When a new employee starts, most businesses make sure the basics are ready. Their laptop is set up, their Microsoft 365 account is working, and they have access to the systems they need.
But there’s another part of onboarding that’s just as important: building good IT habits from day one.
Without a little guidance, new starters will naturally do things the way they did in their previous job. Most of the time they’re simply trying to be productive, but those small habits can create bigger problems later.
Saving Files in the Wrong Place
If no one explains where files should be stored, many people will save work on their desktop or in local folders.
It seems harmless until someone else needs access to those files, or the employee leaves the business.
A quick walkthrough of your SharePoint or network drive on day one helps everyone stay organised and keeps important information where the whole team can find it.
Using Personal Accounts as a Shortcut
When something isn’t working, it’s tempting to send a document from a personal email account or save it to personal cloud storage just to keep moving.
The problem is that business information ends up outside your managed systems, making it harder to secure and recover.
A simple message during onboarding can prevent this: if something isn’t working, log a ticket instead of finding a workaround.
Passwords and 2FA
New starters often have several accounts to set up in a single day. Without guidance, passwords end up on sticky notes and 2FA may be linked to personal accounts simply because it’s quicker.
Introducing your password manager and helping employees complete 2FA properly during onboarding makes it much easier to keep accounts secure from the beginning.
Related article: Learn more about 2FA here
Knowing How to Get IT Help
One of the biggest mistakes isn’t technical at all.
If employees don’t know how to contact IT, they’ll often ask a colleague for help or live with the problem instead of reporting it. Small issues then become much bigger than they needed to be.
Make sure every new starter knows exactly how to log a support request before they need it.
Good Habits Start on Day One
Setting up a laptop is only part of onboarding. Showing new employees how your business uses technology is just as important.
Spending an extra 20 minutes during their first week can prevent countless support issues, improve security, and make life easier for everyone.
At Insight IT, we help businesses build onboarding processes that cover both the technical setup and the everyday habits that keep your team productive and your business secure.
