Manager Onboarding: Your Guide to New Leadership Hires

We’re no stranger to manager onboarding at Process Street and we fully appreciate the value a well-defined process for the first 30-60-90 days brings to our business.

By making sure our manager onboarding process is transparent, smooth, and efficient, we can guarantee our new hires get a headstart in their new role.

Since we’re experts at manager onboarding, we thought it would be a good idea to share with you all that we know.

Here’s a breakdown of what we’re going to be looking at:

What is manager onboarding?
How is manager onboarding different from typical employee onboarding?
Manager onboarding benefits
Manager onboarding challenges
Manager onboarding steps/stages
Manager onboarding best practices
In summary: The best way to onboard new managers

What is manager onboarding?

To “onboard a manager” is to integrate them into your workforce by getting them fully acquainted with your company and its processes.

But this doesn’t just apply to new hires. If you’ve promoted someone from within the organization, they should also be onboarded properly.

Yes, they will already know all the ins and outs of your business, but becoming a leader is a big step. One that requires careful planning and organization.

How is manager onboarding different from typical employee onboarding?

Acquiring a manager doesn’t necessarily involve adding a new person to your team. In such cases, the onboarding process will look much different from typical employee onboarding.

But assuming that the manager is a new hire, then the process of onboarding will look similar.

So let’s quickly establish what employee onboarding should involve:

Welcome the employee into your company
Prepare paperwork
Give them a tour of the office
Introduce team members
Provide job-specific training
Continue with the onboarding for another 3 months

Now, let’s take a look at the onboarding of an existing employee who’s been promoted:

Team meeting to introduce the new manager and congratulate them
Training on employee wellbeing
Shadowing an existing leader
Frequent meetings to ensure the manager’s ideas and concerns are addressed

As you can see, the process of onboarding a manager won’t be the same as bringing a new employee on board.

Unless the new manager is also freshly hired. In such instances, the onboarding should be a little longer and more thorough and include steps from both categories.

Keep in mind that this requires a lot of planning and, if done manually, can also be extremely time-consuming.

That’s why it’s always advisable to take advantage of relevant onboarding software.

Luckily, you don’t have to get expensive products that make promises but don’t deliver. Utilizing a workflow software management tool can be a great way to keep your whole onboarding as streamlined as possible.

What’s more, such software won’t just help you with onboarding, but also with all the company processes.

Manager onboarding benefits

So, how will your company benefit from having a manager onboarding program?

A well-designed onboarding program will help you in many different ways:

Proper manager onboarding reduces new hire churn

According to researchers, a proper onboarding program can improve retention by as much as 82%.

Clearly outlining the first steps of manager onboarding boosts productivity

Taking the time to introduce new managers into their jobs often results in them being more productive and better trained.

Manager onboarding acts as a foundation for a happy workforce

As with onboarding any new employee, successful manager onboarding creates a happier and more loyal workforce

Manager onboarding creates better leaders

Those who receive proper training right from the start are more likely to do their jobs better. This is especially important in the case of managers who should provide support to their colleagues.

Challenges of manager onboarding

What’s the hardest part about onboarding a new manager?

Paperwork.

Unfortunately, the amount of paperwork that is needed to onboard a new manager is vast. All the information that they need to complete and learn can soon prove to be too much.

It seems like they need to know it all – the company benefits, contracts, and policies.

It’s nearly impossible to go through all that paperwork, do your job properly, and remain a sane person!

That’s why taking advantage of any tools that may help streamline the process will be hugely beneficial.

Using checklists and workflows may be particularly useful during manager onboarding, as there’s a lot for them to go through.

And what’s the second hardest thing about manager onboarding?

Information overload.

Similar to too much paperwork, providing too much information at once will quickly become a real challenge.

That’s why a good onboarding program will have all the meetings and activities spread out throughout the week.

Manager onboarding steps

We all know that managers are leaders. But for you, a manager is also an employee.

Whether you’re looking to hire any new employee, there are some steps that are useful to incorporate into your onboarding strategy.

Below are 4 manager onboarding steps that we’ve tested time and time again. All of them can be found in our free template.

We’ve designed this template to not only help you with onboarding but also showcase how easy the process becomes once you get workflow software.

And the best part is that this template can be applied to both new managers and freshly promoted ones, too.

Step 1: Before onboarding

A lot is going on even before the onboarding begins.

You’ll need to gather a lot of information and go through many steps. Obviously, if you’re doing this manually, you’re likely spending hours just filling out columns and inputting data into a spreadsheet.

By using a workflow run such as the one above, you’ll turn mundane, time-consuming tasks into a simple “tick-off” list.

What’s more, some workflow software, like ours, for example, allows you to automate most of these tasks. This means that you won’t have to input data in many different apps – automations can do it in just a few clicks.

Step 2: The first day of onboarding

The first day of manager onboarding should be simple.

This part of the workflow shows you a few practical steps that you’ll take, without leaving your new manager too overwhelmed.

Simple things like scheduling a welcome coffee can go a long way in establishing healthy relationships with your employees.

Step 3: The first month of onboarding

Similarly to the first week, the first month should be strategically organized.

Assigning an onboarding project will help your manager settle into their new responsibilities. It’s also a nice way to have them practice their skills so that you can identify any gaps in their knowledge.

At the end of the first month, you can schedule a call with the new manager to assess their performance. You can also decide on adding some additional training sessions if needed.

Step 4: The third month of onboarding

The third and final step in your manager onboarding doesn’t have to be long, either.

Especially if the manager has already worked for your co before, this stage should only be a formality.

As for onboarding surveys, the feedback that you’ll receive will come in handy in the future, so make sure to include that in your onboarding strategy.

Manager onboarding best practices

The workflow template above already explains many manager onboarding best practices, but let’s touch up on a few more.

Plan activities and meetings before their first day

Planning is always crucial, but the onboarding process requires a robust plan that’s personalized to your particular company.

That said, managers should always be well-prepared to interact with their team, and you can also help with this.

Prepare introductory meetings, brief the manager ahead of their first day, and even plan activities for the whole team.

Whatever you do – be prepared.

Provide a comprehensive walkthrough of the company policies

Managers need to know all the policies. Even if they just got promoted, they may not be aware of many internal procedures, so it’s important to educate them accordingly.

Provide resources, guides, and self-learning to bring those policies to life.

Onboarding doesn’t have to be boring.

Set milestones and expectations

Provide your managers with a clear timeline of when things need to be done.

Managers often deal with budgets and team performance issues, so ensure they’re well-versed in all of those areas.

But if they’re struggling, you can also provide additional support through training.

In summary: The best way to onboard new managers

So what is the best way to onboard new managers?

Whether freshly promoted or brand new to the company, your manager onboarding program should be organized and thorough.

You’ll want to spend time preparing your new manager for their responsibilities, so a clearly structured program works best.

That’s why utilizing a workflow management platform can transform the onboarding process and make it much less tedious.

It doesn’t have to be comprehensive – simple platforms often deliver great results. Additionally, many workflow management software can streamline all your internal processes, not just onboarding!

So to avoid high employee turnover rates, wasted time, and money, it’s well worth investing in a digital platform that will make onboarding a breeze.