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An onboarding process is a process aimed at integrating new employees into an organization. The goal of an onboarding process is to create a good first and lasting impression on the minds of new employees and with this, they’ll be able to feel welcomed and confident in discharging their duties effectively. According to Recruiting Roundtable, an effective onboarding process can improve employees’ performance by 11.5%. The onboarding process is usually overwhelming for new employees, why not make things easier?
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Here’s how:
- Warm welcome: Employees are often tensed during the first day of work as a result of the fact that they don’t know what to expect. You can save the day by introducing them to their colleagues, showing them around the different departments, sending a welcome mail, taking them out to lunch with their colleagues, providing them with a company roaster, setting up their workstation before they arrive, etc. All these can help ease off the tension and get them comfortable in their new role.
- Pair New Employees with a Mentor: To eliminate the awkwardness of asking managers and colleagues for help, pairing new employees with a mentor is very effective for the onboarding process. The mentor would help the new employee to understand how things work in the organization, who to go to for anything and how to fit in perfectly into their new role. They also help to track employees’ progress and identify their strengths and weaknesses.
- Automate Information: To smoothen the onboarding process, human resource managers can automate policy information, forms, and video training clips to eliminate the stress of paperwork.
- Align Onboarding with Company Goals: The onboarding process should not be done aimlessly but should be aligned to the goals, objectives, and values of the organization. Communicate your corporate culture and value into the onboarding process, let new employees know, and understand what the company stands for. This will set them off in the right direction.
- Set clear Expectations: New employees may hit the wrong mark if they don’t know what is expected of them or how they can help the organization to achieve its corporate goals. This can be achieved by showing them their department’s/team’s goals, showing them their key performance indicators, making them aware of bonus formulas, letting them in on promotion criteria, etc.
- Make Job Specific Training a Priority: Bringing in too many lessons on the first week of onboarding can overwhelm new employees. There is so much to learn and this can take time, therefore, the organization can prioritize job-specific training and schedule them as face-to-face training then non-urgent training can be done online. Get them to practice their skills through on-the-job training and practical assessments.
- Don’t Rush it: An effective onboarding process is not something to be rushed. Take your time and be patient enough to put new employees through the entire process. Through mobile learning, employees’ onboarding process can continue without it being a disruption to employee activities. As the new employee becomes more and more familiar with their work environment and roles, their workloads can be gradually increased under the assessment of their mentor.
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