Do you remember your first day of school? That moment at the bus stop, lunchbox in hand, waving goodbye to your mother, with your heart beating faster than ever? Starting at a new job feels the same way. We’ve all been there—dressed in your finest business attire with butterflies in your stomach as you enter through the doors of a brand-new job. Research has estimated that nearly 45 percent of new hires fail within two years. Is this because of inaccurate job fit, company culture, or neglecting to plan and execute a strategic onboarding process?
The Five Factors
Investing in a welcoming and structured onboarding process will help reduce such turnover and increase new-hire effectiveness. An effective onboarding process isn’t just a routine checklist—it should be a comprehensive process that makes the new employee feel comfortable and acquainted. When a new hire anxiously walks in the door, they need an extra boost of confidence—and a structured, friendly introduction will help. A successful onboard leads to a successful organization. Here are five factors your onboarding process should include:
- Team involvement. Onboarding a new employee should involve the entire team. It’s not just the HR department or hiring manager’s concern—all team members should be involved in welcoming new hires. Taking new employees to lunch or assigning a mentor will help build relationships and show the newbie that the company values them.
- Consistent structure. Whether you’re onboarding a new secretary, associate or top manager, the process needs to be consistent for all employees, and reflect the company values. A set structure helps the employee, the team and the administration. Remember, it’s all about making the transition as smooth as possible.
- Prepared desk and equipment. In addition to structure, make sure that everything—including the desk, office supplies, security badges, computer passwords, phone numbers and access keys—are prepared for the new hire. You want them to feel at home.
- Information. The most important part of the onboarding process is making sure the new employee has access to all the information they need to know the company and succeed in their position. It’s a good idea to set up meetings with subject-matter experts so the new employee can grasp the organization’s goals, policies and practices.
- Check-ups. The onboarding process doesn’t stop after the first day… or even the first week. It’s important to have regular “check-ups” with your new employee, ensuring they are comfortable and offering them the support they need to be successful.
At the end of the day, the onboarding process is the employee’s first impression of the company culture, and it should introduce the organization values. Now that you have a successful onboarding process in place, it’s time to focus on training and developing these new employees to succeed.
Maximize Onboarding Through a Culture of Learning
The woman who penned these five points is a valuable partner of ours, with 30-plus years of experience assessing talent. And yet, we frequently tell our members that some content isn’t a matter of “new,” it is simply a matter of “do.”
Which of the five points is your company doing particularly well? Strive to not let it slip away. Which of the five points is your business simply not doing? Start building the action plan today.
Allowing your employees the opportunity to learn is a critical element that touches four of the five points. When a business affords its most valuable asset—people—to grow by wrestling with ideas, it validates to its employees that they have made a wise career choice. Your company then positions itself as creative, progressive and talent-minded. The data is substantial that Gen X and especially Gen Y want to grow themselves through their career, and if your company ignores that—or claims they do that, but your workforce disagrees—the bottom line is they’ll consider taking their talents elsewhere.
A strong, vibrant business community translates into better employees, a dynamic work environment and sustained growth over the long term. Together, we can affect change faster, foster civic pride and be a catalyst for organizational excellence. The stronger the community bond, the higher probability for our collective success. iBi
To demonstrate this belief, AAIM will be serving the Peoria-area community through its Learning Workshop on September 22nd.
