Good companies hire employees and take the time to train and guide them in the hopes that they will stay at the company and become long-term assets. Unfortunately, that’s where most companies stop. Some don’t even have a process of onboarding or training at all.

Growing employee loyalty starts with the onboarding process. You need to make sure new hires feel welcomed, important and engaged so that they don’t quit after the first couple of months. Follow these six onboarding tips to make your way from “average” or “good” to “great.”

1. Start on the right foot during pre-boarding.

Most companies forget that onboarding starts before even the offer letter. Employees get a feel for a company’s culture from the start of the recruitment process. Your recruitment team sets the tone for positive office culture even before applicants become employees.

To ensure a good first impression, train your recruitment and HR department on how to properly interact with applicants. Anyone interacting with prospective hires should keep all interactions friendly and professional (even if the candidates do not).

Once employees sign on the dotted line, make sure to give clear instructions on what they can expect on their first day, including when they should arrive, what they need to bring (and wear!), and whom they will be meeting with upon arrival. These guidelines will help them feel more at ease and ready for their first day.

2. Plan your new hire’s first days.

First days of work are for introductions, orientations, completing information forms and adjusting to the new role. Giving your new hires a full workload immediately will make it harder for them to adjust, and it may set them up for failure. The first few days should be welcoming, and new hires should be given work at a healthy but reasonable pace as they settle in.

Observe a few employee onboarding rules and strategies to ensure that employee orientations are effective. Focus on the content that affects them, such as benefits, opportunities for promotion, pay, and rules and policies. Don’t forget to make sure you have a desk or cubicle set up for your new hire, complete with working computer and a company email address.

3. Assign a company ambassador.

People, especially new hires, are greatly influenced by their coworkers. On the first day, assign someone to show the new hire around the office to help them feel more welcomed and also give them a person to whom they can ask questions.

The company ambassador should be someone who knows the ropes and is friendly and patient. If new hires feel like the person they are shadowing is unapproachable, it will be difficult for them to ask questions.

Consider assigning them a buddy or mentor from the team they are joining, if that’s a different person than the company ambassador. This person should be skilled at training new employees and emulate the company culture and ideal performance.

4. Communicate consistently.

It’s not enough to have a great onboarding process for the first few days. Employees need open communication, beyond the initial start period and in several forms. Here are some tips:

• Ensure that your employees know that their manager and/or HR department is always available if they have problems in the workplace.
• Teams should also hold regular meetings to discuss project progress, with a bit of chitchat in between.
• Remember that communication is a two-way street. When giving feedback to your new hires, encourage them to ask questions and give feedback about the company as well.

5. Continue wooing your employees.

During pre-boarding, you wowed your applicants with a compensation plan, growth opportunities or work perks. During the first few months, you maintained a friendly atmosphere and open communication. However, just because your employees have been working for you for a while doesn’t mean you should stop wooing them.

Continue giving your employees a glimpse of what they can gain if they stay at the company through a performance review process and an employee engagement or recognition program.

6. Keep an eye out for “quitting” behaviors.

Employees don’t quit suddenly. They typically exhibit signs that they’re losing interest in their work for months. Sometimes, managers don’t see it coming, because the employees are still doing well. However, onboarding shouldn’t just focus on how productive employees are but also on how engaged they are.

Maybe your employee used to go the extra mile but now does the bare minimum. Maybe your employee who used to speak up in company meetings has become a wallflower. Then there’s the classic sign of the employee who now bolts out of the office at 5 p.m., when he or she used to be the first to stay late and help. Once an employee starts acting like he or she doesn’t care about the job and the company, it’s time to have a face-to-face meeting to confront these issues head-on.

Most companies view onboarding in a very narrow sense, which is why most employees become disengaged as time goes by. Onboarding isn’t just about the first few days of work – it starts at the recruitment phase and goes on each day, in the form of employee engagement and recognition. Onboarding does not only mean taking steps to ensure that the employee fits in and feels appreciated in the company. It also means taking steps to maintain or improve your company’s image so that your employees are happy with their workload, management and the company itself.