The process of onboarding employees has never been an easy feat. It does not take much effort to go wrong and add the wrong members to your team, ultimately rendering your efforts moot. Considering how onboarding the right employees and doing it fast are equally important, here is a guide to getting it right while avoiding blunders.
What is employee onboarding?
The term ‘Employee Onboarding’ holds a different meaning in different organizations. Some HR managers deem the employee onboarding process merely the new hire paperwork. However, more savvy team members tend to have a look at the term under a different light.
To them, the entire period from the release of an offer to the time an employee officially turns into a productive member of the company comes under employee onboarding.
Why is it Important to Efficiently Onboard Employees?
It is vital to note that employee onboarding serves as the first interaction between the company and the employee after the interview. Here is why efficient onboarding is critical.
- If the employee onboarding process does not go as well as expected, your employee may hesitate to join.
- A lousy onboarding process can create a poor impression on your employee, leading them to have and possibly spread biased notions about your company, and quit early.
- An efficient employee onboard process is instrumental in helping your employees comfortably settle into their jobs, familiarize themselves with your organization, and get along with their co-workers.
- A clear and welcoming employee onboarding process helps employees gel with the organization, understand its vision, and feel included, thereby boosting their productivity.
Employing Onboarding Steps
By now, the need for an employee onboarding checklist should be abundantly clear. Your employee onboarding checklist should include the following:
- Submit a job requisition form to HR to make the hiring official. You ought to do this before you proceed with anything else.
- Start and finish a background check. It should go without saying that this is crucial to ensure the safety and security of clients and other workers. And although sealing your criminal record may be possible, only minor offenses can be sealed, so employers can rest assured that a comprehensive background check ensures that they are hiring someone who does not pose a threat to their clients or other workers.
- Fix and review their schedule and the basics of the job. You can contact your employee and bring them up to speed with the first week’s program.
- Review the employee’s job description and duties. You need to send an email of the copy of the job description and responsibilities to the employee. In addition to this, you may have to answer some questions that the employee may have and provide them with an overview of how and where they fit in the department.
- Be sure to fill up the hire forms before their first day to save time. This will allow you to focus on more important things as they join the workplace.
- It is essential to ensure your new employees understand and get into the culture you have set up in your company. A team introduction and orientation should do the trick.
- Set their work environment ahead of time. This includes having their business card, workspace, equipment, and so forth ready.
Withholding Allowance
As an employer, you ought to be aware of withholding allowances. A withholding allowance is an exemption that reduces the amount of tax an employer can deduct from the employee’s paycheck. Employees can choose the number of allowances on Form W-4.
How many allowances are you allowed to claim?
In a nutshell, employees can claim as many withholding allowances as they are allowed to. Employees are generally allowed to claim federal tax withholding allowances for themselves, spouse, their dependents, child tax credit, and child care expenses.
The higher the number of the aforementioned situations that apply to the employee, the higher the number of withholding allowances the employee is allowed to claim.
Changing Withholding Allowances
Employees have the option of changing their withholding allowances at any time. Here are a few reasons why one may change their withholding allowances: Getting married or divorced, having or adopting a child, starting a second job, spouse’s employment change, and so forth.
What is Form W-4?
Form W-4 is used to calculate the amount of withheld federal tax from an employee’s paycheck. This is calculated based on the employee’s data, including filing status and family size.
Given how this data is variable, the withholding total can change every year, which is why employees are expected to update their forms every year.
Should you complete the new W-4 Form?
Keep in mind that form W-4 applies only to employed individuals. It doesn’t take into account self-employment tax. The W-4 form will have to be filled in the following cases:
When you hire a new employee
Newly hired employees whose first paycheck is handed over after 2019 ought to fill up the updated 2020 W-4 form.
If the employee has a significant life event
If an employee gets married, has children, or gets divorced, they must fill up and submit a new form to show the changes in the filing status, dependency credits, or both.
If an employee applies for an exemption
If an employee records zero federal tax liability for the previous tax year (2019) and expects to record zero liability for 2020, they may apply for an exemption. To apply for an exemption, applicants who are eligible need to write ‘exempt’ on their forms. v