Onboarding a new employee involves more than just introducing them to their new workplace. It requires collecting and processing key information to ensure their employment records are accurate, they are set up for payroll, and they have access to the appropriate systems and tools.
Taking on a new employee can be an administrative burden. There are some simple steps that you can take to make sure this process is easy and compliant, whether they’re your first employee or your fiftieth.
Before you offer the job
You’ve interviewed your prospective employees and picked the most suitable candidate – now what?
There are a few things you should do in advance of making a formal offer. If you haven’t already decided on weekly hours, start date, or rate of pay, then you need to do this now – these will often be some of the first questions that the candidate asks. Decide whether you have any room to negotiate and make this clear to whoever is communicating with the candidate about the job.
You should also follow up any references that the candidate has provided, asking any questions you have about their character as an employee. You will also need to complete a right to work check.
If the job role requires a DBS check or other background check, you should get started on this now, as depending on the type of check required, this can take some time. Find out more about how to apply for a DBS check here.
Additionally, make sure that you have a draft contract ready to go – even if this needs some tweaking once the offer has been confirmed, it helps to have a starting point so that you can get this going quickly. If there is a delay because the contract has not yet been agreed, you may risk losing your dream candidate.
Get the right payroll information from your new employee
You need to make sure that you have all the information you need to be able to effectively onboard your new starter.
This includes any identifying information such as the employee’s legal name and national insurance number, as well as role-specific information like working hours and rate of pay.
This information might include:
- First name and last name
- Address
- Date of birth
- National insurance number
- Email address
- Start date
- Whether they have any other jobs
- Whether they are receiving a State Works or Private Pension
- Whether they have any payable Student Loans or Postgraduate Loans – and if so, which plan they are on
- Hourly rate of pay
- Weekly hours
- Bank details
You will also need to know who will be dealing with different aspects of the onboarding. For instance, if your payroll team is only processing payroll and not setting up payments, they won’t need your employees’ bank details.
You will also need to understand your auto enrolment obligations. Remember, auto enrolment is for any size of business, even if you have only one employee – you need to make sure that you are compliant.
We have a New Starters’ Checklist available for any of our clients to use – if you’d like a copy, or need any help filling out the information, please get in touch at enquiries@payrollhub.co.uk. Alternatively head to the HMRC website for the current official guidance.
Consider any other information you may need
Once you have all of the information you need from a payroll perspective, the next thing you need to consider is what other information you might need, or steps you need to take, for instance from a HR or technology perspective. This might include:
- Any equipment they will need for their job, such as a laptop or phone
- Whether they will receive a company email address
- How will all of the IT setup be completed – this might be more complicated for hybrid or remote working
- Any company benefits they might receive, such as health insurance or a company car
Onboarding a new employee is not always a simple process. It’s important to make sure you have all your ducks in a row with plenty of time to spare, to enable you to make the right decisions about hiring.
If you need advice or guidance about what you need to do, please get in touch today at enquiries@payrollhub.co.uk.