Defined as “the process of helping new hires adjust to social and performance aspects of their new jobs”, employee onboarding is essentially the link between recruitment and employment.
Every company “onboards”.
22% have no formal process in place, relying on existing staff to ensure new hires are “shown-the-ropes”. Many utilize a series of orientation activities and check-box training modules. And a handful have “best-in-class” strategies to engage and inspire onboardees throughout the new hire journey.
Good, or “best-in-class” employee onboarding starts well before day 1. It is an umbrella that spans the entire new-hire lifecycle. From signing the contract, and landing on Day 1 (preboarding), during their first days and weeks on the job (induction/ orientation), through until your new hire is fully settled in their role—whether that’s 3 weeks, 3 months or even a year (integration).
In one sentence: A comprehensive, 2-way process designed to share knowledge, communicate values, build connections and manage compliance to transform new hires into confident, empowered team members and ambassadors.
Because organizations with high employee engagement have happier employees who work harder and contribute more. They’re also 21% more profitable than those with low (or no) engagement.
Organizations that onboard effectively have 33% more employees who are engaged with their employer.
Dynamic story-telling
Share the why of what your company does in a way that inspires new hires to want to come to work.
Transparent processes
Foster trust with your onboardee by setting clear expectations and following through on promises from the outset.
Strong communications
Don’t leave your new hire in the dark. Connect with them early and often.
And according to author and researcher Fred Charles, speed to proficiency “is the most devastating competitive weapon in the world where the forces of scale, automation, and capital are subordinate to the power of proficient workforce”.
In essence, the faster your employees can get up-to-speed, the sooner they can begin to provide value to your organization.
Good onboarding is proven to shorten “time-to-productivity” by up to 70%.
Start preboarding
Leverage preboarding and drip-feed relevant content to your onboardees before Day 1.
Check-in early and often
Ensure managers and key team members touch base with new hires regularly. Use these opportunities to gauge how your new hire is feeling about their role and what they need from you to succeed.
Eliminate hurdles
Make information easily available by centralizing additional resources so new hires can explore in their downtime and answer their own questions.
Compounding the problem, with more competition from other organizations desperate for good staff, employers have to be more competitive than ever to keep existing employees.
So retaining your best people is not only a good idea, it is critical.
Good onboarding has the potential to increase retention by up to 82%.
Focus on connection
Win buy-in from existing team members and have them help welcome new hires into the fold. Social networking is becoming an indispensable part of onboarding, so include elements that involve a wide network of team members as part of your new hire journey.
Lead with experience
Create content for your new hire that is fun, engaging, and informative. Think about how your new hire will feel during the process.
Link Recruitment and HR
Facilitate a smooth transition between recruitment and HR. Ensure communications from both parties are clear, concise and aligned so your new hire has confidence in the process
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