How to Create an Effective Employee Onboarding Program

Whether you’re replacing an existing employee or you’re expanding your workforce, taking on a new employee is an exciting time for any business. But, there’s a lot that goes into finding, hiring and training the right person. A lot of business owners assume that the hard work stops once you have interviewed someone, offered them the role and organised their start date. However, to effectively add someone new to your team, you need to focus on onboarding.

What is an Employee Onboarding Program?

It’s unlikely that someone will be able to turn up on their first day and immediately slot right into the business, jumping straight into the work that needs to be done. To ensure a smooth, seamless and effective process, you need an employee onboarding program.

An employee onboarding program is the process of integrating a new hire into your business. It goes beyond the simple administrative tasks of hiring someone new, and includes everything from training and orientation, to goal setting and company culture. The goal of an employee onboarding program is to make new employees feel welcome, equipped and aligned with your business’ values and expectations, giving them everything they need to hit the ground running.

Why is Effective Employee Onboarding So Important?

Higher Employee Retention  When employees experience structured onboarding, they are more likely to stay with the business for longer. This is because they’ve received an organised, detailed and thorough welcome to the team, helping them to fit into their new role.

Production  Employee onboarding helps new hires to understand their roles and responsibilities more quickly, helping them to reach a high level of productivity in a shorter time frame.

Employee Engagement  Employee onboarding gives new hires a good first impression of the business, which boosts morale, motivation and commitment.

Reduced Staffing Costs  Though creating an employee onboarding program does come with a few costs, it can actually help to reduce staffing costs in the long run. Minimising turnover and increasing efficiency saves time and money.

Creating an Effective Onboarding Program for Your Business

Now you know the importance of having an effective onboarding program, it’s time to look at how to create one.

Start Before Their First Day  Employee onboarding shouldn’t start on a new hire’s very first day, it should start beforehand. Send a welcome email, provide them with any necessary paperwork, and share a schedule of the first week in advance. This helps to ease any anxiety they may have about their first day, and shows your new hire that they’re valued.

Create a Multi-Day Process  Onboarding doesn’t just happen on one day, it happens during the first days, weeks and even months of someone starting. An effective onboarding program should have multiple stages, starting with administrative tasks, IT setup and welcome messages before they officially start. On their first day, schedule an office tour, introductions and give them an insight into the company culture. The first week is there for training, goal setting and checking in, whereas the first weeks and months are there for learning, performance feedback and mentoring.

Think About Company Culture and Values  You can use onboarding to reinforce what your business stands for. Share your mission, values and how your team works together, and really get across what it’s like to work as part of your team. Encourage new hires to speak to existing employees, ask questions and find their place within the team.

Give Them a Mentor  Starting a new job can be daunting, but having a mentor can make the transition a lot more manageable. Giving new hires a ‘go to’ person for their first few days and weeks helps them to settle in. That person can show them the ins and outs of the business, answer informal questions and provide social support. This helps them to integrate into the team and reduces any feelings of isolation, especially for remote employees. It also encourages them to open up and ask questions they may be hesitant to ask a manager.

Personalise the Experience  No two roles are alike, so no two employee onboarding programs should be exactly the same. It’s a good idea to tailor onboarding based on the new hire’s department, job level and prior experience. Personalised attention shows your commitment to their success, and ensures the onboarding is relevant to them.

Use Technology to Streamline the Process  Use onboarding software to automate repetitive tasks like document collection, e-signatures and training modules. Having a digital onboarding hub helps to keep things organised and track progress, whilst also freeing up time for in-person interactions.

Involve Key Stakeholders  Effective onboarding isn’t just the job of HR, it’s a team effort. Involve managers, team leads and even executives in the onboarding process. Having leaders introduce themselves and say hello to new hires helps to make them feel welcomed, and assigning department-specific onboarding sessions ensures new hires feel connected and supported from all angles.

Ask for Feedback  Creating an effective employee onboarding experience isn’t something that you do once; it’s an ongoing task, one that develops and improves along the way. Ask new hires for feedback after their onboarding experience and see if there are any areas where you could improve. Consider what worked well and what could be improved upon, and use this insight to refine your program over time. An employee onboarding program should continuously evolve with the business and the needs of new hires.

 

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