Employee Onboarding Milestones

In my 20+ years of recruiting for my own bookkeeping business (and mentoring others doing the same), I’ve learnt that a successful onboarding process typically takes a good 12 weeks.

Anything less and you're really not giving your new team member the resources, support and time they need to establish themselves in the role and lay the foundation for success. So, if you have visions of someone 'hitting the ground running' and being fully fledged, profitable, and efficient work horse in the first month - it's time to reset your expectations (and your processes).

Below are some of the key milestones that I keep in mind when onboarding a new employee - this guide, along with a solid Onboarding Plan, helps keep me on track and focused on the main objective - successfully onboarding an employee so they can thrive in their role, bringing long term value to the business, team and clients. 

Onboarding Milestones

Weeks 1- 2

Don’t expect too much!  Your focus should be on familiarising your new hire with the team, internal systems and processes, core values and culture.  Don’t overwhelm them by assigning end-to-end client work or tight time-lines. Any client work should be assigned in easily managed, bite-sized chunks.

Weeks 3-4

Your new employee should start becoming more familiar with your systems and clients (at least those who you have started handing over to them). They should have a good grasp of the role and be showing confidence in their ability to deliver on it, asking good questions (be wary if they are NOT asking questions!), and actively seeking to learn and grow. You still need to check in on them regularly at this stage.

By the end of week 4, they should start to understand what their regular tasks are, and be able to start working on clients autonomously (though you still need to check and approve all work). 

They should be completing work accurately and to a high standard by now, so you can start providing realistic time frames. Don’t expect them to be working at the pace of other experienced team members yet, though you should be able to start to gauge their ability to work efficiently, and identify any gaps. 

Weeks 5-6

This is when you should be able to start to load them up with work, including end-to-end client work, and setting timelines that are more in line with your productivity requirements.

By the end of week 6, their recurring work should be well scheduled and they should be able to start each day without needing a morning check-in, knowing who they are working on, what deadlines are needing to be met.

Remember, as the work really starts to kick-in, it can be a LOT to remember, and overwhelm can start to arise, so it’s important to monitor capacity carefully and reassure them that things will become easier as they become more familiar with the work.

Weeks 7-8

This is where you should start to see some real productivity and profitability in the role.  If you are not seeing significant increases in confidence and productivity at this stage, it’s a red flag and some close monitoring needs to start in preparation for pre end-of-probation discussions.

Weeks 9-10

You should be confident that they are completing work accurately and efficiently, with minimal supervision, and to deadline.  They should be feeling comfortable with any new software they have been introduced to and able to complete ad-hoc task being assigned to them with ease and confidence. 

If your new employee isn't hitting these basic milestones, consider whether you have provided the support, resources and training needed for them to succeed, or, perhaps there is an aptitude problem that needs to be addressed.  Week 10 is when you should be assessing their overall performance and conducting their pre end-of-probation review, and putting together a 2-week plan if there are any gaps that need to be addressed.

Weeks 11 to 12

By now, you should know whether they will successfully proceed beyond probation.  If you have other team members, consult with them regarding the new hire's performance and ensure you are across any issues that may have arisen. 

They should be 100% productive and profitable by the end of week 12.  If they are not, their end of probation review needs to be a discussion about whether they proceed as a permanent employee.  If you are not sure, you can extend the probation, though ensure you communicate the concerns, document a training plan to get them up to speed, and extend their probation period in accordance with their contract and relevant regulations/laws.

Bookwiz Academy Members can complete the 'Employee Recruitment and Onboarding' modules, including downloadable recruitment and onboarding plans and checklists within the Academy.