Hiring a new member of staff can sometimes fill the hiring manager with dread, especially if you’re a smaller firm with no HR department to do all the leg work for you.

Here are some tips to help your business bring new employees in as stress free as possible.

Provide a Starter Pack 

Companies often choose to provide new employees with a starter pack, this can include key information about the company, its’ history, ethos and direction but also information on departments and staff members, important phone numbers and emails and schedules of colleagues they will be working with so they can plan ahead as much as possible.

Often, starter packs are provided on the first day but why not get ahead and send this out in the post or by email instead, not only will this give the staff member a chance to actually read it through but it’ll help secure their position and start date with them; making them feel like they are already a part of the company therefore reducing the risk of accepting alternative offers.

Structure, structure, structure

So often we hear from candidates who are looking to leave their current role they’ve only been in for a matter of months because of lack of structure. Make sure you have the contract sent out to the candidate as soon as possible, again this will give them the chance to peruse the contract before their start date but also give them security knowing you’re a company who does things by the book and has proper arrangements in place.

Providing candidates with a copy of your company SOP’s (Standard Operating Procedures) before their start date will also give them a head start in the company. If you don’t have a formal SOP you could provide them with procedures specifically for duties within their role.

Don’t wait until they’ve started to provide them with a desk, phone, computer and email – get these in place before their first day so there can be no delay to them starting work.

Touch Base

It can be very daunting starting a new role in a company full of people you don’t know. Make sure you connect with the new employee on a regular basis in the first few weeks – give them opportunity to ask questions, bring up any areas of concern or offer further guidance and training.

Speaking of training, if the position has the opportunity to progress you could discuss with the candidate in the first week the potential to take on further skills and training offered by the company. Again, this will prove to the candidate you are serious about their career starting in the company and want to invest in their future.

Hopefully these tips will help you have a smooth hiring process and fill your new employee with confidence and help them to settle in.