer their questions to get up to speed quickly.

Encourage the new employee as much as possible to collaborate with existing teams by promoting exchanges and cohesion. Organizing regular meetings where everyone can share their ideas, ask questions and work on projects will allow the new employee to feel included and to understand how the company works.

Highlight the new employee's early accomplishments and contributions.

Our advice :

• take advantage of the meetings to highlight its successes. It's nice to be congratulated in front of as many people as possible by your manager. He will gain self-confidence and invest more.
• maintain a regular follow-up with the new employee to assess his progress, identify any obstacles, know his feelings and answer his questions

Once the operational integration process has been established, it is essential to have the appropriate tools to facilitate the integration of a new employee. Let's see some examples together.

2 - Tools to facilitate the integration of a new employee

In this section, we will present the recommended tools and practices to optimize the process of onboarding a new employee. These tools and practices aim to facilitate the assimilation of knowledge, communication, collaboration and employee productivity within your company.

• Use of tools to facilitate integration

There are different human resource management tools such as applicant tracking systems or talent management software. Very useful for efficiently monitoring your integration processes. Indeed, these tools can help you centralize information related to the recruitment, integration and training of new employees, thus facilitating their follow-up.

It is also the role of the HRIS which also makes it possible to automate certain administrative tasks associated with the integration of a new employee. For example: creating a user account, assigning a username and password, configuring access to the company's various systems and applications, etc. This saves time and reduces potential errors related to manual data entry.

There is also something called online training software. They can be used to promote the development of your new employee's skills. You can offer specific training modules adapted to each position and needs, allowing employees to quickly acquire the necessary knowledge.

Collaboration platforms such as Slack or Microsoft Teams can be used to facilitate exchanges and communication between team members. They make it easy and accessible to share information, collaborate on projects, schedule meetings, and keep track of everyone's activities. They promote transparency, coordination and team cohesion, which contributes to a smooth integration of the new employee.

The dashboards can be used to visualize the key indicators of the integration of the new collaborator. You can track metrics (integration time, training completed, goals achieved). Would you like to have an overview of the progress of the integration and identify areas for improvement? So set up this tool.

Finally, evaluation questionnaires can be used to measure the effectiveness of the integration and collect feedback from the new employee. You can design a standard questionnaire including questions about their onboarding experience, satisfaction, needs and suggestions. These questionnaires help you assess the effectiveness of the onboarding process and make any necessary adjustments.

Here is a typical example designed by Yuzu, feel free to use it and customize it to your specific needs!

Download our integration questionnaire

• The Yuzu Solution

Discover Yuzu, a revolutionary platform that will enhance your recruitment process! By using Yuzu, you will benefit from an innovative tool that will play a key role in retaining candidates and convincing them that they have made the right choice by joining your company.

Yuzu goes far beyond a simple traditional candidate experience. Thanks to its gamification features, Yuzu offers interactive and fun simulations that will make integration even more engaging and memorable for candidates.

In addition, Yuzu also offers personalized feedback to candidates at the end of the simulations. Through detailed reports, candidates can understand their strengths and areas for improvement.

So waste no more time and choose Yuzu for your recruitment process! With its gamified approach, Yuzu is the ideal tool to improve your candidate experience, attract and retain the best talent. Give your candidates a unique experience and let them know they made the best decision.

Trust Yuzu and transform your recruitment process today!

3 - Good integration practices

What are the current approaches and opportunities for improvement in this crucial area of human resource management?

• Sharing of experiences and additional advice

Hearing inspiring and positive stories about successful onboardings can provide ideas for improving your onboarding process. Indeed, they highlight effective strategies and creative approaches that have enabled new employees to adapt quickly and contribute fully to the organization.

Our advice and good practices to ensure a successful integration:

1. Start early : Onboarding should start from day one. Make sure you have a clear plan for induction and initial training.
2. Provide mentorship : Assign an experienced mentor to guide the new employee through their onboarding.
3. Promote social interactions : Encourage new employees to participate in team activities, lunches or social events. This will promote the creation of links and strengthen the feeling of belonging to the team.
4. Provide ongoing training : Be sure to provide ongoing training opportunities to help new employees develop their skills and adapt to requirements.
5. Give regular feedback : Regularly provide constructive feedback to new employees to help them improve.

Finally, it is important to identify common mistakes to avoid. Be sure to clearly communicate company expectations, goals, and policies early in the onboarding. If you want to avoid them, we have just written an article on how to avoid recruitment mistakes?

Don't leave new hires to fend for themselves. Be sure to offer them regular follow-ups, answer their questions, and help them resolve any issues that may arise.

Avoid unrealistic expectations and clarify responsibilities upfront. Avoid overloading new employees with excessive tasks and impossible deadlines.

Finally, be sure to provide adequate training to help new employees succeed in their role. Do not neglect this crucial aspect of integration, insufficient training would lead to several negative consequences on the performance of your organization.

• Evaluation of the integration of an employee

Assessing an employee's onboarding offers several benefits. It identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the process, highlighting what works well and what could be improved. This allows the company to adjust and refine its onboarding practices to provide an optimal experience for new employees.

By identifying signs of success and performance indicators, evaluation helps to measure the effectiveness of integration. Here are some performance indicators :

1. Adaptation
2. Active participation in company activities
3. Positive relationships with members
4. Company goals and values

Satisfaction questionnaires are a valuable tool for collecting the impressions of new employees on their integration process. They make it possible to obtain concrete feedback, identify the strengths and weaknesses of the process, and collect suggestions for improvement directly from the people concerned.

Individual interviews play a crucial role in assessing integration. They make it possible to discuss the progress made by the new collaborator and to identify any problems or obstacles encountered. They promote open communication between the new hire and their supervisor, which helps build trust and support ongoing professional development.

Finally, regular monitoring of the integration is essential to assess the effectiveness of the process over the long term. The integration of an employee is not limited to the first weeks or the first months, but extends over a longer period. Regular monitoring makes it possible to make the necessary adjustments to ensure successful and lasting integration.

• Keep abreast of current practices

Do not hesitate to find out about the practices of other companies. Understanding current practices will allow you to better identify trends and challenges you may face when onboarding your new employees. Thanks to this, you will also be able to compare yourself to your competitors.

4 - Consequences of poor integration

Poor integration can have several negative consequences for a company. If it happens that it leads to a breach of contract. It can also lead to additional costs: training expenses, search for a new candidate.

In addition, when a collaborator is not properly integrated, he is not always able to perform his tasks effectively, which leads to a decrease in productivity and motivation of the team as a whole.

Poor onboarding can have a negative impact on corporate culture. When a collaborator does not integrate well, tensions, conflicts or a climate of mistrust can arise within the team. If this situation is repeated regularly, it can even tarnish the company's reputation as an employer and harm its ability to attract and retain talent. Discover our article how to attract new talents?

To remember

Integrating a new employee is a crucial step in creating a high-performance and committed team. In this article, we have reviewed the various key steps and best practices to ensure a successful integration. This is an essential point for successful recruitment.

Prepare for your employee's arrival by providing all the necessary information and facilitating their access to administrative documents. The warm welcome on the day of arrival is essential to create a positive first impression. In addition, you increase your chances that the candidate will stay after his probationary period.

Training is an essential step in enabling new employees to acquire the skills necessary for their position. It is important to design a structured and adapted training program, taking into account the specific needs of each individual.

Throughout the onboarding process, it is crucial to provide ongoing support. Regular individual interviews are used to discuss the progress made and the needs and expectations of the employee. Open and transparent communication fosters a sense of belonging and trust.

By investing in effective onboarding, you can drive productivity, engagement and retention of your talent. This will also improve your employer brand, so it's up to you!