Onboarding: Communication in the Center

by Ps. Gabriela Genz

An effective onboarding process is crucial for an organization's success, particularly as a recent Gallup study highlights that people are increasingly less inclined to remain in long-term positions.

With everything that has been continuously changing around us and within workplaces, how can we improve long-term engagement by implementing an effective onboarding process?

Another eloquent statistics from Gallup show that only 12% of employees agree that their organization has a good onboarding process.

While nearly every company offers an onboarding program, only a few employees describe the experience as great. As a result, many employers are losing their staff shortly after they begin.

Some keys: looking the whole landscape of stakeholders

1-First day: “this is your chance to make a great first impression”.

How can we create this amazing Day One experience? in fact, three-day-ones, because today in this remote, onsite, and hybrid global environment, not everybody sits in the same location.

Leaders and employees sit in different parts of the world, in different time zone, so how do we engage them before that initial Day One so that they understand what to expect.

What I′m going to do, Where′s my computer, what I′m going to do on my first day, who I′m going to meet? , what′s conversations I′m going to have. So, it′s really about that Day One readiness, for it to be an amazing experience for all the new hires.

However, there is more to onboarding than "Where do I sit?”. It is about culture. It is about social connection.

2- Communication

It’s a good idea to set up front what to expect what is going to happen the first day, the next few days and also in long term.

The new hire values that the employer has planned in advance what the learning curve will look like over time.

New hires want to know what is expected from them, and they value receiving prompt feedback. Much of the work we've observed around onboarding shows that new employees often don't receive feedback when they need it most.

What proves to be highly effective are "ASK ME ANYTHING SESSIONS," where employees feel free to ask their leaders any questions or raise concerns. These sessions show that leaders genuinely care, whether the issues are personal, professional, or related to the company's direction.

3- Community:

Sometimes people are coming in on cohorts, sometimes they`re coming in on their own. Whether that`s a virtual or in person event, it can feel differently. In a virtual setting, we miss out on the spontaneous interactions, like when everyone leaves a meeting together, and someone asks for clarification about something that was said. Instead, a new hire might have to schedule a meeting or be part of an ongoing conversation thread to ask their question.

Community is important for people to know that there are other people going through this with them alongside.

4- Integration

How do we make sure, especially in remote and hybrid organizations that an employee can effectively integrate to the team and the culture considering that, it is more fluid an organic when we had an office.

If your company is fortunate enough to have a team with workplace experience, sometimes working on-site, they excel at fostering a sense of community for new hires, bringing them together as a group and cultivating a local ecosystem. Even in a virtual office environment, they can unite the team. Since the remote environment is becoming more crucial, it is essential to create an engaging and inclusive experience for everyone.

As part of the integration process, it is important to assign each new hire a mentor, a buddy, or sometimes both. The mentor is typically a more senior employee who helps with introductions and supports the manager in ensuring the new hire feels comfortable, meeting with them regularly to offer guidance.

The buddy is someone who is knowledgeable. They should be able to respond to any question without showing judgment, remaining open and ready to assist. Key stakeholders in this process include recruiters, managers, mentors, buddies, and fellow cohort members. Additionally, a program manager often provides regular touchpoints and meets with new hires periodically. There are also "lunch and learn" sessions with various members of the organization, where they discuss their career journeys or the company's history and development.

Onboarding can be both an exciting and overwhelming experience, that is why it's crucial to establish open communication for a more genuine connection. It's about fostering meaningful conversations and creating a sense of closeness that resonates with people on a personal level.