Retention Starts with Your Onboarding Process: Are You Doing This Right?
Onboarding a new employee is more than showing them to their desk, giving them passwords, and teaching them the programs or technology they need to use. It can look very different from one company to the next; however, some items are the same across the board.
Onboarding should be an ongoing process, and how companies approach this process can make all the difference for a new employee and their first impression. Make sure you are doing this right! Here are some simple steps to help.
Preboard before you onboard!
Implementing a preboarding program allows you to take care of the (tedious) administrative work with your new hires, like health declarations and NDAs, HR forms, and payroll before onboarding starts. Thorough preboarding programs take care of everything that used to be part of orientation, so onboarding can help new hires jump right into their teams and work without getting bogged down signing their lives away. According to recent surveys, 28% of new hires back out of job offers before the start date, you really can’t afford to lose contact with your new recruits. Preboarding helps you introduce these new hires to company culture, builds loyalty and trust, and gets them excited before they start.
Live your company’s mission:
The better the employees understand and align with the company’s mission and strategy, the higher the chances are of them staying on board. A clear vision statement will help you connect and engage with your newest hires. To keep everyone on the same page, you should also try to understand the employee’s perception.
Do what you can remotely, then engage them:
With many companies still working remotely, handle all paperwork via remote and Zoom conferencing. Then, while the new employee acclimates to the organization and is progressing through the onboarding process, HR managers should schedule regular check-ins to discuss how they are enjoying the company and their work.
Know your goals:
Your goals for onboarding a new employee should always include: creating a genuine feeling of belonging, making it easy for HR to manage new hires, and ensuring all legal regulations are complied with.
Focus on logistics out of the gate:
Logistics are the basics that mean your new employee can turn up at the right place to do their job. These include: directions and maps of building so they know where to go, setting up phone, laptop/computers, remote logins, make sure they have access to all business systems so they can start working right away, and any IT and cloud access.
Make sure hiring managers are heavily involved:
It goes without saying that management is key to onboarding. Make sure to provide relevant company and team information, like what you do and how you do it. Set up the new employee to use the company and team processes. Set objectives and goals for 30, 60, 90 days so the new hire knows where to focus. Add the new employee to the company holiday calendar, letting them know when they can start using their allocated time off.
It’s vital to remember that onboarding isn’t quick. It takes a new hire a good six months to one year to truly acclimate to their new job and work environment. Be patient, and make sure to always communicate with new hires, checking in with them as much as possible. This goes a long way to successful onboarding!
Need Help with Your Onboarding Process?
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