.svg)
An effective onboarding process is the most important part of the hiring process. Successful onboarding makes employees feel valued and welcomed to the company. It engages new employees and provides them with the necessary tools and knowledge that contribute to both the employee's and organization’s success. Businesses with effective onboarding procedures see an 82% increase in new hire retention and a 70% boost in productivity. After reading this blog, you will attain in-depth knowledge of why onboarding is important and how you can set new hires up for success.
Importance of Onboarding
Experiences throughout the onboarding process are a good way to predict an employee's long-term relationship with a company. Let’s explore why effective onboarding is important and why it is important for the organization to offer in the long run.
Allows new hires to adjust
An onboarding program is necessary for new hires to get started and adjust to the firm. It provides a thorough summary of the company's objectives, philosophies, and growth prospects, in addition to more than the bare minimum of information.
Productivity rises when new personnel are successfully onboarded and given the resources they need to succeed as team members. The period of acclimatization allows the employee to comprehend and value the organization's offerings.
Helps build connections with colleagues
Employees are increasingly drawn to organizations that respect and cherish their opinions as well as treat them with empathy. They also want to build relationships with their coworkers as getting to know coworkers is often considered one of the most beneficial aspects of a positive employee onboarding experience.
Making brief introductions is not too difficult, but during the onboarding process, you can assist new hires in establishing deeper connections. Induspect’s HR outsourcing services help provide a seamless onboarding process for remote employees by collaborating with managers in a shared digital space.
Improves employee engagement and productivity
Effective onboarding makes employees feel valued, welcomed, and empowered to give their best as you are providing them with a clear path to success and strengthening their sense of belonging. Also, new hires can contribute positively to the team when they feel encouraged and have access to the resources they need.
If your employee onboarding program is ineffective or confusing, your employees will spend their first few weeks asking questions that they should already know the answers to. Thus, a successful onboarding process is important in improving employee engagement and productivity.
Boosts employee retention
Attending a structured onboarding session increases an employee's chances of staying with the organization for at least three years by 69%.
Onboarding sets clear business objectives, fosters strong relationships and expectations, and reduces new hires' stress and anxiety. Each of these factors contributes positively to employee retention rates in the organization.
Ways to Create a Seamless Onboarding Process
Creating a seamless onboarding process is essential for welcoming new employees and setting them up for success. Here are some effective strategies to ensure new hires feel valued and integrated from day one.
Create a structured orientation program
A well-run orientation program introduces new hires to the organization, its culture, and its personnel. Therefore, to ensure a seamless onboarding process, you must provide a structured orientation program. This can be done by describing the company's values, culture, history, and mission in presentations.
Set up meetings with team leaders and important players to assist new hires in expanding their networks. During the office tour, pointing out key locations such as the break room, toilets, and more. In addition, tell new hires about their role and what is exactly expected from them in detail.
Pre-onboarding
New hires already feel stressed about their new job and workplace culture as they are not familiar with it. Thus, it is the hiring manager's duty to start preparing for their onboarding 1-2 weeks before their joining to make them feel confident about the company’s process and secure in their jobs.
You can do so by completing all the paperwork and preparing new hires’ tech, such as laptops, phones, headsets, and more. Moreover, plan for business cards, ID cards, and introductory meetings, organize a welcome lunch, schedule HR onboarding meetings, prepare their first assignment, and set up any required training. Provide these guidelines in a welcome email to make sure they arrive as per the pre-designed schedule.
Provide training
Prepare thorough training courses designed for every position in your company. Provide a range of opportunities for hands-on learning, formal training, and shadowing to ensure that new personnel have the information and abilities necessary for success.
Add interactive components, like case studies or simulations, to make the training more relevant and engaging. By making role-specific training a top priority, you help employees quickly develop into valuable members of their respective teams.
Assign a buddy or mentor
Pair new hires with a buddy/mentor to guide them regarding their role and expectations and provide them with consistent support. This bond makes the new personnel feel like they belong and aids in their adjustment to the business culture.
Furthermore, schedule frequent check-ins between new hires and the mentor to discuss progress and concerns. To make new hires comfortable with the organization and its colleagues, encourage mentors to include mentors in team activities and social events.
Nurture the employees
Onboarding doesn’t end after 1-2 weeks. It’s an ongoing process that needs to be nurtured through continuous support and guidance. Management should regularly check in with new hires to gauge their concerns and progress, determine if they need any additional training and more.
Get input from the employees themselves to improve your onboarding procedure for upcoming new hires. By providing continuous assistance, you demonstrate that you are dedicated to your workers' long-term success and happiness.
Let’s Sum Up
For a company to succeed, a well-organized and seamless onboarding procedure is necessary. It can attract top applicants, lower hiring costs, raise employee engagement, and decrease new hire turnover rates. Companies that invest effort in the onboarding process for new hires are rewarded with employees who, in turn, care about the organization.
Managing the onboarding of each new hire is a team effort, as there are numerous aspects to consider when building the ideal onboarding process. Investing in a thorough onboarding program will help you prepare your new hires for success from day one and establish a productive working environment.
