4 Strategies for Successful Onboarding

You finally found someone to fill that vacant position at your community. Congratulations! But don’t relax just yet. Unless you want to replace that new hire again within 90 days, your work is just beginning. Here are four tips to ensure your newest team member feels at home, can tackle the tasks they were hired to do, and sticks around.

1. Stay in Touch Until Day One

Your dream candidate said ‘yes’ to your job offer—awesome! Your courtship isn’t over yet. Don’t go dark on them. In reality, they’re not all that invested in you or your company yet and could easily be tempted by other offers. Stay in touch and connect them to other members of the organization to start creating those co-worker bonds. Now is also the perfect time to answer the many questions they may have about their new role. Send their new hire handbook in advance. Schedule a time and date for their Day One on the job, and provide everything they need to know to get ready and excited (Where will they park? What should they wear? What's the usual protocol for lunch breaks? What are the office hours?).

2. Create a Warm Welcome

As an apartment professional, you know how to make a fabulous first impression on your prospects and residents. Use those same skills to create a warm welcome for your new team member for their first day. Post a welcome message on your leasing center chalkboard or sign; reserve a front row parking spot and mark it with balloons; prepare a clean and inviting workspace that’s equipped with the tools they need; provide logo items to make them feel like a part of the team.

3. Tag Team their Orientation

Getting your new hire informed about what they’ll be doing and how to do it is a big job, so share the responsibility with multiple team members. For example, the Service Director can tour them through the grounds and amenities; the Assistant Manager can demonstrate how to use your various systems and software; and so on. An advantage to this approach is that you build a large network of people your new hire is connected to, strengthening their bond to your team.

4. Focus on the First-Day Feeling

The first day on the job is very stressful for a new hire. Make it your goal to minimize their discomfort. You want your new employee to go home at the end of the day feeling like they made a great choice to join your team. This won’t happen if they spend the day slogging through piles of paperwork. A positive first-day feeling will result when they start building their network with their coworkers, when their colleagues dedicate time and attention to them, and when they are exposed to the actual work they were hired to do.

According to thousands of employee feedback surveys completed by multifamily new hires, the first few days on the job are rough. In fact, 45% of new employees feel that their first week on the job was disorganized according to the Swift Bunny Index. A confusing, chaotic start means many new hires don’t feel confident or competent to do their jobs. That's not just awkward and uncomfortable for them, but it means they can’t begin to contribute. Follow these four strategies to start your new hires off strong.