New staff members.

They’re a blessing. But getting them up and running can be messy and time-consuming.

You can throw them in the deep end by giving them a start date and letting them work out the rest themselves.

You can hand the process over to another team member, and hope they’re good at this sort of thing.

Or you can do it the smart way and save yourself a bunch of time.

You can prevent headaches and make sure all the key bases are covered.

You can have a thorough process to onboard your new team members, and get them up and running in record time

That’s right. A process – or a system – to get it done effectively and efficiently. Every. Single. Time.

If you haven’t already worked it out, I’m BIG on systems and processes. Because they ensure things are done thoroughly each and every time.

Which saves you time, and frees you up to do the important stuff.

We’ve already covered the 5 Steps For Building an Elite Team, and I’ve given you a Cheat Sheet For Hiring Stellar Staff. Now we’re looking at onboarding.

So why is it so crucial to onboard new hires effectively?

Well, it’s not just about getting new hires operational, it’s also about having happy, high performing staff.

It’s about reducing staff turnover and patient churn. It’s about having staff with greater organisational commitment and reduced workplace stress.

It’s about gaining a competitive advantage in an increasingly mobile workforce.

You want all of those things, right? And you get them by ensuring you onboard your new staff well.

Now, I know you’re crazy-busy running a successful dental practice, and you don’t have time to start from scratch.

So swipe my Onboarding New Staff Checklist to ensure you cover all the details of getting your new staff up to speed, fast!

Use this checklist as a starting point to create your own onboarding checklist. Each time a new employee starts with you, print this out and check off each item as it’s completed.

When complete, have both a current staff member and the new starter sign and date the form. Then file it in the employee’s file.

Here’s my list:

Onboarding New Staff Checklist

Δ Letter of offer

Δ Contract / enterprise agreement

Δ Job description

Δ Letter of acceptance

Δ Tax declaration

Δ Bank details

Δ Superannuation details

Δ Xero login

Δ Staff contact and next of kin details completed

Δ Uniforms issued

Δ Practice manual read

Δ Policies read and signed

Δ Infection control

Δ Workplace Health and Safety

Δ Social media

Δ Team values

Δ Training chart completed

Δ Key to premises

Δ Security code

Δ Vaccination checklist

Start Happy, Stay Happy

Staff turnover is time-consuming and costly. It also has a direct impact on your patient retention.

If you can retain your staff, you’ll retain your patients. It’s a simple as that.

And here’s something that many businesses don’t know.

Around 50% of people decide whether or not they’ll stay in a job within the first month of starting.

Some people make their minds up on the first day.

So getting onboarding right is critical.

In fact, onboarding a new hire is like starting any new relationship.

You don’t necessarily know where things will end up. But it’s important to start things off right, so the relationship has the opportunity to grow and blossom.

You both want this relationship to do well. You want it to be as happy and fulfilling and long-lasting as possible.

You want to be able to trust and rely on each other.

So start the process today. Get your onboarding system in place, and start reaping the rewards today.