How to onboard your new hires?

What this onboarding kit covers

Companies put a lot of energy into hiring, then ease off once the offer is accepted. Yet the probation period is a test on both sides: a new hire can leave after a few weeks. This 10-page kit gathers three tips so onboarding starts at signature and lasts until the end of the probation period. The PDF is in French; the summary below covers its key points.

Tip 1: prepare onboarding before the start date

Two weeks, a month or more can pass between the accepted offer and day one. In a tight tech market, your new hire still receives other offers. Silence is the worst option. The kit's checklist:

• send an email summarising the offer, with the job description and missions;
• prepare the equipment (laptop, charger…) and install the tools they need;
• prepare an org chart or a welcome booklet with the house rules;
• confirm by email the date, time, address and paperwork to bring;
• plan a welcome breakfast or drinks;
• tell the team when the person arrives and what their role will be.

Tip 2: get the first day and first week right

The kit recommends making the first week about observation rather than output: understanding the company's stakes, absorbing its culture, learning the tools. In practice:

• an immersion schedule across every team;
• a mentor (buddy) to guide the first steps;
• lunches with different teams throughout the week.

Tip 3: follow up until the end of the probation period

A check-in at the end of the first week to hear how it went and how onboarding could improve. Then at least monthly check-ins until the end of the probation period, on management and team integration. They help anticipate how the probation period will end.

Two closing tips: start new hires arriving around the same time on the same day so they integrate together, and keep the values shown in interviews consistent with those lived during the probation period.

Further reading

• Is your new hire starting remotely? Our white paper Successfully onboarding a developer remotely covers full-remote onboarding.
• Before onboarding comes evaluation: 3 steps to evaluate a developer.

FAQ

When does onboarding a new hire start?

As soon as the offer is accepted, not on day one. It continues until the end of the probation period.

How should you organise a new hire's first week?

As an observation period: an immersion schedule across teams, a mentor (buddy) and lunches with the teams, so they understand the company's stakes and learn the tools.

What check-ins should you plan during the probation period?

One at the end of the first week, then at least one a month until the end of the probation period, on management and team integration.