Employee handbooks fulfill three main purposes. First, they protect your practice from legal trouble—once an employee signs the handbook, they’re agreeing to the rules within. Second, it sets expectations of behavior and ability. Finally, it helps bring your practice together by establishing your culture.

Job descriptions start with the skills and qualifications your new hire will need to succeed in the position. It should also include information about the job’s purpose and goals, the working conditions in your practice, and the expected compensation. Any reasonable accommodations you can make for disabilities is important as well.

First of all, extend the offer verbally! It lets you hear the joy in their voice, get buy-in, and a verbal acceptance. Now, start with a descriptive subject line and choose the right salutation. Write three or more body paragraphs with all the necessary info, and end with a direct close. Finally, attach any additional information that will help close the deal. You know what makes this all easier? Our awesome offer templates.

Morale isn’t all about pay and benefits (although they definitely help). Showing appreciation and respect goes a long way. Remember birthdays and key milestones. Encourage and respond to input and feedback. Provide flexibility, and don’t bury employees in repetitive tasks and paperwork. To help, get software that’s flexible and automated, and provides alerts and reminders.

Hiring a new employee is just the first step. Onboarding is the process by which new hires are integrated into the organization. Onboarding covers: Providing information on company policies and benefits, clarifying the employee’s role, facilitating training, introducing the company culture, and helping to form social connections with colleagues.

This one varies from job to job, but some specific actions will make this easier. Create an employee playbook with everything they need to know to do their job right. Set attainable 90-day goals to get them off on the right foot. And set up lots of 1-on-1 meetings and meet and greets. For more specific onboarding actions, create a detailed checklist (our platform can help with that!)

Onboarding can mean a mountain of paperwork, and if it’s not done and filed right, compliance risks lurk. The best thing to do is to keep your onboarding paperwork in the cloud, where it lasts forever. Use a software platform that tracks requests and approvals. And get one that organizes it all for you, so you don’t need to scramble to find important forms and signatures.