Employee Onboarding Template

Navigating the world of employee onboarding in a labor-strapped blue-collar sector can feel like trying to lay bricks without mortar. You're trying to construct a stellar team, manufacture success, and lay the groundwork for a fruitful future, but where do you begin in this tight labor market?

Right here — with our comprehensive employee onboarding template.

You see, filling empty positions with skilled and motivated candidates is a challenge, but getting them to stick around and be productive is a whole different kind of beast. That's where having an employee onboarding plan comes in.

If an employee has a great onboarding experience, they are 69% more likely to remain with that company for at least three years. So a well-designed onboarding process can transform an empty seat into a powerful asset, but it requires knowing the best practices and putting them to work for you.

This employee onboarding roadmap is crafted to guide employers, business owners, and HR departments through the process of integrating new hires smoothly into your construction site, manufacturing plant, landscaping crew, distribution center, or any other distributed work environment.

In this guide we'll explore:

• The crucial role the onboarding process plays in HR
• How to secure new employees' commitment and productivity
• The foundation of a robust onboarding program
• And how it sets the stage for long-term employee retention and satisfaction

Our goal is to equip you with the tools and knowledge to onboard your new hires effectively, especially in the midst of the current labor shortage in the US.

Best Practices For Onboarding

When it comes to new employee onboarding, especially in blue-collar industries, the stakes are high. 80% of companies in the construction industry report that they can't find enough qualified workers. The durable goods manufacturing industry has a job vacancy rate of 65%. With the US labor market so tight, employers need to maximize onboarding efforts like never before.

Onboarding is more than just welcoming a new team member — you're laying the foundation of their entire experience with your company. Yet, as the saying goes, the devil is in the details... 

So let's hammer out the specifics of onboarding new employees.

New employee onboarding is like setting up scaffolding for a new building. It's essential, supportive, and serves as a guide to the final masterpiece.

To make sure it goes smoothly, you have to stick to the best practices for onboarding:

• Prioritize the onboarding experience
• Familiarize new hires with the company culture
• Make sure they’re equipped with the right tools and training
• Ensure that they’re connected to their team
• Follow up regularly for feedback (pro-tip: use an employee communication platform like Team Engine to communicate effortlessly via text message)
• Communicate frequently throughout the process
• Collect feedback and improve the onboarding program

All of this can help ease first-day jitters, set new hires up for success, and get them comfortable with their roles.

Employee Onboarding Process

The employee onboarding process is the backbone of integrating new hires into your team. It's the difference between a new hire feeling like a solitary brick or being a solid part of the wall that makes up your organization. Whether you're overseeing a bustling construction site or a fast-paced distribution center, it's crucial to have a robust onboarding process in place.

Onboarding isn't just orientation, it's the comprehensive journey that helps your new hires transition into their roles over time. Orientation is a part of onboarding, but it's just the beginning. While orientation might involve a tour of your manufacturing plant and the introduction to safety protocols, onboarding is the broader experience that spans weeks or even months.

Within the first 45 days, the turnover rate can be as high as 20%. So it's essential to invest time and energy into a comprehensive onboarding process.

One effective approach is to create a 30, 60, 90 onboarding plan, which maps out the employee’s journey for the first three months:

• In the first 30 days, the focus is on learning about the company, the role, and the team.
• The next 30 days, days 31 to 60, are about starting to take on tasks, asking questions, and getting comfortable.
• The last 30 days are about taking full responsibility for the role and starting to contribute meaningfully.

And don't forget about pre-onboarding (sometimes referred to as "preboarding"). This isn't just a buzzword, it's a crucial step that sets the tone for a new employee's journey.

Pre-onboarding begins the moment an offer is accepted and continues until the first day of onboarding. It involves anything from:

• Sending out paperwork and collecting it
• Scheduling orientations
• Setting up accounts
• Giving access to necessary tools

Basically, it's everything that happens before the new hire is officially onboarded. Following pre-onboarding best practices will make sure that both the employee and the company are prepared for a successful onboarding experience.

Onboarding Checklist for Managers

For managers, an onboarding checklist is like a toolkit that organizes the onboarding process into manageable tasks and keeps everyone on track. Using a leadership onboarding checklist like this can mean the difference between a chaotic first few weeks and a seamless transition into the team.

Here's a sample new employee onboarding checklist that can be used as a roadmap:

Pre-Onboarding Checklist

• Send a personalized welcome email, or better yet, a welcome packet that immerses new hires in the company culture.
• Provide a schedule or overview of what to expect in the first few days.
• Share necessary paperwork, including tax forms, benefits enrollment documents, and company policy acknowledgments.
• Set up their workspace, whether it's a dedicated workstation in your manufacturing plant or necessary equipment for a construction site.
• Provide an employee handbook or any other resources needed to understand the company and their role in it.
• Set up their company email and any necessary digital tools or platforms.
• Schedule their first week, including any necessary meetings or training sessions.

Onboarding Checklist

• Conduct an informative orientation, which includes a tour of the facility and a review of safety protocols.
• Review the job role and expectations, ensuring they understand their responsibilities and key performance indicators.
• Introduce them to their team and assign a mentor or buddy for their first few weeks.
• Introduce them to your company culture by inviting them to relevant meetings or social events.
• Provide training on job-specific tasks, ensuring they understand the tools and techniques needed for their role.
• Schedule regular check-ins during their first 30, 60, and 90 days to address any questions or concerns.
• Encourage open communication so that they feel comfortable asking questions and providing feedback.

A well-rounded manager onboarding toolkit should include all the resources you need to ensure that new hires are set up for success. The key is to be consistent, thorough, and organized in order to create an onboarding experience that makes a lasting impression on your new employees. This can result in an 82% increase in new hire retention! We’d say that’s worth the effort…

Every new hire counts — especially when the labor market is as tight as a drum. So whether you're at the helm of a landscaping crew or leading a production line, make sure you're equipped with the best onboarding practices. 

The employee onboarding template above should be a helpful starting point. But, of course, you'll want to customize it to your specific company and industry.

Automate Onboarding

If you find yourself spending more time buried in paperwork than actually onboarding new hires, it may be time to consider HR automation. Managing your onboarding process manually is like trying to dig a trench with a spoon — it's slow, arduous, and downright inefficient.

Harnessing the power of onboarding automation is like swapping your spoon for an excavator.

Here's what the best employee onboarding software can do for your recruiting, hiring, and onboarding:

• Post jobs on multiple job boards at the click of a button.
• Automatically filter through resumes, stacking the strongest candidates at the top of the pile for you.
• Automate pre-screening, saving you countless hours.
• Schedule interviews without the back-and-forth emails.
• Keep track of applicants and follow up without breaking a sweat.
• Monitor data on time-to-fill, turnover, and other key metrics to help you refine your hiring and onboarding process.
• Send text message surveys to collect feedback from new hires and existing employees
• And more!

The only thing better than a well-oiled machine is a well-oiled machine that you didn't have to grease yourself! When you automate onboarding, you can focus on what you do best while your onboarding tools handle the rest.

Consider taking Team Engine for a spin with a risk-free trial. It's the HR onboarding software designed for industries like yours!