How to Create Relational & Engaging Onboarding

Last week we talked about simple and intuitive onboarding so that our new employees will understand why they are working with us and what their next step is. It was the first installment of our theme this month of Onboarding. Today we are moving from?what kind?of onboarding process we build, toward how we interact with employees during onboarding. This looks like adding an engaging and relational emphasis on our process.

?Our key aspects of Effective Onboarding

• Simple and Intuitive Onboarding
• Relational and Engaging Onboarding
• Learning and Developing Onboarding
• Follow-up to Onboarding

Before we get too far into building relationships and engaging our shiny new hires, we must understand this doesn't happen overnight. It is a common understanding in HR that onboarding processes should last at least 3 months, with best results coming from up to one year of onboarding.?

Sadly, the?percentage?of companies that put this into practice is in the minority.

We need to remember the difference between onboarding and orientation. While it only takes about a week or two for a new employee to orientate to their new position, onboarding is a much longer process. So remember, when it comes to onboarding, we are in it for the long haul, not the short sprint.?

That being said, a great place to start building relationships and engagement into our onboarding processes is to focus on person-to-person connection over task completion.

This means that for every simple and intuitive step in our process there should be connected to a person. For example, before beginning an hour of policy and best practices conversations, start with an icebreaker or fun game to help the new employee get to know their trainer.

We can dream bigger than just getting new employees up to speed (more on that next week) and increasing productivity. We can do more than just provide a paycheck for people! We can provide community, meaning, and enjoyment in the workplace.

Most of the time, that starts with onboarding. Gallup?reported in 2019?that great onboarding results in employees being more than twice as likely to be satisfied at work. Imagine for a moment if you could double the amount of employee satisfaction in your company right now. We would all jump at an opportunity like that! The truth is, that opportunity is available to us by creating great onboarding processes.

So what's next? What's the first step in making our onboarding more relational and engaging? Answer these three, easy questions to get started.?

1. Is there a person connected to each step of our onboarding process?
2. Are we rushing our onboarding or taking our time to make it great?
3. Are the people helping new employees during onboarding engaging and relational?

Once you've answered these questions, let us help you! Reach out to schedule a call at: https://www.talentmagnet.com/contactus