Although effectively integrating new staff is an investment in employee retention, morale and productivity, many companies still leave new employees to feel their way through their first few months on the job.

Successful integrating:

• Presents a strategic opportunity for culture-building and for creating a bond with the new employee.
• Accelerates the crafting of the new employee into the image the company wants to project.
• Ensures the company’s services/products are delivered in a consistent manner that meets quality standards.
• Provides a means of bringing the new employee to a level of high productivity as quickly as possible.

A strong integration program should include the following elements:

• Begin during the hiring process itself – share challenges as well as the company’s vision; help them understand how they can contribute to the company’s vision; make sure they understand the company’s passion and focus; pace the recruitment process so that a comfort level exists on both sides; show new employees exactly where they will be located.
• Welcome new employees; make lunch plans for them.
• Make sure they have all of the following on their first day: business cards, office supplies; keys, company identification and access cards, email and systems access, payroll information, internal phone directory, a map of the office/building.
• Set up a meeting with the team they will be working with.
• Introduce new employees not only to important relationships in the company, but also advise them on how to build these relationships.
• Arrange for them to sit in on key meetings to listen and learn.
• Assign a mentor to meet with the new employee daily, then weekly, then monthly so that questions and concerns can be addressed immediately.
• Provide the new employee with constructive feedback within the first several weeks.

Above all, don’t make the customary deadly mistake limiting your integration procedure to parking new employees at a desk and handing them the company policy and operations manual. The critical first few months on the job can determine whether or not you retain your new hires.