1. Drawing up a contract.

This is the bare minimum for taking on a new staff member, it is a legal requirement for them to have a contract of employment. The contract should state the main conditions of employment – it is made up of two parts the principal statement and a wider written statement. The principal statement is to be given on the first day of employment, it should include basic information on the job such as hours, pay & holiday entitlement. The wider written statement should be provided within the first 2 months of employment and should specify any collective agreements, pension scheme information & disciplinary procedures. If you need assistance with any of these documents, We Do HR can help alleviate the HR paperwork so you can focus on building your business – just get in touch with the team.

2. Checking Right to Work documents.

An employee will need to prove their right to work in the UK before they start working for you, how this is done depends on their nationality and the permission they have to work in the UK. A British citizen can prove this with a passport – or birth certificate, and proof of address. A non-British citizen can prove their right to work with a share code or immigration documents. There is a £45,000 fine if you are found to have an employee working for you who has not got right to work in the UK, therefore this is a crucial step in the onboarding process.

3. Training and Qualifications.

If the role requires certain qualifications, you can ask for proof of these with certificates. Due to their role, you may also require certain onboarding/induction documents to be completed on or prior to their first day of work. Be upfront with the employee; advise them of the deadline for completing these documents and if they are unable to start work prior to any of their documents/paperwork being completed, such as DBS checks.

You may have agreed to train the staff member during their time with you. If so, you must ensure the training plan is in place, and that you’ve got a clear timeline for this to be completed in. Lay out any other expectations for the training up front, including when/where it is to be completed and how (ie in person, online or hybrid), and whether there is a training cost recovery. If you need this in place, contact us about drafting up a document for signature with the employee so that if they leave before the end of the training, fail to gain certification, or leave the company within a period of time after completing the training, you can lawfully recover costs for the training from the employee.

4. Questions or concerns.

For your new staff member to feel supported it is necessary that they have a point of contact for any questions or issues they may encounter, particularly as they get settled into their role. This can be as simple as supplying your number or providing them with an induction pack.

5. Feeback facility.

We know the word ‘feedback’ has some negative associations, but there are lots of positives too that can help a business grow and employees feel they have their say in your company, promoting a better workplace culture and a company employees want to work in and stay with. Let your new employee know how feedback is shared in the company, such as how frequently they will have performance reviews and with whom, and the grievance procedure for the not-so-nice stuff. If you have an open-door policy, explain what this means for you and the business. If you have team meetings, let the employee know how frequently and the expectations for attending them.

You may feel anxious about taking on a new employee, especially if you are used to running things alone, but remember they are probably sharing those feelings and this is a working relationship that over time can be built on.

Communication is key to positive professional relationships in the workplace, so an open channel from day 1 is supportive for both employee and employer, and a new employee who knows what’s expected of them and what they can expect from the company in return will settle into their role far quicker than one who feels like they’re kept in the dark.

Don’t know who can help you with onboarding new starters and managing HR paperwork headaches? WE DO.

Contact the HR team on 01325 488425 or admin@wedohr.co.uk for support and guidance with documentation, polices, procedures and workplace culture.