Your employee onboarding program holds a ton of power and can affect how employees perform for months to come.

How employees are brought into a new company reveals to them…

• Any disconnect between what they expected their role to be versus what they are being asked to do
• Company culture and apparent workplace satisfaction
• Productivity and efficiency levels within the company or team
• Company alignment and agreement on important goals

That’s why your employee onboarding program shouldn’t just be about setting up someone’s laptop and giving them access to a file-sharing system.

There’s a whole lot more to it.

In this post, we’re sharing a few essential features for your employee onboarding program that will help you consider all angles, from productivity to company culture.

Employee onboarding program

1. Preemptively optimize your onboarding process
2. Prepare for day one 
3. Introduce new hires to key resources 
4. Foster clear communication channels
5. Simplify access to company resources 
6. Promote peer recognition early 
7. Create a buddy system for support 
8. Monitor and improve 

1. Preemptively optimize your onboarding process

Efficient onboarding starts before the employee’s first day. 

Here are three big things you can focus on: 

Automation  

With large companies, it’s smart to set up time-saving onboarding automation for things like system access. Regardless of company size, you need to optimize these processes in some way. Otherwise, inconsistencies and delays will frustrate new hires.

Once new hire paperwork is finalized, you can use integrations and automation to trigger certain actions that instantly happen like: 

• Profiles creation in HRIS
• Account creation in IT service management system
• Welcome email sent to the employee 
• Meetings scheduled for employee onboarding 
• Single Sign-On (SSO) set up

Tech setup 

Another thing you can work on is your tech set up. 

By optimizing the tech setup, you proactively set the tone for a successful workplace with every new hire. Here are some of the tools that can help with onboarding and how to optimize them: 

• GoLinks: Create memorable short links for all onboarding resources so a new hire can access them more easily. 

• GoSearch: Make all onboarding information findable within once search bar! With GoSearch, new hires can access important documents and training materials through AI-powered queries. This tool eliminates the need for manual searching.

• GoProfiles: Improve the new new hire experience by integrating GoProfiles into your workplace. This is an employee engagement tool with employee profiles, an org chart, an employee map, peer recognition and rewards, and more. 

Checklist

Create a comprehensive onboarding checklist for the first 90 days of employment. This ensures that all necessary onboarding tasks are completed, from technical setups to cultural assimilation, leaving nothing to chance. You can use go links throughout the onboarding checklist so employees can instantly access what they need. 

2. Prepare for day one

A new employee’s first day sets the tone for their overall experience with your company. Ensuring a smooth and welcoming start can make a world of difference in their overall onboarding experience. A fully equipped work environment, whether in-office or remote, can communicate that the company is prepared and invested in the new hire’s success.

• Technology setup: Before the employee’s first day, make sure they have access to the tools they’ll need to succeed. This includes providing access to communication platforms, project management tools, and platforms like GoProfiles, which allows them to easily connect with team members and find contact information.

• Work environment: A well-prepared physical space is equally important. For remote workers, this means ensuring that IT tools, equipment, and instructions are delivered ahead of time. In-office, it means having their desk, computer, and office supplies ready for use.
• Employee handbook: This essential document should be readily accessible to new employees. Create a go link like go/employee-handbook to make this resource super easy to find and use. Providing them with this information early can help set expectations and introduce company policies.

The goal is to make the first day as seamless and welcoming as possible, allowing the new hire to focus on learning and integrating rather than navigating obstacles.

3. Introduce new hires to key resources

Providing access to the right resources from day one is essential for reducing stress and empowering new hires. Effective onboarding ensures that employees know where to find important documents, information, and company resources. Without easy access to these materials, employees may feel frustrated, disengaged, or lost.

Using AI-driven knowledge management tools like GoLinks, new hires can quickly and efficiently acces essential onboarding documents, such as the onboarding checklist, training materials, benefits information, and company policies. 

Pro tip: Ensure that all necessary materials are consolidated into one easily navigable resource center, like a first 30 days onboarding checklist accessible through a go link like go/onboarding-checklist. By having this information readily available, employees can familiarize themselves with company processes and expectations at their own pace.

4. Foster clear communication channels

A good employee onboarding process fosters employees feeling supported, not overwhelmed. Establishing clear communication channels from the start ensures new hires know who to turn to when they have questions, whether technical, process-oriented, or cultural.

It’s important for new hires to feel comfortable reaching out when needed, and HR professionals should make this process as easy as possible. Tools like GoProfiles allow employees to find peers and their contact information in a matter of seconds.  

Pro tip: Schedule regular feedback sessions during the first 90 days. These check-ins allow new hires to voice any concerns, clarify expectations, and ensure that their needs are being met. Adjust the onboarding experience as needed to create an open line of communication from the start.

5. Simplify access to company resources

To help new employees acclimate faster, make key resources easily accessible via simple shortcuts. As mentioned earlier, tools like GoLinks allow users to create customized, easy-to-remember URLs that link directly to essential resources. This saves employees the time and frustration of searching multiple systems for critical information.

For example:

• go/handbook for the employee handbook
• go/benefits for information on health care and perks
• go/policies for company guidelines and standards

Having these direct links in place ensures that employees can find what they need without unnecessary delays, increasing their job satisfaction and enabling a smoother onboarding experience.

6. Promote peer recognition early

Creating a supportive and inclusive workplace begins with showing new hires that their contributions matter. One way to do this is by fostering a culture of peer recognition from the very start. Early recognition builds morale and motivates employees to continue contributing meaningfully to the team.

With platforms like GoProfiles, peer recognition can be integrated directly into the onboarding program. Employees can give and receive shoutouts and badges for accomplishments and milestones, reinforcing a positive and collaborative work environment.

7. Create a buddy system for support

Pairing new hires with experienced employees through a buddy system is a proven method for improving the onboarding experience. Buddies can offer guidance, answer questions, and serve as a resource for learning the company’s culture, processes, and internal systems.

Check-ins with an onboarding buddy throughout the first 90 days ensure that the new hire feels supported and that their questions or concerns are addressed. This personal connection goes a long way in boosting new hires’ job satisfaction and ensuring they have a point of contact for any challenges that arise.

8. Monitor and improve your onboarding program

A successful onboarding program is not static. It evolves based on feedback and the unique needs of your employees. HR professionals should actively collect data on how new hires are adjusting and what areas of the onboarding process can be improved for long-term success.

By integrating tools like GoLinks and GoProfiles into your onboarding strategy, you can easily track metrics related to new hire productivity, job satisfaction, and engagement over time. 

Pro tip: Conduct surveys at key milestones during the onboarding process, such as at the 30-, 60-, and 90-day marks. Use this data to identify trends and make necessary adjustments to your onboarding program.

Enhancing your onboarding program with the GoLinks Productivity Suite 

Incorporating AI tools like GoLinks, GoSearch, and GoProfiles into your onboarding program can significantly enhance the onboarding experience for both HR professionals and new hires. 

By leveraging these tools, your company can create a good onboarding process that is efficient, user-friendly, and tailored to the needs of your employees. HR professionals will also benefit from the automation and data-driven insights these platforms provide, helping them continually improve the onboarding experience over time.

Schedule a demo to see these tools in action or try GoLinks for free.