Inna Solomatina
HR Director, Dynatech

The onboarding process sets the tone for the whole employee working experience, impacts the relationship with the manager, and affects performance at work. During the first six months of 2021, we hired 63 new employees for unique positions and almost all of them passed the probation period. Our successful employee retention rate is largely driven by the detailed onboarding process that we share in this article.

The first time at Dynatech might not seem easy for a new hire. Dynatech is a large, established company with a complex organizational structure, thus there is a lot to learn. Therefore, the onboarding process is especially important for us in order to gradually, step by step, introduce employees to the company's operations and to support them along the way. While the first working days might seem overwhelming, our onboarding process makes it easier and more enjoyable to dive into the company.

What is unique about our onboarding process is its quality. It is not just a formal procedure but a well-structured action plan, because we recognize the positive impact a successful onboarding can make. Quality comes from onboarding on several levels: with HR, with the manager, teammates, and other new employees. Frequent feedback and employee well-being checks are also in place.

Onboarding at Dynatech starts even before the first workday. A week before they begin work, an employee receives a welcoming email and information about the first working day, while the hiring manager receives a checklist of procedures that should be completed with the newbie. Additionally, we make sure that everything is ready for them to begin from day one: equipment, a deskspace, access to our systems, and a welcome pack with gifts.

Day one begins with meeting an HR colleague, who leads our new hire through several procedures. First, our HR colleague delivers an introduction to Dynatech: the company's structure, mission, and goals, an explanation of its safety rules, a tour around the office, and then introductions to the people at the help desk, where the employee receives their computing or other equipment. Afterwards, we bring them to their direct manager and workplace.

From this moment on, onboarding responsibilities are passed to the manager. We try to make the first day as smooth and easy as possible and do not expect employees to start working immediately, but, rather, to get to know their coworkers and familiarise themselves the company's digital systems. Also, we encourage them to have lunch together with their manager or coworkers and to end the working day early.

During the first two weeks, newcomers learn what we expect from them. One of the success factors of our onboarding is for the new hire and manager to agree on measurable goals for the probation period. Altogether, we have 3 checkpoints during the first 3 months, and with these meetings we aim to receive employee feedback, discuss their well-being, and, consequently, solve any problems that could arise. Since the meetings with HR are frequent, all problems are usually discussed and solved efficiently. Additionally, we give digital evaluation forms to both the managers and employees to gather feedback and assess the opinion of both sides.

On top of that, we host a Newbie Event each month for newly-hired employees. During this event, new employees can get to know each other, socialize and have fun during various activities. Another project that we usually organize at Dynatech is creating a video devoted to our new hires, where we introduce them to the rest of the staff. That helps to create awareness about the new hires and ensure all of our employees feel like one big team.

To experience the onboarding process yourself, join us at Dynatech: https://dynatech.lv/careers/.