Improving the employee onboarding process has been the subject of increased focus in recent years because it can make a real difference in whether high turnover rates plague your organization. And acccording to a Career Builder survey, at least one-third (36 percent) of organizations do not currently have a structured onboarding process in place.
Onboarding isn’t just about getting forms filled out. It’s your new employee’s first immersion in your company culture and involves not only officially hiring, but getting your new person up to speed and productive.
Your company has spent considerable time and resources finding, recruiting, and hiring someone new. So your new employee onboarding process is the critical part of bridging the transition between recruitment and employment. The process can have actual bottom-line effects, so you want it to be as efficient and effective as possible. Here are some thoughts on making the new employee onboarding process fast, effective, and likely to contribute to a good employee experience.
1. Improve the Employee Onboarding Process to Be Reflective of Company Culture
Nearly two-thirds (60 percent) of HR leaders say the top purpose of onboarding is to integrate employees into the organization’s culture, such as the way business is conducted and how the employee’s performance contributes to organizational success. However, the focus on culture makes up an average of just 30 percent in onboarding programs. That’s a large gap for improvement!
Culture training 101 in the onboarding process should include:
- Early employee days spent developing culture
- Immersing employees in the vision and mission of the company
- The founding story- who are the founders, why did they start
If part of your company culture is pride in being on the leading edge of technology, make your new employee onboarding process reflect that. When you show an interviewee all the technological tools and advancements he or she will have access to, and then have an onboarding process that involves stacks of paper forms and a pen, it sends a mixed message.
2. Promote Employee Comrade in the Onboarding Process
91% of employees who go through an effective onboarding process, feel better about the company and their team.
- Utilize personality and interest questionnaires to adapt individual onboarding processes
- Utilize personality and interest results for team matching
- Select a relationship facilitator (an employee who can introduce the new employee)
- Arrange a team lunch early in the onboarding process
- Provide opportunities to familiarize with executive leadership when available
If your company has an employee social network, make an account for your new hire as soon as he or she has formally accepted the job. This can provide a great education in how people communicate and interact, and a general picture of the company “vibe” in which he or she will be immersed.
Additionally, it isn’t just HR and the new employee who are involved in the onboarding process, but the people with whom he or she will work. The onboarding process should notify the relevant co-workers of the new employee so they can be welcoming. Everyone should be cognizant of the goals of the onboarding process for the first day, first week, first month, etc. until the time when the new hire is expected to be fully productive.
3. Create a Process for Tools and Allowances During Onboarding
One part of the onboarding process that should take place before the new person’s first day is ensuring he or she has the essential tools (cubicle, desk, laptop, phone, software, office supplies) ready from day one. Thanks to CoronaVirus and the surge of organizations remote working in 2020, the right tools used in onboarding processes can vary greatly. Many companies are allocating work from home allowances for various expenses previously covered by the organization.
- Ensuring (and not assuming) all employees have access to the correct technology
- Releasing any laptops or phones needed
- Reviewing and allocating WFH allowances- such as meals, utilities, or home office equipment.
- Onsite employees may need necessary safety or other training scheduled prior to work.
4. Make the First Day Memorable
What do you want your new hire to think when it’s time to go home after the first day? About the bewildering collection of forms, he had to complete? Or not finding out where the copy room is? Surely you would rather your new hire go home for the day thinking, “What a great place to work!”
You can help ensure this by folding less “official” tasks into the onboarding process. For example, you can implement a process where co-workers make sure the new person has someone to have lunch with the first week. And little things like having the new hire’s ID badge, workstation, parking pass, and business cards ready on time make it clear he or she is welcome and valued.
Enjoy the Rewards of a Great Employee Onboarding Process
You put significant effort and expense into recruiting and hiring the right people. Ensuring the new employee onboarding program contributes to a positive new employee experience only makes sense. Turnover is expensive, and a great onboarding process helps ensure loyalty and satisfaction. Furthermore, a great onboarding process ensures new hires are productive more quickly, so the company can enjoy bottom-line benefits.
