The Role of Employee Advocacy in Onboarding: Turning New Hires into Ambassadors

Onboarding is a pivotal time to engage and excite new talent. But it’s also a missed opportunity for many companies. Beyond just training new hires, savvy organizations leverage onboarding to turn new employees into brand advocates.

Advocacy during onboarding generates immediate payoffs: higher engagement, retention, and performance. It also kickstarts longer-term benefits by transforming new hires into vocal champions.

What is Employee Advocacy??

Employee advocacy involves activating employees as voluntary supporters to promote their company. Rather than paid advertising, advocacy harnesses genuine endorsements from workers.

Advocates share positive messages, content, and experiences. They boast about company culture, products, initiatives, and values. This grassroots promotion helps boost brand visibility, trust, and reach.

The Onboarding Advocacy Opportunity?

New hires offer a prime chance to ignite advocacy. According to Gallup, new employees are four times more likely to be engaged at work compared to more tenured staff.

Fresh eyes see an organization without cynicism or entrenched habits. Early on, new hires want to evangelize what makes the company great. Harness this honeymoon period to convert newbies into advocates.??

Strategies for Onboarding Advocacy

Here are some ways to spark and sustain advocacy during onboarding:

- Spotlight company mission and values - Inspire new hires by exploring the “why” and deeper purpose behind the work.

- Encourage social sharing - Provide templates and guidance for new staff to share their onboarding journey on social media.?

- Incentivize referrals - Reward new employees who refer candidates for open roles. This turns them into talent scouts.

- Facilitate ambassador groups - Create onboarding cohorts or “tribes” that new hires bond with and promote the organization to.?

- Host insider access events - Offer new staff advanced previews of products/initiatives to get them excited to promote launches.

- Provide swag and giveaways - Branded items like shirts, notebooks, and water bottles give new hires physical artifacts to show off.

- Share employee success stories - Collect and highlight examples of staff accomplishments, growth, and cultural fit. Use these stories as advocacy inspiration.

- Seek new hire testimonials - Gather positive onboarding feedback from new employees to use in employer branding materials.

The Impact of Onboarding Advocacy?

Rallying new hires as advocates generates tremendous upside:

- Higher retention - New employees who feel engaged and included are more likely to stick around. Advocacy boosts bonds to the organization.

- Increased referrals - Enthusiastic new staff refer qualified candidates at higher rates. This amplifies recruiting efforts.

- Authentic employer branding - New hire testimonials and shared experiences showcase genuine workplace culture.

- Accelerated social reach - Activated employees extend brand exposure to new audiences across their social networks.?

- Improved recruitment - Insider advocacy attracts high-quality applicants who see workers’ confidence in the company.

Don’t Squander the Onboarding Opportunity

Onboarding marks a special chance to engage employees when they are most receptive. Convert new hires into advocates and let their passion fuel ongoing success. Supported new employees become loyal brand ambassadors for the long haul.

Sources:

Collins, Laurie. "New Employees Are Four Times More Likely to Be Engaged at Work." Gallup.com , Gallup, 4 Aug. 2015, https://www.gallup.com/workplace/236483/new-employees-four-times-likely-engaged-work.aspx . ?

Forbes Agency Council. (2020, March 16). What Is Employee Advocacy? Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2020/03/16/what-is-employee-advocacy/?sh=1b4b59c1501e