This month, the Lufthansa Group HR team were the recipients of a Lufthansa Group Innovator Award in the category 'Connecting the Company' for their recently reinvented, digital onboarding experience powered by Talmundo.
As of 2018, Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Germany's flagship air carrier, employs over 135,000 staff and serves more than 220 destinations around the world.
We sat down with Christine Lutz, a Head of HR Management Executives at Lufthansa, to discuss why she believes onboarding is valuable and how involving existing employees is the key to success.
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Why do you think a strong onboarding process is valuable? |
Christine Lutz at 'Go Live' event - Lufthansa HQ, Frankfurt
"At Lufthansa Group, time between confirmation and the first day on the job can be up to a couple of months. In these times of a highly competitive labor market, many newly acquired employees cancel their contracts before they even start.
Therefore, our first goal is to promote an emotional relationship of new employees to our brand and culture right after their commitment for a job.
Above that, three arguments show the value of a good and strong onboarding process:
First, a good onboarding process shortens the time to network new employees and get them up to speed in their jobs. Secondly, employees who have a strong commitment to their employer are more productive, stay longer and build an atmosphere of mutual understanding and appreciation. This finally leads to decreasing recruiting costs for our company."
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How important do you think existing employee buy-in is when implementing a new onboarding system? |
Christian Tillmans [Head of HR Management Executives and People Development, LH Group] thanking the team at 'Go Live' event - Lufthansa HQ, Frankfurt
"Very important! Onboarding can only be effective if all stakeholders cooperate and follow the same goal: getting new employees on board fast and smoothly. We need all support available to help implement and transform a new idea into a standardized process.
Our job is to create and provide methods, tools and processes and to make onboarding important through all hierarchical levels, but the existing employees are the ones living it and filling every step with life and information."
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What measures have you taken (or will you be taking) to share your new onboarding process with existing employees? |
Ellen Joris [Head of Implementation, Talmundo] previewing the Onboarding app for Lufthansa Group staff
"Our existing employees are an essential part of our onboarding process. We have implemented a highly appreciated buddy program. Existing employees are volunteering to accompany onboardees through their first months of work, giving them insights to 'non-professional' Lufthansa topics, creating a sense of togetherness and help to build a network.
And surely we spread the word through our intranet, management newsletters, social media channels and by publishing advertisements on public screens within our buildings."
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The Takeaway |
We can all learn from Lufthansa's success! Engage your existing people and watch your new team members become more productive, stay longer, and develop into true ambassadors for your company.
Take a look at Christine's introduction to the Lufthansa Onboarding app and see how they're helping their staff feel like part of the family.
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