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Onboarding Responsibilities#

Outline of the key roles in the onboarding process

Note

When a new employee starts with us, we are all responsible for making them feel welcome and ready for their new role from day 1. However there are a few very key players in every onboarding, and here we lay out the expectations and responsibilities of each 😊

Lead Responsibilities#

The lead, along with HR is the driving force behind every onboarding. The lead should make it their business to make sure their new hire is ready to go from day one, and has the best possible experience being onboarded in their new role, allowing for the best possible chance of success with us.

Before the employee starts:

  • Connect with the new employee via email before their start date 
  • Work with HR to define the employee's onboarding goals and plan
    • In order to foster a feeling of success, we should be giving the new hire realistic milestones to hit for their first week, first month, second month, and end of probation. These should be role specific and progressive.
    • For example, for a marketing role, a good first week goal may be to draft and send their first tweet, where as a first month milestone could be a bigger task, such as to undertake a competitor analysis.
    • By having these goals we can prepare someone for a role in an interactive way, which also builds their confidence and self belief.
  • Ensure the onboarding plan is ready to be shared with the new hire 1 week before they start

From the first day:

  • First meeting on first day to explain the onboarding plan and process 
    • Explain the new employee’s role, and importance 
    • Explain the onboarding plan, and the mini goal approach to the end of each week 
    • Explain your team’s approach to time tracking e.g. which tickets to use, how detailed to go, how to track flexitime etc. 
    • Advise new hire of flexible work hour arrangements and how you as a Lead manage this
    • Go through who the new hire will meet coming up 
    • Go through the training to be expected 
    • Setting preferred work hours in your calendar 
  • Daily check ins in the first week, 2-3 times weekly from week 2
  • Guiding the onboarding goals with the employee, and tasks required to get there 
  • Making sure the new hire meets workstream and other relevant role related people
  • Connect the new hire with relevant colleagues - new hire should book these themselves, with the existing colleagues given the “heads up” by the lead

Info

Here’s a link to the 1:1 templates in Lattice, with a specific template to follow for a lead’s first 1:1 for a new hire. Lattice 1:1 Templates

Buddy Responsibilities#

The onboarding buddy is the person a new starter can go to for more the cultural onboarding. Technical/role-based topics are covered by their Lead and relevant colleagues.

If you think about an onboarding buddy in a traditional office-based environment, this would be the person that shows a new starter where the coffee machine is, whether it’s ok to bring a plant in for your desk, or where to find the stationery. In a remote environment we have different considerations, but one thing that is the same across both, is introducing the new starter to other team members - making sure that they are welcomed in watercooler conversations, explaining who’s who in the company - giving inside information. Basically being the person that a new starter can come to in their first weeks, to ask the possibly more strange and obscure questions without fear.

Before the new employee starts:

  • Connect with the new employee via email before their start date to say “hi”
  • Book time in the new employee’s work calendar, to welcome them on their first day (this should be in the afternoon ideally, once they have settled)

From the first day:

  • Welcome call with new hire, and maintaining presence and availability as a point of contact throughout the onboarding
  • Support and welcome new hire through integration into our culture; meeting expectations, introduction to social channels they can join, joining them at watercoolers and introducing them to other team members
  • Providing “inside information” on the workings of amazee.io, and who’s who etc in an informal manner, usually as and when questions arise from the employee
  • Weekly 15-30 minute syncs for the first month
  • Bring topics to the attention of the Lead or HR should such needs arise

HR will find the best placed person to take on this role for each new starter. Often this will be a Feel Good Manager, unless another volunteer is available - dependant on timezones, current workload, etc.
The Onboarding Buddy role is only needed for the first 3 months.

HR Responsibilities#

The HR manager is responsible for the overall project management of every onboarding, and ultimately that every single onboarding is a success from start to finish.

Before the employee starts:

  • Coordination of all key stakeholders involved in the onboarding, and the setting up and ownership of the Project Management board on Monday.com
  • Frequent communication with the new hire so they don’t feel “out in the cold” before they start with us. Including keeping the candidate update with the onboarding plans and progress/what to expect
  • Ensure the candidate is fully prepared to start, and has no surprises
  • Review and collate all the new hires paperwork and relevant documents
  • 2 x reference checks and obtain new hires professional/educational certifications and documents
  • Obtain the new hires tech order, via the tech order form
  • Setup the new hires cultural onboarding meetings: CEO, BizOps, Marketing

From the first day:

  • Undertake welcome meeting on the new hire’s first day
  • Guide employee through cultural and conduct expectations at amazee.io
  • Explain HR’s role, and how HR can support them
  • Introduce new hire to benefits, how to use them and what they are for
  • Introduce new hire to Lattice (surveys, reviews, praise, 1:1s) 
  • Explain onboarding survey and its importance to complete 
  • Explain Donut and what to expect 
  • Field any questions 
  • Explain referral process
  • Undertake catch up meeting 1 week into the onboard
  • Remain as project manager, key point of contact, and regular new hire contact until the onboard is completed

IT Responsibilities#

The IT team are responsible for ensuring the smoothest possible technical start for the new hire.

Before the employee starts:

  • Work with HR Manager and new hire to make sure the new hire has all of their hardware ready before their first day
  • Set up and activation of employee’s work email address - 2 weeks before start date
  • Ensure as much of a zero touch onboarding process as possible, with all relevant access setup from day 1

From the first day:

  • Maintained a point of contact for IT related issues, if any
  • First week check in to go through some key IT tips and knowledge, such as:
  • Provide IT Security training to new hire