How to facilitate the adaptation to new work

Michael Prytula

Head of HR Preply. Previously, he worked in Wargaming, "STB", "Alfa-Bank." More than 12 years in HR.

Subject adaptation of employees, or as it is called in the West, onboarding, the subject of many studies, articles, recommendations and even books in the style of "your first 90 days at a new job." I will not overload you with references to books, statistics, links and other things, and get right to the point and give a few tips from my 12 years of experience in HR.

Adaptation does not happen by itself

Whatever it may have been cool professional. Is a belief that if we take on the job superkrutogo pros, he certainly will understand for himself what to do and how to adapt. Like, it's almost a sign of a professional. Not adapted - hence, not a pro. Following!

In fact, at best, delayed adaptation of the employee and reach full capacity in 3-6 months (depending on the level of positions and positions of difficulty). With high-quality adaptation, this period is reduced by half.

How much do you pay there your new marketing director? 5000 dollars a month? And how do you think your efforts are worth 15 000 dollars that you save us? Agencies for finding the candidates you pay three salaries pity, and to adapt them easily you lose?

The first day is critical

So, you understand that adaptation - a very useful thing. What to do, where to go? Hiring urgently HR-manager, who will be engaged in the adaptation of your employees? No, at first calm down. 90% success rate of adaptation laid down in the first working day, and the head under the force to do it qualitatively. But will have to prepare.

Documentation

Make sure that by the time the documents are signed (the staff did not like it when signing documents now delayed for a few days). It is better to do it in advance, if possible.

The "STB" we, for example, send the candidate profile that the person filling the house and sent to us. In "1C" We had all the templates of contracts, where we loaded the candidate profile, and 5 minutes to print all documents. The employee will not have to wait until your personnel officer pick up its data by hand.

In Preply we did sign all contracts in DocuSign, we do not even have such a thing as go to the personnel department. Man sends a scan of the passport, we bring in the contract is loaded into DocuSign and send for signing the CEO and the employee. Digital signature, you can even put the phone.

The workplace and the need for access

All uchotki should be instituted: mail, Slack and others. We do this as soon as the contract is signed.

Check that the computer is ready, a table and a chair waiting for the owner. Cherry on the cake - a beginner package: pen and notebook with logo, T-shirt, a set of stickers, ribbon for the badge, company badge (budget - $ 10-15).

Familiarity with office and staff

Employees must be informed. If the company employs less than 100 people - write in Slack, who joined us, we throw in a link to your LinkedIn profile (- on Facebook in Russia). If your company has more than 100 people - doing the same thing, but only within the department (which is also up to 100 people).

On the first day arrange a tour of the office: here we have a kitchen, a toilet here, then meeting room (which we book like this), we smoke here there is accounting, but now our favorite pony Director.

Introduce a beginner with those sitting nearby: "Colleagues, minute attention, we were joined by (...), I beg to love and favor."

How to behave if you are ...

head

Congratulations, you have the honor to adapt the new employee. For you, this one does not, but it will definitely help. So, what do you have to do:

1. Meet the staff in the morning. Mark it in your calendar immediately, or ask the HR always celebrate the release date of a new employee.
2. Spend it at the office. Show the workplace, make sure that the employee is always logged.
3. Spend an hour conversation with the newcomer. Talk about your company on the Division, the main tasks (general and personal). Tell that employee needs to study in the first week, which is expected in the first three months of it.

   Here you desired documents. Here are the names of those with whom I would like you to talk about something. With me to communicate better in a certain form, so appoint a meeting, contact on such matters. The next time we meet with you then that.

4. Smile. This is extremely important. Even if you are paralyzed half his face, smile the rest. I'm serious, do not be surly, employees come to the company, and moving away from the head.
5. Put them in writing of the problem and fix, at least send a letter by mail (this is after the meeting, when the tasks discussed orally).
6. Give all the necessary documents and access.
7. Select a team of experienced and sociable person and assign a mentor for the employee. For a beginner it will be able to handle all matters.

The new employee

1. Think about what information you are missing and where it will take you. Feel free to ask questions.
2. Understand their problems in the first week, one month, three months. If the manager is not voiced, ask yourself.
3. Write down the names of everyone with whom to know new people. In general, the first time I recommend you to record everything: a large amount of information, just forgotten.
4. Talk about a very brief acquaintance with each example:

   I Misha, 12 years in HR, working in the "Alfa-Bank", "STB", Wargaming, made the most successful online courses in HR Laba, author articles about life hacking to resumeWhich read one million times.

   In a start-up environment, this is called "pitching" or elevator speech. Prepare in advance. For new employees you have no one, not yet tell us about yourself. Do not miss the chance to make a good impression right away.
5. If the position involves the introduction of changes in the company, the easiest way to make them in the first 60 days, then it will be harder. Especially if you need to take unpopular decisions, or simply complex: hiring and dismissal of employees, transfer position, the transition to the new software, the new form of reporting, rebuilding process, investment in something new.
6. Plan small victories, they will help to generate confidence in you. For example, select a small problem that you could solve in the first 60 days, and focus on them. Set aside while tasks that require more than 60 days of your work. Here, I would have brought an analogy with the Agile approach to programming, when we do not try to do just a very large and very complex product, and divide it into parts and develop gradually.
7. Make an 30-minute meeting with all those with whom you work. Prepare in advance a list of questions and record the answers.
8. Ask what works well, what is bad, you need to change. Will gather a lot of information and build trust.
9. Conduct audits and Present results if you are a manager or an expert.
10. Arrange with the leader of the regular meeting face to face to talk about the results and receive feedback.
11. Smile colleagues. Nobody wants to work with sullen staff, even if you are so far under stress.

HR

I could write an entire book, but I will give some of the most important tips:

1. Do newcomers days: collect them in front of the old staff and ask them to tell briefly about yourself (5 minutes). We do so in Preply, and it's really cool work.
2. Use special software to configure notifications employees and all involved, so that they do not forget what to do when leaving the employee. We use BambooHR, where there is a section Onboarding, you can set up a notification by any employee with any goals and deadlines. For example, three days before the release of the admin staff is notified of account creation, and on the day of release - Head of the need to set targets.
3. Regularly communicate with newcomers. If you do not have HR-business partner, let your recruiters communicate with beginners once a week.

Colleague

Of course, as a colleague you do not have any responsibilities for the adaptation of newcomers, but you can definitely benefit for themselves. People well remember who helped them in difficult times (though not always talk about it publicly), so you have every chance to build a good relationship with a newcomer, and then count on his help. Here are some tips:

1. Get to know first. Walk up and say, "Hi, my name is Michael, I'm here Head of HR. I see you've signed up, let's get acquainted. "
2. Tell him to come back to you for any questions.
3. Tell us what you think yourself important and necessary.
4. Invite to dinner.
5. Ask about past experiences beginner, plans and purposes. Give useful information to achieve them.

conclusion

Adaptation many companies are either not carried out or carried out very poorly, resulting in suffering as a business and employee. The reason - lack of understanding of the process from both sides. Simple tips above will help to significantly improve the process of adaptation in the company, even if you do not have HR-employees.