Introduction
First impressions count, especially in the world of work.
Studies have shown that effective onboarding can increase new hire productivity by 62% and improve retention by more than 80%.[1]
Meanwhile, employees who strongly agree their onboarding process was exceptional are nearly three times as likely to feel valued and connected to their employer.[2]
In essence, onboarding can make or break a new hire’s experience.
But as a manager, how do you get it right?
The good news is that a little can go a long way.This basic guide will help you go from pen and paper, a simple spreadsheet, or nothing, to a consistent, engaging, and successful onboarding program.
In today’s digital age, there is no reason why your onboarding process should rely solely on manual processes or paperwork. By harnessing the power of automation and digital tools, you can streamline your onboarding process, reduce your administrative tasks, and empower new hires to take charge of their own onboarding experience.
According to a study by McKinsey, companies that use digital tools and automation to manage their onboarding process can reduce the time it takes to onboard a new hire by up to 60%.[3]
This means that new employees can start contributing to the team faster, and managers can focus on providing more personalised support and guidance.
Less time on Excel spreadsheets and email admin, more time on what really matters.
Our Onboarding Platform will help you reach out to all new hires with welcome messages, create interactive checklists, provide learning modules and workflows, monitor training and meetings, automate communications and reminders, and run analysis on feedback and metrics. Simple to setup, use, and integrate with existing HR systems, the platform reduces the admin burden and ensures new hires stay on track and engaged.
Free your time from admin and streamline your processes to empower your onboarding process!
Your brand, culture, and values are the DNA of your organization. It’s how you live out your values, mission, and purpose together. It shapes how decisions get made and how problems get resolved. It’s the way people behave every day in meetings, over email, and in person. It’s “how we do things at this organization”.
A Gallup study found that when employees strongly agree that they have a good understanding of “how we do things at this organization,” they are 4.7 times more likely to strongly agree their onboarding process was exceptional.
But all too often these aspects are missing from onboarding events and programs, which tend towards “admin overload” and neglect the brand, culture, and values content that new starters crave.
It’s time to reorient onboarding to share the soul of your company with new starters from day one, and to showcase the things that make you stand out.
Need some more inspiration for how to do it? Check out our top tips guide on how to transform your onboarding to inspire new starters with your brand story, company culture, and core values.
Consistency is key when it comes to onboarding.
A structured, centralised onboarding programme helps all new employees get up to speed, become productive, and feel attached to their new company.
Yet, all too often, onboarding is left to local managers who deliver it inconsistently, with a narrow focus on administrative tasks and job-specific training.
By ensuring that all new hires receive the same level of training, support, and resources, you can get on the same page.
This must include all new hires, whether in-person or remote. Because it’s no good if one team has an outstanding onboarding experience, while another team lacks support. Or if your office staff fully understand your values, but your remote staff feel disconnected. You need everyone aligned, pulling in the same direction!
To achieve this, it is important to adopt a cross-business mindset that fosters collaboration and communication between departments and teams.
When designing your next onboarding program, think about the things that are relevant to everyone. There are some things that every new hire should cover during their onboarding process, regardless of the role or industry, including the company history and vision, organisational structure, workplace policies and procedures, and support networks.
Design an experience that delivers these aspects in an engaging and effective way, delivering a consistent experience across the entire company. The result? Engaged and inspired new hires, with your whole organisation aligned on your vision and values, regardless of their location, manager, or role.
Need some help with the design? Get in touch to find out how we can help.
Build a sense of community.
One of the biggest challenges facing new hires is feeling like they belong and can contribute to the team. To help new hires feel connected and engaged, it is important to create opportunities for them to interact with colleagues and build relationships.
According to a study by the Harvard Business Review, companies that prioritize socialization and relationship-building during onboarding have higher levels of employee engagement, satisfaction, and retention. By providing new hires with opportunities to connect with colleagues and learn more about the company’s culture and values, you can help them feel like part of the team.
Rob Cross, one of the world’s leading experts in applied social network science, recommends “smarter networking” during onboarding to help new hires feel welcomed and find meaning in their work.
“Get into the club that you’re meant to be a part of. It sounds a little bit surface at first, but we find statistically that having a couple of those connections that give you a sense of purpose and meaning in what you’re doing, tremendously decreases the odds of attrition later on.”
“Finding your tribe” can help build a sense of purpose, enhancing wellbeing, productivity, and team morale.
Arrange short meetings with colleagues across your organisation over coffee or lunch, providing an opportunity to learn and ask for guidance.
Our range of Group Onboarding formats are designed to foster connections during onboarding, across in-person, hybrid, and remote teams.
Whether its team-based games like the Core Values Escape Room, bringing staff in physical and virtual locations together for a cooperative challenge and peer-to-peer learning experience, or The Onboarding Platform, which provides both a solo digital onboarding companion and networking support for your new hires to connect with colleagues and complete key activities in the real world.
Support your new hires to find their tribe during onboarding.
Onboarding programmes and inductions are an ideal opportunity for companies to make a positive first impression, welcoming their new starters and providing everything they need to hit the ground running in their new roles.
For team leaders, successful onboarding processes and induction events can increase engagement, improve performance, and strengthen an employer brand.
But building an effective onboarding process can be challenging for managers.
This article provides some practical steps you can take to build a better onboarding program, along with a series of inspiring case studies to spark ideas for your next induction event or onboarding cohort.
Make your company’s first impression count!
Need more inspiration? Check out our model Inspiring Agenda for your Next Onboarding Day.
[1] Harvard Business Review, To Retain New Hires, Spend More Time Onboarding Them (2018)
[2] Gallup, Create an Exceptional Onboarding Journey for New Employees (2019)
[3] McKinsey, “Digital America” (2016)
