Onboarding

?The Importance of Onboarding?

First impressions matter, and to make a good one – organizations should have a clear and effective onboarding process. When we think of onboarding, we often think only of the impact it has on a new hire’s first weeks and months on the job, when in reality, good onboarding goes far beyond first days – research suggests that 86% of employees decide whether they plan to stay long-term in an organization within their first six months in the business.??

Effective onboarding positively impacts productivity, employee engagement, retention, role clarity, organizational perception and saves valuable time for HR and busy managers. Onboarding and retention have been perceived as two separate strategies, however, linkage between the two is becoming more and more apparent as onboarding can be, in a way, considered a retention strategy. It is proven that good onboarding boosts retention, which in turn reduces the need for costly recruitment processes.?

What is onboarding???

We can define it as comprehensive process designed to share knowledge, communicate values, build connections and manage compliance to transform new hires into confident, empowered team members and ambassadors. Each company’s onboarding process is looks different and should be tailored to the culture of the organization, however many parts of onboarding are transferrable and should be included in approaches regardless of the business sector or product.?

Pre-Boarding?

Onboarding starts with pre-boarding, which is a period from signing the offer letter to the first day, this is when we determine what documentation we need to gather and sign before the first day of the new joiner, these might include legal documents, documents specific to the new hire’s position, payroll documents, and company-specific documents. There are multiple solutions to automate the admin side of things – which saves valuable time and makes the process smoother and easier - as on average, HR professionals without a digital onboarding tool spend upwards of 10 hours per new hire on administrative tasks alone. This includes everything from coordinating paperwork, ordering equipment, and answering emails - to data entry.?

New starters must feel supported and part of the team from the very beginning, therefore answering all their questions before the start date and familiarizing them with company culture is crucial. Things like handing out an employee handbook, sharing the organizational structure chart, organizing first day meeting where they get to attend orientation and a Q&A in order to receive all the necessary information helps them have a clear idea of responsibilities and a clear vision of the common goal of the business.??

Involving Management?

Ideally, by the time the new starters have their first official working day, they have met some of the team already. However, in order to get a clearer picture of the organization, they should be meeting with the line manager and senior leaders, meeting with the team members, as well as meeting with HR and asking all the necessary questions along the way. New starters should have clear a idea of where their responsibilities start and where they end. Having in-depth conversations to identify expectations and responsibilities will motivate and increase productivity of an employee.??

Buddy System?

To have defined first day/week activities for new joiners helps them feel supported and comfortable, these could include: Having a buddy system, where new joiners are assigned a more experienced colleague to occasionally communicate with on variety of things creates a safe space for the new joiner - including discussing non-work related matters – which also helps them integrate in the team and feel like a valuable member.?

Every organization wants their new hire to succeed in the work they do, therefore helping them prepare for successes and wins is a crucial part of it, as even the professionals with thorough expertise can become insecure in a new environment and feel like “that new person”. Regular check-ins and consistent communication even after the first few weeks can prove to be absolutely crucial.?

Lastly, it is very important for the business to receive regular feedback on onboarding processes, to constantly keep the finger on the business’ pulse to identify the need of improvement and?help retain loyal, valuable talent.?

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