Bringing a new employee into your business is such an exciting opportunity! Ideally, this individual is arriving with great energy and a new set of skills, so the first few weeks are critical in harnessing that energy and building a cultural foundation for them. After all, you’ve taken the time to conduct interviews, learn about this person, and trust them with a role, so be sure to go the extra mile and onboard them professionally and not just toss them in an office or a bay. While it is easy to set someone up for short-term success, it is better to embed them in the team for long-term gains. Strong onboarding does that.

While I am by no means a hiring guru, here are some pointers I have found useful:

1. Have a syllabus ready. Lay out an onboarding plan for them. Mine is two weeks long. They receive their syllabus with their welcome package upon job acceptance. That way when they start on day one, there is no question on who to report to and what will be covered. And because it clearly outlines the next two weeks of their life at our shop, it takes the pressure off when they walk through the doors, but it also builds excitement. All of my team members also receive this syllabus, so everyone knows where they are expected to be during onboarding.
2. Be ready to go before your new hire arrives on day one. Have HR paperwork, their workspace, and their welcome gift ready (if you offer one). Show them you took time to plan for them, prepare for them, and start them off on the right foot.  
3. Stick to the syllabus. While it is easy to become distracted in business, the most important person during onboarding should be your new hire. Someone needs to be dedicated to them through the entire process to fulfill the syllabus. Don’t try to cut corners as it creates holes in their knowledge and could become a potential liability. It also shows them you don’t value job completion.
4. Take them to lunch. Each day, have someone on your team take your new hire to lunch as a “get to know your team” moment. If you don’t have the ability to do this, offer them a foodie map of the area and the approved lunch times so they know what to do and where to go.
5. Use the buddy system. You don’t have to be the one doing all the onboarding. If I have a new tech coming in and intend to cover shop basics on a certain day, have one of your techs teach that section. My teaching tech gets paid on training time, so it doesn’t result in lost time for them. It also creates leadership opportunities for my teaching technician while fostering a team connection for the new hire.
6. Finish each day with a verbal recap. Ask them what they learned, enjoyed, or needed clarification. Those conversations are an important barometer in determining retention and excitement levels. Keep communication open and flowing. You may be surprised at what you hear. 

There are so many more tips I could offer, but these are solid starting points to build a great onboarding process and a beautiful future with your new hire.