You're onboarding new hires. How do you cultivate a connection to company culture?

Here is how to cultivate company culture: Immersive Introduction: Provide comprehensive orientation sessions that cover company history, values, and mission. Highlight how each employee contributes to the overall goals and culture. Engage Through Communication: Foster open dialogue and regular updates about company achievements, challenges, and upcoming initiatives. Encourage questions and feedback to build understanding and alignment with cultural aspects. Lead by Example: Demonstrate cultural values in action through leadership behavior, decision-making processes, and recognition of employees who embody company culture. Encourage participation in cultural events and activities to strengthen connections and foster a sense of belonging.

Fostering a deep connection to company culture for new hires involves immersing them in the organization's ethos through stories that highlight its journey and values. This understanding helps them see how their role contributes to the company's mission. Encouraging interaction across diverse teams through projects and informal meetings fosters a collaborative environment. A thoughtful welcome kit, including company-branded items and a personalized note, further enhances this connection by making new hires feel valued and welcomed. Together with these initiatives, new hires are empowered to understand and embody the company's culture, ensuring a meaningful and lasting connection beyond the initial onboarding phase.

Get the little things RIGHT! Have everything ready to go at their desk prior to the first day. Make sure they have access and logins to all of your tools, softwares, IT equipment is set up, office supplies on their desk. Have a detailed plan & agenda ready to go for them. Ensure they have all the information, material, resources they need in order to be set up for success in their new role. Getting these things right (or wrong) has a tremendous impact on the new starter's first impression of the company, and can also make or break their future success and trajectory with the business. The impressions made during the onboarding process are critical and can be long-lasting, so get the little things right!

Providing a welcome package with company swag and a personalized welcome letter from the CEO can make new employees feel valued and part of the team from day one. Also, implementing a mentorship and buddy system. Pairing new hires with experienced employees as mentors can help them navigate the company’s processes and cultural nuances. A buddy system, where new employees are paired with a peer for the first few weeks, can provide support, answer questions, and offer a sense of camaraderie. Regular check-ins and feedback sessions between new hires and their mentors or buddies ensure that they are integrating well and feel connected to the company’s culture!

By embedding new hires in the fabric of your company culture right from the start, you not only welcome them into the organization but also equip them with a sense of belonging and purpose. Building a strong connection to the company's values and practices can help individuals feel motivated and inspired to contribute their best work, knowing that they are part of something meaningful and impactful. Encouraging active participation in company traditions and events creates a sense of camaraderie and fosters relationships that go beyond just work tasks. In this way, new hires can truly appreciate the ethos of the company and embody its culture in their everyday interactions and decision-making, thus ensuring a unified and cohesive workforce

Integration can begin even before onboarding by sharing the company's values and culture throughout the recruitment process. From the initial communication, being open and helpful sets the tone for a positive candidate experience. Discussing the company's mission, values, and culture during interviews and interactions helps candidates understand what to expect and align their own values accordingly. This early transparency ensures that there are no surprises and builds a sense of belonging and connection from the start, paving the way for a smoother transition and stronger commitment when they officially join the team.

Ich habe gute Erfahrungen neue Mitarbeiter durch innovative Ma?nahmen in die Unternehmenskultur zu integrieren. Zum Beispiel mit einem interaktiven Kulturworkshop, der die Unternehmenswerte und -praktiken durch Rollenspiele und Simulationen lebendig macht. Ein Paten-System, bei dem erfahrene Mitarbeiter als Mentoren fungieren, f?rdert den pers?nlichen Austausch und die Integration. Ich bevorzuge Reverse Mentoring mit verschiedenen Generationen. Organisieren Sie regelm??ige Team-Building-Aktivit?ten wie kreative Workshops oder Outdoor-Events, um das Gemeinschaftsgefühl zu st?rken. Ein monatlicher ?Kultur-Treff“, bei dem Erfolge und Werte gefeiert werden, schafft meiner Erfahrung nach zus?tzlich eine enge Verbindung zur Unternehmenskultur.

HR teams are typically deemed the “People & Culture” department for a reason! The focus is to embrace new people into the organization, make them feel welcomed and situated while maintaining the fabric of a company culture and persona. Interweaving different backgrounds, personalities, and cultural perspectives are all key to the on-boarding and ongoing experience of employees in the workplace. Facilitate learning environments for new hires to get to know other people in the company.

Culture can be enhanced by having a great culture book. It can help to demonstrate culture and the input of current employees is essential for authenticity.

Il faut tisser du lien entre la nouvelle recrue et les collaborateurs de l’entreprise dès la phase de préboarding (entre la date de signature de la promesse d’embauche et l’arrivée de la nouvelle recrue). Le but de ces échanges est de solliciter l'intérêt du nouveau collaborateur pour la structure, ce qui agira par la suite sur la cohésion d’équipe et l’épanouissement du collaborateur.

Open dialogue during onboarding helps new hires feel valued and integrated into the company culture, which boosts engagement and retention. Open communication encourages transparency, builds trust, and allows new employees to align with the company's values and goals from the start.

The small things can make a big difference. For example when someone joins a company its often the social ques that they lack. Are drinks made in a round or separate? Or knowing individual preferences of team members regarding communication. These are a great place to start which build into the wider culture and actually set the tone. E.g. it's no good explaining the culture is wellbeing centric and then rewarding burnout inducing overtime. Also ensure that you have an open culture that welcomes feedback. You have a short window when your new hire is still reading 'outside the bottle' making keen observations about your culture, on what's good and what it lacks. But they most likely won't share this, give them a safe space to do so.

It is also worth thinking about an onboarding survey after 2 to 3 months to see how onboarding communication can be improved.

Mentoring, Coaching or Buddy system or all three should be used throughout an employee journey, as well as the formal people manger roles. All new starts should be offered a Buddy to help with things more informal and day to day, but Mentoring and Coaching might be more specific to the employees role and growth. Provide access to good experienced hirers and encourage formal and informal mentor and coaching relationships to help the employee develop and build their own networks within a company too.

Afin d’humaniser l’onboarding et de cultiver un lien avec la culture d'entreprise, on peut proposer : ? Une présentation informelle des membres de l’équipe ; ? Un petit déjeuner d’accueil le premier jour ; ? L’attribution d’un parrain / d’une marraine ; ? Des déjeuners/cafés avec des personnes de l’entreprise au cours des premières semaines pour créer du lien avec tous.

Durch Reverse Mentoring profitieren alle Generationen und st?rken die Unternehmenskultur. F?rdern Sie gegenseitiges Lernen: GenZ bringt digitale Kompetenz, Boomer strategisches Denken. W?hlen Sie Freiwillige beider Generationen und stimmen Sie Interessen ab. Kl?ren Sie Erwartungen und setzen Sie Ziele in einem Kick-off-Meeting. Planen Sie regelm??ige Treffen zu Themen wie digitale Trends, Technologien, Karriereentwicklung und Strategie. Erstellen Sie eine Themenliste, z.B. Social Media für Boomer und Führungsstrategien für GenZ. F?rdern Sie offenen, respektvollen Austausch. Bewerten Sie regelm??ig den Fortschritt und verbessern Sie das Programm. Teilen Sie Erfolgsgeschichten und reflektieren Sie gemeinsam, um Erkenntnisse zu integrieren.

I feel strongly close to this, because at my company we have a leadership academy that teaches our current and new managers about being an effective leader. I was in charge of the mentorship/coaching presentation. The presentation was super insightful for those who were not sure about the differences between mentoring and coaching. Being a mentor leaves lasting impressions on your mentee! If you are able to mentor an employee and help them grow in their role and even outside their role or company, that allows you to be a leader they will always look up to!

Mentorship plays a crucial role in integrating new employees into the company culture. By partnering new hires with our current employees, the transition becomes more seamless, offering them a dependable source of cultural understanding. Mentors can share insights on unwritten rules, expectations, and the organisation's social dynamics. Additionally, they can connect new employees with stakeholders and aid in expanding their internal network, thereby deeply embedding them into the company’s cultural structure.

Offer comprehensive training programs that include not just role-specific training but also sessions on company culture and values. Continuous Learning. Promote a culture of continuous learning by providing access to professional development resources and opportunities.

être bien formé permet d’être à l’aise dans ses missions et d’être bien intégré à l’entreprise. La recrue doit suivre en priorité les formations relatives à son métier pour développer ses compétences (les formations peuvent aussi concerner les soft skills ainsi que l’histoire / la culture de l’entreprise). Selon une étude de 2018 (étude Robert Half), les employés mettent en moyenne 6 à 8 mois pour être opérationnels. Le secret d’une formation réussie : la cadence. Effectivement, il faut éviter de submerger la nouvelle recrue d’informations (sinon elle va rapidement oublier). Il faut donc trouver le bon rythme et varier les approches.

To participate in different seminars, workshops, projects, social events etc in the firm is one of the best ways to know what the culture there is, if people are happy in this culture or not, if the values of the firm and employees align with yours, if you will like your new working environment or not. Watch out for these events, go and take part so that you can see the whole picture better

Training and reiteration of the processes to a new employee as everything is new and sometimes you do not use it as often. Place the processes in writing so everyone does them the same way and it will be very easy to find. It will be more effective and would save time to find the processes when you need to learn them.

What's particularly impressive is how quickly my company implemented changes based on our feedback. This responsiveness not only improves the experience for future hires but also reinforces the idea that our company culture is dynamic and shaped by all of us. It's created a sense of ownership and belonging that I didn't expect to feel so early in my tenure. This approach has definitely accelerated my integration into the team and heightened my engagement with the company's mission and values.

Feedback loops are incredibly important in a company. New hires add fresh perspectives to any organization so keeping ongoing town halls and places for employees to continuously facilitate feedback and improvements will help any organization. On the flip side, one on ones with managers and staff are also key to helping foster career progression and professionalism. Feedback needs to be a two way street in order to progress a company forward! Everyone’s ideas and feedback are valid and you never know who you might learn from regardless of their position title at a company.

Encourage open communication and provide platforms where new hires can share their thoughts, ideas, and feedback. Use surveys and feedback sessions to understand their onboarding experience and make improvements.

To cultivate a connection to company culture during onboarding, start by sharing your organization’s mission, values, and vision. Create a welcoming environment with personalized welcome messages and introductory sessions. Assign mentors or buddies to guide new hires through their initial days. Encourage participation in team meetings and social events to foster relationships. Provide access to resources that highlight company history and success stories. Regularly check in to address questions and gather feedback. By integrating new hires into the cultural fabric from day one, you ensure they feel valued, aligned, and engaged with the company’s goals and community.

Consider integrating collaborative projects early on to foster teamwork and a sense of belonging. Additionally, ensure new hires have access to social events and team-building activities to strengthen interpersonal connections and build a supportive network.

Pre-boarding has started to be adopted by a few companies. So what is it? It is actually a bridge from recruitment to onboarding. It can include orientation, mentorship and early introductions to teams and core values. Especially given the growth in remote hires, pre-boarding can create faster and deeper engagement earlier in the hiring process.

Les candidats ne rejoignent pas tous l’entreprise pour les mêmes raisons, et c’est exactement pour cette raison que le parcours d’onboarding doit être sur mesure. Plus l’onboarding ressemblera au futur métier et à l’entreprise, plus l’engagement et le sentiment d’appartenance de la nouvelle recrue augmenteront avant son arrivée dans la structure (phase de préboarding).