Top 10 Onboarding Success Tips
Robert Moment-ICF Leadership and Startups Coach
Startup Tech CEO Coach | I help Tech CEOs of startups + small to midsize companies disrupt markets, build top teams + revenue growth |AI Leadership & Executive Coaching |Leadership Development Services |Business Strategy
Onboarding is a vital step for conducting successful hiring. The overall success of the onboarding process directly affects the success of the new hire. Through onboarding, a new applicant is shifted from the applicant position to the employee status of an organization. The human resources management department prioritizes a successful onboarding process.?
The organization has to follow a wide range of strategies and activities to make the onboarding process successful. Employees must feel welcomed and supported from the first day. The proactive hiring managers of the organization must structure the onboarding process to keep the employee engaged with the company.?
Multiple steps can be taken into practice to ensure a successful onboarding process. But it is also essential for the human resources department to strategize these processes when conducting the hiring process. In that way, necessary alterations and improvements can be done when the necessity arises for it.?
?The Successful Onboarding Tips?
A successful onboarding has numerous advantages associated with it. So, it is a vital and integral part of the organization's whole human resource staffing process. Some crucial steps should be kept in mind to conduct a successful onboarding after an employee is hired.??
By following them, the process can become more effective. These onboarding tips are:?
Creating a Template for the Onboarding Process??
With the long and rigorous process of recruitment, screening, and hiring, little attention is given to the onboarding process. It can be detrimental when so much focus is shown on the before-hiring process than the after-hiring process. So, while the task for hiring is being conducted, the planning and structure of the onboarding should be formulated as well.?
It is vital to create a mapping or an onboarding process template. In this way, a step-by-step onboarding process can be ensured where all the needs and demands of the new employees can be addressed. It can also bring some necessary corrections and alterations to attention. So, for successful onboarding, a suitable template and mapping are pivotal.?
Running a Test Drive?
It is essential to conduct a “Test Drive" or put the pre-planned onboarding template into action. The recruitment committee can go through a general and basic rundown of all the necessary activities that are being conducted in the onboarding process. Running a test drive allows the organization to put forth the best image of its vision, mission, and goals in the process.?
At the same time, if there are creative attempts at making the employees welcome in the organization that can be smoothed out. The tools and technologies of the onboarding program are also tested out in this process. As a result, the chances of any unexpected technical failure are reduced. Hence, the organization can perform its best in the onboarding process.?
Orientation Program Within the Organization?
An employee orientation program is one of the critical steps for ensuring a successful onboarding process. It allows the organization to represent itself to the newly hired employees. At the same time, it is an excellent way for the employees to learn, shift, and adjust to the organization’s goals and objectives. The orientation program can go on for several days to weeks.?
When an employee is newly introduced to an organization's new environment and culture, it is natural for them to have questions, inquiries, and need assistance to know more about different policies, code of conduct, etc., elements. A precise onboarding program addresses all these needs and demands of the new employee. So, it is crucial for successful onboarding.?
Assigning The Support of a Peer Mentor?
The human resources management department of an organization must allocate one or more peer mentors who provide support to the newly hired employees. It is a crucial strategy that will make the onboarding process significantly successful. A workforce of an organization can be highly diverse that requires a lot of assistance. This is where the peer mentor comes in.?
A peer mentor is assigned to the organization to address the employees' needs. It is an excellent way of showing the newly hired employees that the organization prioritizes them and allows the necessary support system. They can also learn more about the organization through a peer mentor. Thus, peer mentors are necessary for onboarding.?
Proactive Human Resource Management?
The duties of the human resources management department do not stop at finalizing the recruitment process. Instead, it starts a new chapter for human resources duties and responsibilities in managing employees in the organization. In the onboarding process, proactive management by the HRM department is essential for the new employees.?
A proactive HR manager ensures that a comprehensive breakdown of the job's tasks, roles, and responsibilities is shown to the newly hired employees. He must also oversee and confirm the different necessary activities of the employees. It is an optimal strategy for ensuring a successful onboarding process of the new hire to uplift the organizational values.?
Distributing the Employee Handbook?
An employee handbook is a general book of guidelines, policies, code of conduct, appraisal, payment and compensation plans, etc., of the company. It summarizes the organizational goals, missions, visions, and long-term objectives. The handbook also shows the company history and everything they have achieved in the previous years.?
The employee handbook is an excellent way of ensuring that the newly hired employees have all the information they need ready in their hands. This is a handy resource that the organization can offer to the employees. They can get informed about different tips about successful work practices. It makes the onboarding process highly efficient.?
Conducting Necessary Check-Ins??
The onboarding process does not end at orientation and handbook distribution tasks. Instead, it requires the action of regular conduction check-ins on the employees. It allows strong communication and networking to build up in the organization. This creates the infrastructure for strong communication and employee engagement activities.?
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Regular check-ins are necessary to be conducted on the newly hired employees. This can go on for days to weeks. The human resources management department needs to step in to regulate this task regularly and periodically. As a result, various inquiries, problems, and needs of the employees can be duly met. It will also create a strong workforce culture within the company.?
Promoting Employees’ Personal Development?
One of the most attractive features that an organization can offer its employees is personal development opportunities. The organization must start this right at the beginning when the employees join a company. It is not only an excellent way to create a successful onboarding program but also to reduce employee retention and absenteeism.?
Various training and development programs can be included in the personal development of the employees. It will help both the organization and the workforce for their long-term success. In the onboarding program, the peer mentors can provide multiple career growth roadmaps to the new employees. This will increase employees' motivation and engagement with the company.?
Gather Feedback?
An onboarding process is hardly done without receiving feedback from the employees. This serves two primary purposes. Firstly, it allows the employees to communicate their feelings and share inputs. Secondly, the information and suggestions from the employees allow the human resources management department to understand their strengths and weaknesses.?
Allowing the employees to share their suggestions through different methods like questionnaires or anonymous forms can make the onboarding process more successful. It is vital for the company to realize the areas where they can improve so that they can address those issues immediately. This is highly crucial to make the onboarding successful.?
Offer Redo’s?
When an employee is newly introduced to the organization and its culture, it is reasonable that they might be overwhelmed with all the procedures. This happens more when the onboarding process is crammed in the span of a few days. This can cause information overload, feeling anxious, and even misunderstanding of the overall values of the organization.?
As a result, many organizations can offer a redo of the whole process. This can be done virtually or on other preferred platforms. The virtual onboarding process allows the employees who could not commute to the office for their personal reasons to stay connected with the program. Offering redo's will enable the employees to gather a better understanding of the core values.?
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Benefits Of a Successful Onboarding??
According to some studies, it is proven that an effective onboarding program makes the employees 18 times more likely to stay highly committed to the organization. This provides the organization with a loyal and effective workforce for the long run. It becomes possible due to a successful onboarding process.?
Successful onboarding programs have high value to the organization. From the studies of Harvard Business Review, a successful onboarding creates job satisfaction, employee engagement, and commitment, reduces workplace deviance, and decreases retention and absenteeism. Hence, successful onboarding is highly essential and valuable for the organization.?
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Conclusion?
A successful onboarding process is pivotal for both the organization and the employees. It creates the infrastructure for a strong organizational culture and allows strong communication within the organization.??
Hence, in these ways, an organization can implement a strong onboarding program for its new employees.?
?About the Author?
Robert Moment is an Onboarding Expert and ICF Certified Executive Leadership Coach with over 15+ experience coaching and 25+ business experience.?
I help CEOs and HR Professionals eliminate high turnover cost hiring new executives by reducing the Onboarding Executive Failure Rate to 0%.?
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