The Importance of an Effective Onboarding Process

Onboarding is a crucial and intricate part of the recruitment process. One of the key objectives for HR professionals during recruitment is to ensure that new hires integrate smoothly and quickly into the organization.

Regardless of your industry, an ineffective onboarding process can significantly impact a new hire's experience and jeopardize employee retention.

Therefore, experienced HR professionals understand that creating an effective onboarding process is essential for integrating new employees into an organization smoothly and efficiently, making them productive team members. A well-structured onboarding program helps new hires understand their roles and responsibilities while also setting the tone for their future with the company.

According to bestic.com , at the heart of effective employee onboarding , lies the understanding that each new hire’s experience is a reflection of the company’s values and an opportunity to cement their commitment to their new role.

Understanding the Importance of Onboarding

Effective onboarding can significantly impact employee retention and performance. Studies have shown that employees who experience a structured onboarding process are more likely to stay with the company longer and are more productive. Onboarding goes beyond paperwork and orientation; it’s about ensuring new hires feel welcome, valued, and ready to contribute to the organization's goals.

Pre-boarding: Setting the Stage

To maximize the potential of new hires, the onboarding process should start even before their first day at work. This phase is known as pre-onboarding or pre-boarding activities . The pre-boarding process is a pivotal stage in an employee’s journey, significantly influencing their perception of their roles, responsibilities, and the company culture. While companies anticipate high performance from new hires, these employees also bring their own set of expectations. They join the workforce aiming to enhance their skills and gain valuable work experience.

According to the Human Capital Institute , 78% of organizations that invested in onboarding recorded an increase in revenue. Some 64% of firms saw a positive increase in most of their KPIs. While 54% saw significant gains in employee engagement metrics?

A good pre-boarding strategy can include any of the following activities:?

Sending a Welcome Package:

HR can send a welcome package that includes company items such as a T-shirt, mug, and a personalized welcome letter. Providing key information about the first day helps new employees feel excited and valued.

Providing Access to Company Resources:

Organizations may also grant new hires access to company resources, such as email accounts, training manuals, messenger platforms, or an employee portal. This approach helps newbies become familiar with the systems and builds a sense of belonging and trust.

Introducing Key Contacts:

New hires need to be familiar with key contacts within the organization. Therefore, HR can provide a list of important individuals, including their line manager, any direct reports, HR business partners, and a peer mentor. This network, viewable through a tool like an org chart , can people navigate their first few weeks in a new job and settle in comfortably.?

First Impression: Make it Great And Memorable:

The first day at work is important for every new hire, as it sets the tone for their experience. How the manager and team welcome them, and the promptness in addressing their needs and requests, can significantly influence their perception of the organization.

Read More: Why a Salesforce-Powered HR Solution Is the Future

Personalized Welcome for the New Employees:

The HR business partner can assign a staff member to give the new hire a tour of the company, introducing them to key departmental heads and colleagues.

Implement a Well-Organized Orientation Session:

New employees need to understand the organization's culture, values, vision, and mission. This is achievable through a well-structured orientation process. The orientation program serves as a platform for new hires to learn more about the organization, igniting their passion, commitment, and dedication. If you want to build employees who remain committed to your business goals, a strong orientation program is essential.

Set up the Workstation:

When onboarding a new hire, HR and IT must work in synergy. While HR ensures the new hire has a memorable experience, the IT department must ensure all equipment is properly and perfectly set up at the workstation.

Onboarding with flair is an all-in-one HR and recruiting solution built natively on Salesforce, boasting five-star reviews on the global CRM's AppExchange. The software streamlines the entire employee lifecycle, from hiring and onboarding to payroll and performance management.

Thanks to flair's powerful Salesforce backend, HR managers benefit from robust enterprise-grade security, insightful reports and dashboards, AI support, and fully customizable workflows. Managers and employees also have access to an intuitive, self-service portal to efficiently manage daily HR tasks. Onboarding tools are a key feature of flair. The solution’s applicant tracking software comprises a recruitment funnel through which recruiters can automatically transition successful candidates over to a pre-boarding environment. The pre-boarding environment, a scaled-down version of flair’s Employee Hub staff portal, is great for new hires to input details such as name, address, birthday, and other important employment details. From there HR managers or team leaders can assign newcomers and their colleagues onboarding workflows. This is perfect for organizing meet and greets between employees or assigning experienced staff tasks that can help a new person integrate. For a full breakdown of flair’s onboarding capabilities, check out this feature page .?

Case Study: How Hutte's Remote Culture Thrives with Self-Service HR Using flair?

Hutte is an innovative independent software vendor (ISV) within Salesforce's ecosystem, dedicated to enhancing DevOps capabilities for the Salesforce community. Founded by Harald Mayer, Hutte aims to simplify the lifecycle management of Salesforce applications, ensuring seamless product development and deployment.

Keeping a Remote Team Connected

Based in Munich but operating remotely, Hutte embraces a remote-first culture to tap into a global talent pool. In flair’s Success Hub story, Harald Mayer highlights the self-motivation and independence required in a remote work environment. To foster team spirit and collaboration, Hutte organizes in-person meetups during Salesforce events and hackathons, where team members can connect and brainstorm.

It’s a Seamless Process from Recruiting to Goals

Hutte utilizes flair’s comprehensive HR suite to manage its talent acquisition and HR processes efficiently. The flair Recruiting app also enables seamless job postings, candidate tracking, and collaborative hiring processes

Onboarding Facts and Figures

The following are key onboarding statistics for HR professionals:?

·??According to a Glassdoor survey, onboarding?improves a company’s retention rate by 82% ?if conducted properly.

·?On average, new hires are given between?10 and 40 tasks ?to complete.

·?New hires are expected to have an?onboarding timeline ?of two weeks. However, most experts said they give it 3 months before they expect a new hire to be fully onboarded and working independently.

·? Approximately 35% of companies?spend zero dollars ?on onboarding.

·?7 in 10 HR managers provide a?three-step approach ?for increased retention.

·?60% of onboarding ?takes place digitally

·?60% of companies ?fail to set milestones or goals for new hires.

·?35% of companies ?have no formal onboarding program.

·?Video is the preferred onboarding content of?91% of customers .

Read more:?26 Surprising Onboarding Statistics for 2024 - Think Learning

In addition, research carried out by Zippia:?17 Incredible Onboarding Statistics [2023]: HR Trends In Hiring, Training, And Retention - Zippia

Highlighted the under-listed points as the most interesting onboarding trends in 2023:

·?It costs a little over $1,500 to onboard a new hire, on average

·?Organizations with strong onboarding processes increase new hire retention by 82% and improve productivity by 70%.

·?88% of employees believe that their company doesn’t do a great job when it comes to onboarding new employees.

· 58% of organizations have onboarding programs that primarily involve processes and paperwork.

·?Employees who attend a structured orientation program are 69% more likely to remain at the company for at least three years.?

· The average new hire is assigned 41 administrative tasks to complete.

·17% of employees leave their new job between the first week and the third month of a new job.

Based on the data above, it’s evident how crucial onboarding is for both new employees and organizations. It’s important to understand that onboarding doesn’t end on the first day, week, or even month. Instead, it is a vital component of employee lifecycle management.

Therefore, an organization that wants to maximize its investment in hiring and set new hires up for success should develop an effective onboarding strategy aligned with the company’s goals.

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To enhance your onboarding process, book a free consultation with flair.??