With a successful recruitment strategy, you get the right candidates for various roles in the company. However, new hires often feel lost and need help adjusting to the company, which is why you must ensure they feel welcome and comfortable. This creates the need for a successful employee onboarding program. An effective onboarding program allows the new hires to blend into the organization easily, increasing their productivity.
Read on for all you need to know about a successful onboarding program.
Why an Effective Onboarding Program Matters
Every company wants a successful recruitment, explaining the thorough selection process. However, how well the onboarding is conducted is also very important. So, how does the company welcome the new hires and help them settle into their roles?
Onboarding isn’t just for the employees; it also has several advantages for the brand. For one, it is crucial for employee retention since the new hires feel valued. The best part is how fast they can integrate into the team and become productive. Some organizations even connect onboarding with Incentive & Loyalty Programs to motivate employees and boost engagement right from the start. Making that part of your company’s work culture from the get-go makes them feel like they belong and are well-engaged, and in the long run, it sets the tone for a lasting relationship.
Key Components of an Effective Onboarding Program
Successful onboarding means the company can retain the best candidates, keep the employees satisfied, and build a solid employer brand, so how do you achieve that? The following components set up your new hires for success.
Pre-Boarding
You make these pre-arrival arrangements from the first day to make them feel welcome. It may be a customized message from the company, packages, healthy corporate gifts, paperwork, and other necessary preparations informing them of their first week. This is also your chance to prove that your values align and help you create a lasting impression of what working with you means.
Structured Orientation
Once you have set the tone and the new hires are engaged and immersed in the process, feeling like they are part of the team, the next step is orientation. Tell them about the company’s mission, values, vision, and workplace culture. During this stage, you can also outline the types of business attire expected in different settings, whether formal, business casual, or company-specific dress codes, to help them feel confident and prepared for their roles. You can also educate them about their new roles, introduce them to their team members and what is expected of them, and give an office tour from their station to the break rooms and other departments.
Role-Specific Training
This is one of the most crucial stages of onboarding, where you provide a job-specific training program. Based on their roles, guide how to use various software and tools to make their jobs easier and more efficient. For companies with distributed teams, it’s also essential to monitor remote workers during this phase to ensure they are adapting to the tools and processes effectively. You can emphasize a hands-on approach, ensuring they all have a chance to practice and perfect their skills. You can also provide compliance training detailing the company policies and other legal and procedural requirements.
Mentorship and Support Systems
Companies also offer in-house assistance for new hires, pairing them with experienced mentors and buddies to provide guidance when needed. They help with learning the ropes and navigating the responsibilities and expectations. Besides that, you can also conduct regular check-ins, in case there are questions or concerns.
Feedback Loops
Establishing an open-door policy and leaving effective communication lines open does wonders for the onboarding process. Chat with the hires to receive feedback on what has worked and what needs adjustment. Going forward, you can maximize your strengths and improve on your weaknesses.
Real-Life Success Stories
Companies understand the importance of a successful onboarding process, hence the heavy investment. Below are excellent examples of some programs top companies have employed and how they have worked to their advantage.
Case Study 1: Netflix
Since it was founded in 1997, Netflix has owed its success to its excellent employee experience. By making sure their employees are content, they have managed to improve profitability and facilitated the company’s growth. Netflix uses a culture deck of slides on the first week of onboarding, where each slide highlights what to expect from the company, including aspects of the work culture. As a result, the new hires are engaged and well-informed, which also benefits the company. For instance, in 2020, it experienced an 11% employee turnover, lower than several other massive brands.
Case Study 2: LinkedIn
As expected, LinkedIn boasts one of the best onboarding programs for new hires since it is based on HR and careers. Thanks to its introduction program highlighting key components of the company, new employees are informed of the company’s work culture and engaged in an all-rounded onboarding experience. This even earned it a bronze Brandon Hall award in 2014, explaining its consistent revenue growth over the years.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid in Onboarding
Since you want a seamless onboarding process, you should know the common pitfalls and how to avoid them. For instance, inadequate pre-boarding makes the employees feel confused and anxious, so ensure you send messages and packages on time, help them fill out the paperwork, and conduct orientations early in the initial days.
Set up schedules for first-week activities and check that you assign buddies and mentors to each newbie to smooth the transition. Also, to avoid overwhelming information, consider breaking it down into manageable bits and, while at it, provide enough training, especially for job-specific tasks.
Measuring the Success of Your Onboarding Program
The best part about setting up onboarding programs is that you can measure their quantitative and qualitative success. You can track how long it takes for the new hires to become fully productive, starting with their turnover rates after a specific time frame. You can also tell by evaluating their performance during reviews. As for qualitative metrics, consider gathering feedback from their teammates, colleagues, managers, and new hires. Lastly, exit interviews should be conducted when new recent hires leave the company.
Create an Effective Onboarding Program
Your company’s success starts at the initial stages of onboarding. Getting it right means that your new hires will settle in faster and seamlessly, ready to be productive, and you can tell by how your retention rates improve. Like successful and well-established companies, consider investing in the onboarding process and consistently conduct reviews through feedback and other measures. This way, you learn what works for you and what doesn’t, guaranteeing success for the newcomers and the company.
