How To Integrate New Employees To Your Team

Have you had moments where you see new employees not fitting in? Integrating new employees to your team with a seamless process is key to ensuring they fit in quickly.

As managers we know that trying to build a productive performing team can be a challenge. Introducing new employees into an established team can be difficult, and needs to be handled with care. Fortunately, there are proactive steps you can take to integrate new employees into your team.

Here are some of the things that have worked for our business and clients:

Informal Interviewing: Get others involved

Once you’ve made a hiring choice, invite other employees to an informal meeting with the candidate. Whilst you want them to get to know each other, also give the team a couple of topics to cover off that are relevant to the role. Examples are discussing how each person fits into the workflow or giving examples of bottlenecks – this allows both sides to have an interaction and see how they fit. This is a great way to gain agreement around the candidate fitting in. Giving others in a team a voice on who joins them empowers everyone!

Onboarding Process: Start off on the right foot

A structured onboarding process is essential to ensure new employees are set up for success. Simple things include – formal introduction to key members; understanding company policies and procedures; and a formal meeting with the manager to outline responsibilities and expectations. This will put your new employee on a strong footing from the outset and will allow them to feel confident right away.

Use our New Employee Checklist for a successfully tried and tested process that keeps everyone on track. It makes it easier for all involved and provides a goal-oriented approach for the new employee.

Social Introduction: Break the ice

Getting to know the team outside of the workplace is perhaps the easiest way to build rapport quickly and integrate new employees into the team. A lunch or coffee catch-up can often be the thing that breaks the ice and builds deeper connections. When there is connection and trust teams work much more cohesively and effectively.

Open Communication: Be ready to listen

So what if it’s does not go to plan and the person is not doing a great job? If this happens, be accessible and receptive to hearing feedback from your staff. Make sure they are aware you are approachable and willing to engage with them on any problems they are seeing.

Trust & Empowerment: Let go

As managers we all want the same thing – for our team members to need minimal management day to day. Empowering the person to have autonomy and showing them their boundaries and responsibilities from day one is incredibly motivating. When the team sees you have given your trust to them, they will place their confidence in the new person as well. Read this great blog from Asana on building empowerment and trust within your team.

Integrating new employees to your team needs to be handled with care. Use the above tips and maximise the success and comfort ratio for all involved!

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