So you’ve got a new hire and it’s time to bring them on board…on top of finding investors, securing funding, developing your product, working on your product pitch, looking for other new hires, possibly liaising with recruitment agencies, building a customer base and about a million other things. Onboarding new hires the right way is so crucial to retention, but when you’re low on resources and manpower, it can seem pretty daunting.

David Tuck, co-founder and CEO of Mayday, documented his experience of onboarding their first commercial team member in his Starting Up Again diaries:

‘I’d forgotten how much time it takes to onboard a new team member properly. But this is one step back, potentially infinite steps forward territory.’

He captures the conflict of the onboarding process perfectly; yes, it can be time-consuming and challenging, but in the long run the investment will pay off ten times over. Having a great onboarding programme improves staff retention by a whopping 82%, whilst employees who have a poor onboarding experience are two times more likely to look for a new job ASAP. Those statistics really speak for themselves. No matter how busy you are, onboarding should be a top priority.

‘The challenge now is to onboard [the team member] as quickly as possible so they’re firing on all cylinders; at the same time as not false economy cutting corners on the understanding they need to be able to do their job well.’

Essentially, it’s all about the conflict of speed versus quality. So how do you get the best of both worlds?

Pre-boarding

The number one step is pre-boarding – but don’t worry, we’ve already got you covered there with this guide! To break it down for you, pre-boarding is the stage between a job offer being made and the new hire’s start date, and the most important takeaway is that communication is king (as always). Even if you’re rushed off your feet, take five minutes just to pop over a quick email or message expressing you’re excited for them to join the team and to address a few key questions, such as dress code, timings, parking and all that fun stuff. This is a very low effort way to communicate proactivity and care – you could get it done on your morning commute, or whilst waiting for your lunch. Radio silence until they walk through the door or sign on for the first time can be a real turn-off for new hires, and could mean they start with a sour taste in their mouth.

Welcome and introductions

Whilst being a busy startup might restrict your onboarding process in some ways, in other ways it can be a real advantage. At larger companies, new hires often get lost in the shuffle and it becomes more a process of assimilation than onboarding. In a startup, your new hire will most likely be rubbing shoulders with the founder/s: this creates such a unique opportunity for employees to really intimately understand the company, its goals, purpose and foundation from the very beginning.

‘We’re working together in person 4 days a week for the next month as part of [our new hire’s] onboarding.’

As David highlights, this level of hands-on collaboration is key; learning will become a process of osmosis rather than being prescriptive. Take the time out of your day to have a one-to-one with your new employee on their first day, and try to check in relatively regularly over their first month, even if that’s just stopping by their desk or popping over a Teams/Slack message to say hello and ask how their day’s going; you’d be surprised how big of an impact this can have.

Team connections

Whether your headcount is 3, 13 or 30 right now – it’s the team connections and how they slot into the culture that is really going to shape your new starter’s experience and determine if they stick around. Prior to their first day, make sure you keep the team in the loop about them joining and share a little about them if you have time – even just a quick email or a note in Teams. On the first day, things like deskside introductions (even if it’s a whistle-stop tour), a team lunch or a team video call can really go a long way in encouraging positive relationships and ensuring your new hire feels comfortable.

David Tuck details a few core strategies that worked for them at Mayday:

‘We’ve put in place some, as light as possible, new processes with this exciting new juncture. Introducing daily standups and a regular commitment to personal learning as a team with an hour a day devoted to it.’

These strategies are people-centric and revolve around collaboration and teamwork whilst also prioritising focus – that’s why they work. Think about incorporating some similar strategies in your own startup!

Create your version of a 30-60-90 plan

A lot of big companies talk about the 30-60-90 plan: the first 30 days covers intensive training and building a fundamental understanding of the company, industry and role; the 30-60 day mark is for your new hire to put what they’ve learnt into practise, and is seen as the trial and error phase; and finally, the 60-90 day period is when they start to master these skills and really settle in. But the secret is – one size doesn’t fit all. And for a lot of exceptionally busy startups, this isn’t always the easiest model to follow.

‘We have an ambitious goal to get [our new hire] firing on all cylinders by one month in. We are on track.’

As David documents, his goal was to condense the 30-60-90 day plan to just 30 days – an ambitious target, as he admits himself. But for startups, who move very quickly and require an all-hands-on-deck mentality, it can be important to move quickly in the onboarding process within reason. And in startup culture, often a month’s intensive onboarding and then just getting them stuck in, can be just as advantageous as an extended 90-day plan. Like we said, it’s about osmosis rather than assimilation!

We understand that finding the time to onboard new team members amid startup life can be tough; but getting it right now will really help you in the long run.

To read more from David Tuck and his first-hand experience of growing startups, check out his Starting Up Again Diaries here.

And if you have any questions about your onboarding strategy, drop our co-founder and CEO Alan Furley a message on LinkedIn or give us a call on 0117 428 0600!