Comstock's magazine 1217 - December 2017 | Page 32

n LEADERSHIP
WELCOME ABOARD
Follow this checklist for onboarding a new team member
BY Katie Miller
I WOULD IMAGINE THAT WE HAVE
ALL EXPERIENCED BEING THE NEW
PERSON IN A WORKPLACE, hop-
ing to be welcomed and included
from day one. But joining an already
engaged and unified team can be
really difficult.
Most of us walk into this situation
unsure of what to expect, uncomfort-
able with asking questions and fear-
ing some level of judgment from our
new coworkers or boss. So we tread
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lightly from the start. That’s why it’s
incumbent upon the existing team to
ensure a successful onboarding by tak-
ing some very specific actions early in
the process.
Study after study has proven that
healthy, cohesive teams are more pro-
ductive, efficient and creative, which
typically leads to greater profitabil-
ity, staff retention and higher levels
of morale. Even having one member
not performing cohesively with the
rest of the group can hinder a team’s
performance tremendously.
Convinced? Good.
Now, follow this checklist for on-
boarding a new team member.
IDENTIFY A MAIN POINT OF CON-
TACT. Navigating a new team structure,
working styles, performance expecta-
tions, processes, procedures and distri-
bution of work are just a few examples
of what new team members must learn.
The new teammate should have one