The importance of onboarding processes

Most of our HR professionals know perfectly well what onboarding is and are trying to implement it in their companies. But, unfortunately, most of them do not know how to properly organize this process.

As you know, the journey of an employee within the organization, begins with the onboarding process and ends with their offboarding. Onboarding gives the new hires their first impressions of the organization and first experiences within it. On the other hand, offboarding provides the departing employee with last scraps of memories with the organization.

Many local companies confuse onboarding with orientation, they do not understand the importance of this process. Remember, orientation and onboarding are two separate processes. A simple orientation is not enough in today’s competitive climate.

Let’s just see the difference between orientation and onboarding:

Employee orientation is a general introduction to your workplace and organization. It can usually be completed in less than a day and is most likely the same for every employee. Employers take this time to ensure that new employees have completed the proper paperwork, received the necessary resources and technology to perform their responsibilities, and learned about company policies and procedures. Onboarding, on the other hand, is a more comprehensive process that includes orientation as well as training, integration, and ongoing support. Onboarding is a process where new employees transition into new roles and become part of your organization. Good onboarding programs can last up to several months.

An effective onboarding process will help new employees feel welcome and more valued, better understand their role (employer’s expectations, the company’s culture..), increase their performance and successfully contribute to organization mission. Onboarding also helps acclimate, engage, and retain employees. It shows employees how their workplace will be supportive, as well as one that encourages professional development. Not only do individuals learn how to complete basic job functions, but they are taught how to build collaborative relationships with other team members.

The benefits of proper employee onboarding:

• Decreased turnover

• Increased revenue

• Enhanced productivity

• Higher employee satisfaction

• Greater employee engagement

• Improved reputation

In some e-sources you can get acquainted with different stages of onboarding. Usually, the process of adaptation of employees consists of 4 stages. These are:

Pre-boarding, where new hires complete essential paperwork before their first day

Introductions, where they meet the team and learn about company culture

Discovery, where they being on-the-job training proper

Review, where mutual feedback is provided to improve everyone’s performance

In practice, many companies face problems such as a delay in providing a computer or a delay in opening logins. There are even those who have not allocated a place for a new employee in a timely manner, and he has to sit “somewhere”. Don’t forget, this negatively affects the reputation of the company.

There are some tips that will help you avoid these problems before your new employee’s coming

·         Prepare your new hire paperwork. Consider including the companies policies and forms for new employees to fill out and sign

·         Set up your new employee’s online accounts (or inform IT about it)

·         Prepare your new hire’s tech

·         Confirm your employee’s new office phone number.

·         Order business cards and/or a desk nameplate.

·         Arrange for new employee ID card/building access card (inform security beforehand)

·         Schedule introductory meetings with key colleagues for the new employee’s first few weeks.

·         Encourage team members (especially those on the interview panel) to reach out to your new hire to congratulate and welcome them prior to their start date. This goes a long way in establishing relationships early in the process.

·         Ask your new employee to fill out an onboarding form, including information about food preferences and T-shirt size, if you’re including a company shirt or cake in your welcome package.

·         Make a welcome lunch plan for your new hire’s first day.

·         Schedule a HR onboarding meeting for your new hire’s first day.

·         Arrange for parking access, if needed.

As you can see, the employee onboarding is the initial step in employee engagement and a company’s retention strategy. It is one of the most important factors in ensuring that new hires will stay with your organization for a long time.