DNE: Executive Assistant (EA) Onboarding Checklist

Refer to this google doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Wf157GhU2FTaxZS6bgX1fzv-vfFxR2gMz04tlEeCgBM/edit#

You've used the Mindshare Employee Hiring Model SOP to find the ideal Executive Assistant, so what's next?

If you've ever joined a new company and been unsure how you fit in, you'll know the benefits of employee onboarding. For an employee who supports C-level executives, however, the gains are more quantifiable. They include:

• Enhanced executive support
• Greater commitment to the organization
• Reduced stress with clear expectations
• Higher job satisfaction
• Lasting retention (and associated cost savings)

The cost of hiring a new employee averages around $65,000 and it takes about 5 months of full time employment to bring new hires up to full productivity. Failure to properly onboard a new hire will cost significant amounts of time and money.

As you begin the onboarding process, consider these key indicators for success in a rockstar Executive Assistant:

• Enables you to focus at your highest and best use
• Anticipates needs and red flags before they arise
• Prevents chaos and reduces errors
• Performs by being forward thinking, proactive and adaptable
• Is calm in a crisis
• Is a servant leader
• Creates and masters systems and processes
• Respects your confidentiality
• Pushes back if you're overcommitted 

A quality process, like the one outlined in this Executive Assistant (EA) onboarding checklist, costs a fraction of the resources and aims to ramp your EA up to full productivity in under 90 days, depending on the complexity of the role.

So, let's get underway with the process and run through this EA onboarding checklist with your new hire.

To kick off the EA onboarding checklist, prepare the relevant paperwork and information prior to the employee's first day. Start by saving the EA's new hire paperwork in your internal HR files.

This part of the process is called transactional onboarding and focuses on completing all the necessary forms and documents so your new employee can legally start working.

Best Practice: Use DocuSign to create all documents and securely send/sign the paperwork. Prepare an enhanced NDA as the EA will likely have access to more personal information than a standard employee.

If you followed the Mindshare Employee Hiring Model, you already have the following assessments: Kolbe A, DISC Profile, and Colors. Review your EA's results to ensure you are communicating most effectively with him/her.

Prepare your EA's workstation before they arrive to avoid any delays on the first day. Include items such as:

• Furniture (desk, chair)
• Telephone
• Computer
• Desk supplies (business card, stapler, letterhead, paper, pens etc.)
• Key(s) to specific rooms

Do you have branded SWAG? Consider adding items such as branded pens, backpack, t-shirt or mug on his/her desk. 

If the EA is a remote employee, consider an allowance for desk supplies, cellular reimbursement, etc. 

During the training period, your new EA should work closely with a mentor. A mentor ensures he/she is aligned in the organization, policies, facilities and more during the initial orientation phase. 

To ensure this process goes well, review the EA's role with the designated mentor. Discuss the goals you have set for the new EA and think of appropriate projects that would be beneficial for the training period. 

Best Practice: Select a mentor that has strong leadership skills and is familiar with the role of an EA. Document an orientation plan and schedule a time to review it with the mentor, to ensure clarity during the EA training phase. Store documentation in an internal file system that the executive, mentor and EA can reference during the onboarding process.

Before your EA arrives, it is important to provide access to corporate documents and ensure he/she will be able to access them in the internal file system. These documents could include corporate collateral, a company directory and/or material that highlights your corporate culture.

Best Practice: To ensure you are providing your EA with all the necessary items, note down the steps taken each day and what tools are used. A checklist can also be made here on Process Street for use in the future when distributing resources to new employees, and ensuring a repeatable process to save time for future onboarding.

Give access to the corporate platforms your EA will need to use. By documenting this now, he/she will have important resources on hand from the start, enabling a smooth onboarding process.

These could include:

• Email
• A company phone extension or dedicated line
• Calendar(s)
• Last Pass
• Slack
• Infusionsoft
• Corporate Travel Agency
• Expensing System
• Google Drive
• Scheduling Platform
• Zapier
• Uber Conference
• Social Media

Best Practice: Document these platforms and related online tutorials for added support during the EA training phase. Store documentation in an internal file system that the executive, mentor and EA can reference during the onboarding process.

Based on the platforms your EA will need access to, introductory video tutorials will help him/her ramp up quickly during the first few weeks of employment.

Links to common platform video tutorials are provided below:

• Asana
• Slack
• Last Pass
• Process Street
• Infusionsoft
• Schedule Once
• Typeform
• Zapier

Your EA will give extended support outside of corporate platforms. Preparing a detailed list of extended support needs will allow him/her to be proactive in this role. Spend the time to consider the other types of support that may be needed.

For example:

• What are your travel preferences and frequent traveler numbers?
• Are there recurring events you attend each month, quarter, year?
• Will your EA access / manage any online accounts (social media, Amazon, etc.)?
• Will your EA need personal information such as your DOB, SSN, Driver's License number?
• Do you need help managing personal tasks in addition to professional initiatives?
• Are there personal and professional contacts your EA will need access to?
• Is there a private google drive folder(s) that should be shared with your EA?
• Is there corporate collateral your EA should have at his/her fingertips?
• Do you have corporate discount codes they will need to access?
• You may have multiple email addresses (business/personal), how should those be utilized?

Best Practice: Look backward and forward into your calendar, review your purchasing patterns, pain points and bottlenecks. Ask yourself "In my ideal world, I would want ...?"

It is important for every employee to know which benefits package comes with the job. Here is some commonly required information your EA will want to know:

• Explain how the position is funded
• Let him/her know what benefits package they will receive based on their level of experience and the current job market. Let them know some details about the budget so they are aware of the potential promotions and salary range 
• Inform the EA about the vacation time and health benefits they will receive

If this was not already outlined in the Employment Agreement, provide a summary of this information in writing.

Ensuring financial stability and informing your EA on the exact monetary situation is a good way to make him/her feel comfortable and worry-free, therefore making sure they focus on their work and feel appreciated as an employee.

(Source: idealistcareers.org)

There are likely a number of tasks the EA can get started on. 

For example:

• Do you have upcoming travel that needs to be booked?
• Are there meetings to be scheduled?
• What tasks have been put off that should be addressed near-term?
• Are there contracts or presentations that need to be reviewed?

Best Practice: Allow the executive, mentor and EA access to a shared Asana board where progress can be reviewed and managed during the initial onboarding phase. Utilizing this from the start will establish a cadence, enable the EA to work efficiently, and give enhanced visibility to progress over time.

Often a new employee will arrive during a busy working week. In this case welcoming the new hire is overlooked and they are not caught up to speed with the team or new role. To avoid this, you should clear your schedule and make your EA the number one priority for the day.

Best Practice: Introduce them to the team - talk about their role, tell them why you selected them - this will help the rest of the team remember them better. Notify your team in advance that the new employee is arriving so they can schedule some time to get to know them.

Take your EA on a tour of the office. Let them know where all the important and common areas are. Make sure they know where to find:

• Kitchen
• Reception
• Bathroom
• Their workspace
• Support desk
• HR area
• Their mentor's office
• Mail room

There might be more areas such as the IT department, sales department and others more specific to your company.

For remote employees, this may be a tour of your internal systems, which time zones other employees are in, etc.

Help your EA understand your corporate culture and organizational structure. Consider the following:

• What are the organizations core values?
• What are the underlying attitudes and behaviors of the team?
• What are the long term strategic goals of the company?
• How will your EA integrate into the overarching mission?
• How is the organization structured now? 
• What has the evolution of the organization been in the past few years?

Best Practice: Structure your explanation so that the EA understands the role he/she can play within the company, and a potential future growth path.

If you want your EA to perform well you need to let them know what you expect. Outline the general areas of knowledge and skills required to ensure your employee is successful in his/her job.

In general, think about:

• What results should the job produce?
• What impact should the work have on the organization?
• How do you expect the EA to act with clients, colleagues, and supervisors?
• What are the organizational values the EA must demonstrate?
• What are the processes, methods, or means the EA is expected to use?

Specific to the role, think about:

• What is the goal for your calendar structure?
• What type of professional and personal support is needed?
• How should specific scenarios be handled?
• How should time be prioritized?
• What are your communication preferences?
• What are others' communication preferences?

Best Practice: Structure your expectations so that the EA understands the big picture, tactical and long term focus - enabling him/her to gain clarity and work proactively. Consider his/her assessment scores (Kolbe A, etc) so you communicate in a way that resonates.

In order to establish a firm foundation for efficient communication, implement a Daily Recap system where your EA can document progress, ask questions and establish accountability for assigned future projects. This will not only reduce email clutter, but provide you with a Readers Digest version of what your EA is focused on. 

Best Practice: In the EA Board in Asana, add a "Frequency Section" to track important tasks that need to be completed daily, weekly, monthly, etc.

You should take your new employee out for lunch.

Avoid discussing work during this time, it should be purely about getting to know one another.

For remote employees, reserve time for a face to face meeting via a video conference.

To ensure your EA has the opportunity to seek help and work productively, you have already assigned a mentor. The mentor will ensure he/she quickly learns about the job and has assistance throughout the process.

Have the mentor review details such as:

• When s/he must arrive at the office
• Where s/he must park
• How s/he will access the building
• What your company’s dress code is

Best Practice: Kick off a meeting by spending time together for an initial introduction and orientation. Ensure the mentor and EA meet daily for the first week, and at reduced regular intervals in subsequent weeks for the duration of the first few months.

Your EA now understands your culture and expectations and has been assigned a mentor.

The final step is to ensure he/she understands your corporate platforms, and how they are used. Taking the time to review these will eliminate bottlenecks and empower the EA to know how to navigate your internal processes.

Best Practice: Allow the mentor to lead this corporate platform review to help facilitate the handoff.

Once your new employee has settled in, got to know the team and feels comfortable in the workplace, assign their first project(s).

This will ensure they learn the job hands on and feel they are making a valuable and meaningful contribution to the company, rather than just doing menial tasks.

Schedule a meeting with the employee and a member of the HR team to ensure all the forms are filled and correct.

Use this time to let your employee know if there is any other paperwork for them to complete.

Ask the HR team member to explain everything to your employee and tell them about the specifics. Let the new employee know he/she is encouraged to ask any questions and can use this time to discuss any and all work-related paperwork issues.

Develop Key Performance Indicators (KPI's) to create attainable, measurable objectives over the short and long term.

Best Practice: Establish a time to meet at regular intervals to review the KPI's and celebrate wins, identify opportunities for growth and review a plan for the coming time frame.

Separate from the KPI reviews, you should schedule meetings at regular intervals with the employee for the first month.

Use this time to:

• Address any issues and concerns your EA might have
• Offer constructive criticism and advice on different tasks
• Highlight what is working well to encourage continued success
• Explain long term organizational goals and how he/she fits into the picture

Best Practice: Gather feedback from the mentor to facilitate a well-rounded discussion. Let your employee know that he/she is involved in some long term goals to make them feel more secure and understand the mission they are working to achieve. 

Now that you have decided where exactly your new employee fits in you should encourage them to further their knowledge in the field. Ask them to read books, articles and magazines about appropriate themes and industry-related initiatives.

For every employee order the following (book or digital version): 
Team Success Handbook

Once your EA is settled in and feels more comfortable in the workplace it's time for you to review your onboarding process. Evaluate the steps that do and don't work for you.

Ask your EA for their opinion, perhaps create a survey and hear their thoughts to improve your onboarding process in the future.

Once the results are in hand, create a new employee onboarding checklist here in Process Street to work through in the future.