How to Create an On-boarding Process

While the term "onboarding" isn't new, the significance of this critical period in the employee life cycle is more important than ever as organizations continue to focus heavily on the retention and development of their current workforce.

A well-designed, fun and engaging onboarding process has a significantly greater effect on employee engagement and thus retention when compared to the old school mentality of one-day "orientation." In fact, The Human Resources Corporate Leadership Council found that increasing an employee's level of engagement could potentially improve performance by 20 percent and reduce the employee's probability of departure by a whopping 87 percent.

Working to foster great working relationships now ensures a more motivated workforce in the future, regardless of economic uncertainties. Although for some, developing an onboarding program may seem like a daunting task, it doesn't have to be. The steps below provide a simple framework to get you started and should be tailored to meet your organization's specific needs.

Start Before Day One 

As soon as the employee accepts the offer, reach out to them and get as much accomplished as possible. In addition to having them fill out new hire paperwork, consider answering questions in advance, such as where to go on day one, who to ask for upon arrival and what to wear. This is where utilizing a new employee portal can help and assist you with getting your new hires up to speed quickly.

Socialize! 

Organizations that don't focus on acclimating new employees to their corporate culture are at a significant disadvantage. Employees who know what to expect from their company's culture and work environment make better decisions that are more aligned with the accepted practices of the company, show less anxiety and are better networked.

Extend Beyond Day One 

Studies have shown that extending onboarding beyond the first day, preferably from 3 months to one year, can significantly improve the overall experience and the resulting engagement and retention of your employee base.

Assign a Mentor 

The recently published Aberdeen Group onboarding benchmark report, "Fully Onboard: Getting the Most from Your Talent in the First Year" states that "Best-in-Class organizations are nearly two and one - half times more likely than Laggard organizations to assign a mentor or coach during the onboarding process." Mentoring programs can be as simple as assigning a new employee a "go-to" person or having an elaborate team of mentors for any questions that might arise.

Get the Manager Involved 

The same Aberdeen Group report mentioned previously also states that in order to achieve Best-in-Class status, organizations must have managers meet with new employees soon after the start date to set performance expectations and related development plans. This initial meeting and the involvement of the manager in the onboarding process should set clear job expectations for the employee. Setting these clear expectations up front will create a sense of ownership for the employee, reduce confusion and give them an idea of what it takes to be successful.

Measure the Impact 

In order to determine if your program is successful you need feedback and the ability to measure the results. Surveys regarding your employees' onboarding experience given at intervals, such as the end of week one or the 30, 60, and 90-day marks, can be effective. One-on-one interviews and focus groups are useful tools at the conclusion of the onboarding process. Take these results and determine how day one readiness, time to productivity and retention rates have been affected, then use the results for continual process improvement.

Automate the Process 

An ever-increasing number of organizations are moving to an automated onboarding process, specifically in the areas of electronic forms, task management and portals to integrate employees into the culture quickly. An automated process can be much easier to manage, can save vast amounts of time and money and is one of the single most important things you can do to increase productivity and day one readiness.

Conclusion 

While there's a lot to think about when it comes to developing an onboarding program at your organization, the results will make it well worth the effort! Increased employee engagement, retention and productivity are just a few of the benefits that can be realized by putting some of these steps into action. Even if you're not hiring and onboarding a tremendous number of employees today, now is the time to consider these guidelines and take steps towards implementing your own program. In addition to the invaluable benefits to your employee base, you can save thousands of dollars in paper as well as administrative and training costs by automating your onboarding process with a technology solution