First impressions matter in any field, and starting at a new company is no exception.
A whopping 82% of employees are more likely to stick around longer if they’ve experienced a quality onboarding program, according to a study by Brandon Hall Group, cited by Oak.com.
But the perks of onboarding aren’t just for the employee; employers benefit too. The quicker an employee immerses themselves in the company culture and gets familiar with processes, workflows, and the quirks of their role, the more efficient they become, accelerating business growth.
By investing in efficient onboarding processes, companies can save money, time, and resources. Using standardized onboarding, organizations experience 50% greater new hire retention, according to Codeoftalent.com.
Let’s dive into the essential steps you need to take as an employer to create a successful onboarding process.
Set an Onboarding Objective
Setting a clear objective is like plotting a course for a successful voyage. It helps you structure the entire onboarding program correctly. Consult with colleagues and current employees to gather ideas about what a new hire should learn in their first days on the job.
The primary goal of onboarding is to provide the necessary knowledge about the company and its objectives, the goals of the department they’ll work in, work processes, required skills to perform well, and internal policies. This ensures that the new employee can add value from day one. For example, if the new hire is joining the sales team, they need to know the monthly or quarterly targets they must meet to align with the company’s objectives.
Create a Training Program
The training program for your new hire should be as structured as a Swiss watch and as engaging as a bestseller. Here’s a checklist of what to include:
- company information, values, and culture: give them the inside scoop on what makes your company tick
- team members and organizational structure: who’s who and where they fit in the grand scheme of things
- necessary tools and accounts
- department goals and performance expectations
- tracked metrics and performance bonuses: explain how their performance will be measured and rewarded
- required skills for the job, for success in their role
- Do’s and Don’ts in client and partner relations
- feedback and support opportunities: ensure they know where to turn for help and how they can provide feedback
- internal policies: cover the rules of the road to keep everything running smoothly.
To make sure these nuggets of wisdom are clear and memorable, you need a modern training program that keeps the learner’s attention. Today’s personalized courses that include microlearning help employees learn gradually, retain information more easily, and ultimately apply their newfound knowledge more effectively.
Offer the Possibility of Feedback
For a supercharged onboarding process, maintain close contact with your new hire. Answer questions, resolve issues as they arise, and reassure them that support is just a call (or message) away throughout their adjustment period. It’s also important to gather their feedback on the onboarding process itself. This allows you to tweak and perfect your program, addressing any gaps and setting the stage for your employee’s success.
