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What is Onboarding?
Onboarding is the process of introducing and integrating a new hire into the company. During this time both the organisation and the new employee are busy trying to incorporate and adapt to the changes. Various tasks and activities have to be carried out during the onboarding process to ensure it is smooth and seamless. The HR team and managers are especially busy as the process of helping new hires onboard can last anywhere from a few weeks to months.
Why is Onboarding Important?
Research from Glassdoor showed that organisations that improve their onboarding processes saw an 82% increase in new-hire retention. During onboarding, everything is new and exciting for the employee and is considered a honeymoon period. New employees are typically more engaged than others as they look to settle into the new environment.
For this reason, it is crucial to build a solid foundation for the new employee to keep them enthusiastic about the opportunity. Although a new job is exciting for employees, many new employees will feel nervous about meeting expectations and fitting into the company culture, meaning the onboarding process will dictate how quickly an employee will be able to settle.
According to a study by jobvite, almost 30% of job seekers have left a job within the first 90 days of starting. With ‘bad experience/incident’ and ‘company culture’ being two of the main factors for leaving. There are many benefits linked to a good onboarding process, including:
- Increased productivity
- Reduction in future hiring costs
- Increase in employee retention rate
- Employees adapting faster
Getting the onboarding process right will reduce turnover and cut the need to spend more resources on recruiting. It makes long-term financial and operational sense to invest in a strong onboarding process for your business, but many leaders are still unsure what the keys to success are?
What are the Keys to a Successful Onboarding Process?
Since the importance of the onboarding phase has been highlighted, businesses must plan to take significant steps to ensure a positive outcome. Having a good onboarding should be part of your business culture and brand! Here are some of the keys to success:
Get Key People Involved
Make sure the right people are involved with the onboarding process e.g., managers, supervisors, HR, team members, etc.
Assign a Mentor
Allocate a ‘buddy’ or mentor for each new recruit! New employees can often feel lost, so having someone they can turn will help them feel part of the family immediately!
Ask Current Employees for Feedback
Seek and incorporate feedback from employees who have been through the onboarding to identify ways the current process can be improved.
Explain the Company Culture
Make sure to describe and show the new employee your company’s culture to help them feel prepared and included. You can talk about the organisation’s team-building exercises, CSR events, expectations, code of conduct, etc.
Building your company culture is crucial for attracting and retaining talent! If you are looking to create an attractive culture for your business, learn more about how our employer branding service can help!
Welcome Lunch
Don’t underestimate the power of food! According to Forbes, research shows that food plays a key role in building team spirit and trust. Organise a welcome lunch for the new employee because at the end of the day, sharing is caring.
Supply All the Necessary Resources
Make sure to set them up with all the resources they need to be successful before they arrive on the first day! Have all the access, computer, and other resources they require ready to go.
Follow Up
Make sure HR and management are following up on each employee even if you think they are settling in well. Communicate with them to get a sense of how they’re feeling at work and discuss any concerns they may have.
How Can an HR Onboarding Checklist Help Me?
With so many steps during the onboarding process, it can be difficult for HR to track the progress and ensure every step has been completed. A checklist will allow you to follow all the procedures needed for a complete and successful onboarding of new employees!
Download our free HR Onboarding Checklist now to ensure every time a new employee is hired your business can integrate them into your company culture! Click here to download our free checklist now!
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