How can you set effective expectations during the onboarding process?

In my experience on onboarding matters, firstly the newcomers are in the states of overwhelmed as well as confusion. These scenarios will affect both physical and mental. The reception team members must study which department or work area these new employees will be deployed. Analyse what are the issues, challenges and incidents that took place at these areas. Then construct a highly related set of expectations that the newcomers are going to face. Share with them the practical counter measures which they may exercise in order to minimise the risks of committing mistakes or errors. Example: if the workers are exposed to hot temperatures while working, then what are the SOPs to be adhered to. And other related SOPs.

One of the most memorable experience for new joiners and setting expectations with business leaders and hiring managers is important. Ensure that on-boarding shall only get the new joinee aware of the organization with an introduction to product, process, systems and tools, many a times role readiness considered that new joinee will be 100% ready however if the expectations are set that there could be a role based readiness plan with active action plans and toll gates evaluated by managers.

To foster a culture of feedback during onboarding: 1. Set Clear Expectations: Emphasise feedback's role in growth from day one. 2.Provide Training: Teach effective feedback methods—constructive, specific, empathetic. 3. Establish Routine Feedback: Integrate regular feedback sessions into new hire routines. 4. Model Behaviour: Leaders should actively engage in giving and receiving feedback. 5. Ensure Psychological Safety: Create an environment where honest feedback is encouraged without fear. 6.Promote Peer Feedback: Encourage constructive peer-to-peer feedback. Integrating these practices helps establish a feedback-rich culture from onboarding, aiding new employees in adapting to and excelling within the company’s culture.

Well Said and Agreed .. having clarity about expectations and desired outcome gives the channel to the efforts in the desired direction and effective mentoring with timely feedback leads to complete analysis about the Strategy and Execution towards the same !!!

Setting clear expectations during onboarding is vital for guiding new employees, reducing confusion about their roles and responsibilities. It establishes performance benchmarks, aligning their efforts with company goals. Clear expectations build trust and transparency, making new hires feel valued and informed. Without this clarity, there's a risk of frustration and disengagement, potentially leading to early turnover. Effectively setting expectations is key to creating a positive work environment and fostering employee engagement and loyalty.

Facilitation is a great example where we involve learners in the process. It seeks out information from their experiences and uses it to generalize new information in their new roles. This is a great way to begin the process of onboarding. Many people don't realize the importance of counseling as well. It's a small process where you sit and communicate your expectations to the learner, but also have them provide you their expectations. From there, they can effectively create their SMART goals for the environment, and work to meet their own expectations through that.

Often when prepping someone to join my program we start with what do they know and where would they like to go. Often, I find they aren't sure what their end goal should be and understanding their motivations, challenges, preferences and fears is helpful when assisting in setting attainable goals.

To set expectations for learners during onboarding, clearly define and communicate learning objectives and outcomes. Provide a structured learning plan with a realistic timeline, accommodating different learning styles. Establish benchmarks for progress, like quizzes or practical tasks, to guide learners. Offer continuous support and feedback to keep them on track and show your commitment to their development. Encourage open dialogue for learners to express concerns and ask questions, creating a supportive learning environment. This approach ensures a well-guided and effective onboarding experience.

Involvement of learners in expectation-setting is key. It's also important to highlight if an expectation is out of scope, e.g. because it's not covered in the focus. Communicating this in advance minimises potential frustration going forward.

So we are talking about training/teaching/facilitating others. First, we as trainers need to look at the end state (where do we want to get to with the content). Know our strengths and weaknesses, but be ready to adapt to the environment. Sometimes we need to wait for feedback from the learners to gauge how we will reach the end state. For instance, if everyone is a strong communicator, but can't understand the material, we need to use different tools to get them there. Also, understand what barriers we have that can affect our facilitation. Do we say uh or um too much? Is it overly distracting to the learning process? Are we loud enough and do we enunciate properly? Look inside, then try to use your first session to gauge what to do next.

Expectation for myself is depending upon the audience. Being a trainer we always need to align with the participants. So, we always need to understand the mind set of the participants and have to set our expectations after going through the background of the participants. The introduction session will help us to understand the mindset and background of the participants. Need to give adequate time to the audience so that we can fully understand that. Role plays is a very effective tool.

Setting personal expectations during the onboarding process involves self-awareness and goal-setting. Start by understanding your role and responsibilities, then set achievable goals aligning with these. Prioritize learning and seek feedback actively to gauge your progress. Be realistic about your learning curve and adapt as needed. Establish a personal timeline for mastering key skills and responsibilities, and be proactive in seeking resources and support. Reflect regularly on your experiences to adjust goals and methods, ensuring continuous personal and professional growth.

It's not just improtant to set expectations for yourself as a facilitator/trainer but to make sure these are communicated to your client. In my experience, it's easy to overcommit out of the desire to provide the learners what they yearn for. It's important to place the responsibility for the transformation back in the hands of those who will ultimately run it.

Amid the various types of culture-- like learning culture, welcoming failure culture, pressure to perform culture, inclusive culture etc, it is imperative to give a know how so that the on boarders get a clear feel of which direction to think and it sets the tone.

Antes de alinear las expectativas: Cuando una empresa habla de su cultura es muy importante hacer la reflexión acerca del nivel de madurez de la empresa y qué tan arraigada está su cultura en las personas, porque a veces Recursos Humano o el área contratante tienen en su mente que los colaboradores abrazan la cultura teórica, pero la cultura real dista mucho de la teórica.

One of the questions I like to ask is: what elephants are in the room that everyone knows and nobody talks about that could hinder our process?

To align expectations with feedback during onboarding, clearly communicate the organization's goals and standards from the start. During feedback sessions, relate the learner's progress and performance directly to these expectations. Provide specific, actionable feedback that guides them towards meeting these standards. Encourage a two-way dialogue, allowing learners to ask questions and express concerns. Regularly update them on their progress and adjust feedback to reflect any changes in company goals or job roles. This ensures a consistent, transparent, and supportive learning experience aligned with the company's objectives.

One of my favourite things to do is to oull up our original goals and learners expectations at the end of a workshop or learning experience to jointly analyse where we hit the mark and what next steps might be. Demonstrating this openness has always yielded a fantastic trusted environment with the intention of becoming better

Let us not forget about organizational expectations within the mission statement. Upon pondering training materials and feedback, be sure that any feedback given IS also in 100% alignment with the company mission and culture. Do not let your own personal experiences and views skew your feedback. You must seek the utmost professionalism when giving feedback.

By making sure your expectations are tangible and measurable and are tied to the strategic objectives o the organization. Make sure employees understand WHY they are doing what they do. Not just because the boss told them to, but because their tasks play an important role in the success of the organization.

An onboarding program is a means to align the employees aspirations with those of the organization. To achieve it's effectiveness, it is essential to not only take the employees through the vision, mission, culture and strategic intent of the organization. It is even more paramount to explore avenue through which the employees can contribute to the achievement of the goals of the organization. Linking these with the personal goals and aspirations of the employees seals the deal.

Clear Job Descriptions: Provide detailed job descriptions outlining roles, responsibilities, and expectations. Onboarding Documents: Share comprehensive onboarding documents covering company policies, values, and code of conduct. Goal Setting: Collaboratively set clear, achievable goals for the initial weeks and months, aligning them with broader organizational objectives. Performance Metrics: Communicate key performance indicators and how success will be measured in the role. Regular Check-Ins: Schedule regular check-ins to discuss progress, address questions, and provide feedback, fostering a supportive environment.

Hay que tener en cuenta que una incorporación a través de un plan de desarrollo implica invertir tiempo de verdad en los elegidos. Un auténtico acercamiento a ellos desde el plano humano les va a llevar a abrazar los compromisos de sus jefes. El sentido de pertenencia es más comprometedor que el estar alineado con la cultura de la organización.

Expectations is a noun and is limiting. If we create standards and guidelines around a culture of expectancy then we open the employee and the organization up to more creativity. Why limit people with our expectations when we can grow in expectancy?