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The first 45 days of employment accounts for up to 20% of worker turnover, according to an article published by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). This first impression phase between employer and employee is crucial for both.
If you’re looking to retain employees, reduce turnover and maximize productivity, a comprehensive onboarding program will help them feel confident as they get started – and making sure they’re comfortable with your IT systems should be a focal point of that program.
What Is IT Onboarding?
Onboarding is the process of integrating new team members into an organization. Standardizing this process helps achieve your goal of educating new employees about your mission, company culture, procedures and policies.
The IT onboarding for new employees introduces the technologies the employees will use on the job. This may include components such as your computer network, email addresses, virtual desktops, apps, phones and others.
Why Should IT Be a Part of My New Employee Onboarding Process?
Technology and data are key parts of most every business today, and that’s why training new employees how to use your organization’s hardware and software — and how to do so as safely as possible — is so important. Your business has assets to protect, and IT training is a critical factor in ensuring technologies are used correctly and that protocols and best practices are followed.
IT Onboarding Checklist
Every organization is a little different – and every employee uses IT in different ways specific to their roles – but here’s a general outline of what you’ll need in an IT onboarding checklist.
- New Employee Information & Technology Requirements for Their Position
Get a head start and collect information before the employee’s first day to ensure your IT staff has the appropriate technology and systems available for training and use when they arrive.
Some of the information you’ll need to gather include the employee’s name, job title, contact information, start date and hardware/software requirements. You may also need to check for any adjustments needed to accommodate a disability (e.g., alternate desk height, screen size, phone handset, etc.).
Work with the HR department to set up new accounts and employees’ company emails ahead of time for better efficiency. - Order Equipment & Other Necessary Hardware; Configure Software
Send the collected information to your IT staff along with all details about which software packages they’ll need to access. This may include email, CRM and network servers. Will your new hire be working a hybrid schedule or need to travel frequently? Consider a laptop, virtual desktop or a thin client instead of a desktop computer. - Conduct IT Onboarding Training
Training should teach new hires the proper procedures for accessing and using workplace technology. Be sure to tailor training to meet the needs of the employee and their job functions.
There are several ways new employee training can be conducted:
● In-person
● Written documentation
● Video calls
● Recorded training videos
● Online tests - Complete Cybersecurity and Privacy Training
Cybersecurity training must be a part of every employee’s onboarding process. This should include information about the antivirus software update process and endpoint detection, and the response technology your organization uses. It’s best to also include employee security practices to keep phishing attempts and other attacks at bay.
Be sure to also include privacy training and any additional industry training for all employees who will have access to your technology. For example, HIPAA training for healthcare-related organizations is especially vital. Follow up with employees after training to answer additional questions that they may have. This could be done by a supervisor or through a mentor.
Related: How Often Should You Do Cybersecurity Awareness Training?
- Inform About Ongoing Training
When concluding your IT onboarding training, remind employees that they’ll be expected to continue IT training on an ongoing basis to ensure that evolving software updates and security threats are discussed. You may also include automated phishing simulations to keep everyone on their toes – you never know when a sneaky cyberattack might be waiting around the corner.
Need Help to Construct Your IT Onboarding Checklist?
Feel free to contact Elevity to learn more about our Virtual Chief Information Officer (vCIO) and Technology Management services. We offer both fully managed and co-managed IT services to fit the needs of just about any organization – from small startups to large corporations.
How do our current Technology Management methods compare to the traditional ways of IT management? Is there really much of a difference between the two? Click the link below to access a valuable infographic that shows a clear side-by-side comparison.
