Employee Onboarding Tips
Did you know that just 12% of workers believe their company does a good job onboarding new hires? It is no wonder employee engagement is declining amidst the “Great Resignation,” as the onboarding experience sets the tone for a team member’s tenure with your organization and directly impacts retention.
According to the Brandon Hall Group, employers with a strong onboarding process improve new hire retention by 82%. Notice the word “process.” That’s because onboarding is an ongoing initiative; it’s not a one-time orientation involving a stack of paperwork. Employee onboarding consists of carefully planned steps to ensure your hire understands the culture and mission of your organization, knows the role they’re fulfilling, gains the knowledge, training, and resources to deliver, and feels included and welcomed as a part of your team.
To deliver a five-star onboarding experience that prevents turnover and keeps your people aboard follow these five steps:
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Start with Your Employer Branding
The onboarding experience begins before you post a job, schedule an interview, or welcome your new hire on their first day. It starts with your employer branding.
Recently, I was working with an employer who hadn’t updated job openings on their website. Positions that had been filled months ago were still open. Because of the organization’s small size, candidates were likely assuming that there was some issue with the company’s culture due to the number of roles open at once. That negative notion could stay with candidates throughout the hiring process, souring their onboarding experience, if not deterring them from applying in the first place.
The lesson is that your employer branding – which includes your website, social media pages, and online presence in general – relates to the onboarding experience. When a candidate finds you, what image are you presenting? Is it an accurate portrayal of who you really are?
Your employer branding is also reflected in your job posting. When you draft the posting, highlight all the positive things about your company – what makes you a great place to work? What benefits do you offer? Before hitting “post,” review the job description and the application process to make sure it’s clean, clear, and simple – it may be the first interaction a candidate has with your organization, so make it count!
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Create a Candidate-Centric Experience From the Interview to the Offer
As you review applications, commit to responding to all candidates in a timely, professional manner, even those you won’t be inviting to interview. You never know who will refer someone for a future role if they have a good impression of your employer brand.
Once you’ve identified a candidate to interview, be open in your communications. Speak transparently about wages, benefits, PTO accruals, and so forth. And, don’t drag your feet; the chances of losing top candidates are high if the interview progression is slow.
Next, keep the positive vibes going throughout the interview stage. If an interview is in person and on the job site, give the candidate a tour. Show them where they’ll be working, where break areas are located, and where to park. If it’s a remote role and interview, explain to the candidate what type of equipment, setup, and IT support the company provides.
When it’s time to make an offer, use this phase of onboarding to strengthen the candidate’s ties to your organization and establish loyalty. If you make a contingent verbal offer, follow it with a formal offer letter. Be prepared for more questions – your candidate may need some time to consider the details, or to manage counter offers from a current or prospective employer. Give the candidate space, be kind, be patient, and most of all, be responsive.
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Nail the Welcome Phase
With a signed offer letter in hand, you enter the welcome phase of onboarding. However, this is not the time for sitting back and counting the days until your new hire starts – 28% of candidates have backed out of a job offer at this point in the hiring process.
To reduce the chances of your hire changing their mind, have the individual the person will work for engage with the candidate. Encourage them to express how happy they are about the candidate joining their team and to stay in touch.
While staying in contact (via email, text, social media, etc.), make sure your new hire has a clear understanding of the next steps in the onboarding process. A lack of detail on what to expect can make some people anxious and sends a message about how your organization values communication. You might also map out what, exactly, they’ll be doing on their first day, second day, first week, and first month, and when they should hit key learning milestones.
A few other tactics for preventing the candidate from receding their acceptance and making them excited about joining your company include sending branded “swag” packages (including T-shirts, mugs, and stickers with your company logo) and booking virtual or in-person coffee or lunch meetings with their manager.
During the welcome phase, get ahead on some of the more tedious or time-consuming “first-day” tasks, like completing paperwork (such as the I-9 form) and setting up the new hire’s computer, software access, and desk. If your hire works remotely, arrange for any tech equipment to be sent to them in advance. By doing as much “pre-boarding” as possible, you’ll convey the efficiency and organization of your company and show your new employee that they are appreciated.
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Deliver a Smooth First Day
On day one, try not to overwhelm your new hire and be cautious about packing in too much. Allow plenty of time for the person to absorb everything, ask questions, and get their bearings. Some first-day tasks to tackle include:
- Reviewing your employee handbook. It’s best to have someone present the handbook, highlighting key items of interest, such as benefits and PTO, while giving the employee a chance to ask questions.
- Introducing your internal tools and platforms (Office 365, Teams, Slack, etc.), as well as company usage policies.
- Discussing your company’s history, mission, vision, values, culture, and the products or services you offer.
- Holding a lunch, coffee break, or happy hour (in person or virtually) with the new hire’s immediate team members to make introductions and interact in a casual, relaxed manner.
One of the most effective first-day onboarding practices is assigning a “buddy” or “mentor” for your new hire, aside from the employee’s manager. The buddy should be a peer with some tenure and a good knowledge of your culture and daily practices. Your new hire can comfortably go to their buddy for questions that aren’t job-specific.
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Plan for the Next 90 Days
Many experts consider the first 90 days on a job as part of onboarding. During this critical time period, check in with your new hire on a regular basis. Don’t rely on your memory or only ask, “How are you doing?” over instant messenger. Rather, plan 1:1 meetings and prepare questions to learn how the employee is feeling and progressing. Manager check-ins on days one, seven, 14, 30, 60, and 90 are ideal, although 1:1s should occur as needed. Use these meetings to discuss goals and expectations.
The first few weeks are also a good time to introduce your hire to key people outside their immediate team, including your company leaders. As cross-departmental conversations and meetings occur, your new employee will know who is in what role and begin to feel more included in your broader company dynamic.
Finally, don’t forget the gift of feedback. Knowing that there’s always room for improvement in any process, survey your new hire within the first 60 days about their experience – from reading the job posting to becoming a part of your organization. Ask them to share what worked and what you could improve, and act on that feedback so that future hires can benefit.
Final Words
Remember that the onboarding process is just that – a process – and it begins before you even post your job ad. Take a structured approach filled with transparency, efficiency, empathy, and plenty of feedback. In a time when employee turnover and disengagement are alarmingly high, providing a five-star onboarding experience will help you retain team members who are productive and loyal to your brand.
Authored by Chrisanne Bowden, Senior HR Specialist, iHire
This post is supported by iHire.