Setting New Team Members Up For Success
The most underdiscussed part of talent acquisition – what to do when new talent walks in the door.
The talent and labor market for public affairs, politics, and communications broadly is going through a time of tremendous, sometimes tumultuous, change. On the one hand, we all know that the earth is shifting under our feet as artificial intelligence (AI) becomes a larger part of our work. How we perform everything from the most basic tasks to the most complex analysis is changing, even if how so remains unclear.
On the other hand, strong talent in the public affairs industry is difficult to come by. In my conversations with other founders and industry leaders, a constant challenge is the difficulty in finding the right people to help grow the firm. So, while many comment about AI replacing or augmenting some elements of work, high-quality talent has never been at a larger premium than it is now.
Our firm recently went through a hiring process for a new member of the team and sifted through more than 100 applicants to find the person with the best combination of skills, experience, and cultural fit. While AI and finding high-performing talent seem to be on the tip of most founders’ tongues, one item that is rarely discussed is how to best integrate them into your organization. Once new team members come aboard, how do we successfully onboard them into the firm?
What I do know is that early in my career, it was very much “sink or swim.” Often, I was given little direction and had to figure out through trial and error the right approach to just about every aspect of my new role, including tone and understanding. While learning on the job is critical, it’s important as business owners to help flatten the learning curve by providing a roadmap for how to be successful at the outset of your career. Candidly, when we were writing our internal documents, I wish someone would have handed me the same how-to guide at some point in my career.
But we have them now, and I do know that the first few weeks of onboarding are critical, so we’ve developed a concise formula to supercharge our new hires’ first 90 days. Let’s take a look:
The “Why”
Studies show that structured onboarding improves employee engagement and retention by approximately 50-58% (SHRM, 2017), and that effective learning throughout the early days of employment is a gradual process that requires more than a singular session (Harvard Business Review 2024). And according to BambooHR, 70 percent of new hires decide whether a job is the right fit within the first month.
This means early team engagements, manager meetings, thoughtful pre-reading assignments and job shadowing set up new hires for the best chance of a positive experience, likely driving higher employee engagement and job satisfaction (MentorcliQ, 2023). I could show you data about the significance of a structured onboarding, but most importantly for our team, it makes new hires feel supported and organized, which is how we want them to feel every day working here. And that is exactly what our process has set out to do.
The “What”
We know onboarding is important, so let’s talk about how we are adding precision, process and tailored structure to each new hire:
New hire information packet: A “NorthStar” of all logistical and practical information our hire will need to get started and navigate technology, trainings and company processes
Initial start prep checklist: A one-stop shop outlining all the administrative tasks they need to do to become fully functioning quickly and comfortably
30-60-90 day checklists and check-in template: A great tool for managers to assess new employees regularly from the start to help with any improvements or adjustments, as well as helping new hires remain engaged and starting off on the right foot
Culture support: Templates for managers to create a welcoming and encouraging work environment, and for employees to get to know their colleagues and the firm
There is a lot more that goes into our specific onboarding, but if you take away one thing, let it be this: making a new hire feel supported, organized, and a welcome and important addition to the team will get them up and running faster, and with a great attitude about their decision to join the team.
The Bottom Line
There is a lot more that goes into a successful onboarding than the sampling of tactics listed above, but I hope that sharing these drives home the importance of being organized and intentional in the first 90 days, and beyond.
Would love to hear any onboarding tips and processes that you have either experienced or provided – of course, focused on the good, but also welcome your lessons learned from the not-so-good.