Tips on Onboarding Your New Employees

There’s nothing more rewarding than business growth, but it does come with more responsibility. Onboarding new employees in accounting can be a daunting task for organizations without training protocols and systems in place. Developing an in-depth sample onboarding plan for new employees is a guaranteed way to set your staff and organization up for success. 

In this article, we’ll cover onboarding tips and the advantages of establishing an effective training protocol. 

The Benefits to a Sample Onboarding Plan for New Employees

One of the main reasons for onboarding new employees is because it gets everyone in your organization on the same page. If everyone goes through the same training, they will all have a better understanding of how the organization works and the tasks they are expected to complete in their role. 

When starting a new job, many people are nervous and have a hard time adjusting if there isn’t an onboarding plan in place. An onboarding process is necessary to put them at ease and integrate them into the organization. 

The ultimate goal of onboarding new employees is to set your new staff up efficiently, so they can quickly become key players in the organization to help your company excel.  

In-office Vs. Remote Onboarding: What You Need to Know 

The onboarding process differs for organizations depending on whether the employee is to work in-office, hybrid, or remotely. Your onboarding plan must address the correct working environment for your employees. 

For instance, when onboarding new employees in accounting, it’s highly likely you’ll need to set up a computer, phone, email, etc. for those working in the office. Since they will be in-office, you can focus more on the technical side of onboarding and ensure that all their systems are up and running, so they can start working. 

For onboarding new employees in accounting remotely, you may want to focus more on putting together a guide that answers most frequently asked questions. Since the employee will not be in the office, they are not going to be as easy to communicate with, and putting together an FAQ book is a great way to ensure all of their questions are answered.

If they are using their own devices, you should also put together a list of communication technology your team uses, such as Slack and Zoom, and ensure that your new employees have the correct applications downloaded to work from home. 

Watch Brittnie Eiden of Eiden Tax & Accounting on how to streamline the client onboarding process with TaxDome:

How to Put Your Onboarding Guide Together 

If your organization is in the process of hiring new employees, it’s time to standardize your internal and external processes to create an onboarding guide. The onboarding guide can be in many formats, including a checklist, a booklet, a step-by-step guide, an online template, etc. 

Many organizations tend to put together a new employee checklist that details all of the tasks your new employee needs to complete on their first day or week. An easy-to-follow list will help your new employees to adjust to their new working environment. 

Onboarding packets typically come in multiple stages. For instance, you can filter the checklist to produce a pre-onboarding phase that occurs before the employee starts. In this phase, you may want the employee to sign documents, read the handbook, etc. 

The second phase falls into the orientation phase, which is when the employee starts work at the organization. During this phase, you can give them an actionable list of things to do to get them settled in, including meeting team members and getting connected to the organization’s tech stack. 

What You Should Know About Onboarding New Employees

As a firm owner, once you have your sample onboarding plan for new employees, there are more things to be aware of to ensure your organization is prepared to welcome its new staff. 

1. Set up the workstation. Before your new employee arrives, make sure their workspace is completely set up. This means all computers, devices, supplies etc. should be on their desk. Email accounts and telephone lines need to already be connected so you’re not spending their first day struggling to deal with setting up accounts.
2. Prepare onboarding documentation. It’s time to prepare your new employee’s documentation! From welcome letters to job descriptions to organizational charts to key contacts, ensure your new employee has a full understanding of their role and expectations once arriving. With TaxDome, you can assign a task to a new employee using its checklist capabilities and check their progress live to ensure they’re on track!
3. Assign an existing employee to help them get settled. One of the scariest aspects of starting a new job is working with strangers. To help your new employee acclimate to their new job, assign an existing employee or mentor to show them around and get settled. This is a great way to help them meet their co-workers.
4. Create task templates for new hires. The first week of a new job can be daunting for anyone. To help your new employee adjust faster, provide them with a checklist to complete during their first week of work. This checklist can include a list of documents they should read and sign, such as NDAs, contracts, tax forms, superannuation details, and more. Many employers have their employees fill out forms that disclose details about themselves including their interests, because it helps the employer get to know their new staff member on a more personal level.
5. Easily monitor your new hire’s progress. With TaxDome, seniors can follow clients and jobs they assign to new hires and get notified about any changes made. Now you can make sure your new hire is adjusting and staying on task without having to ask questions.

Make the Onboarding Process Simple and Effective

Starting a new job can be an exciting and daunting task. With TaxDome, you and your staff are always on the same page thanks to shared inbox, team communication, and standardized processes.

Read this case study to learn more about how one of our clients, Brooklyn FI, scaled from a solopreneur to 13 staff members using TaxDome!