Optimise Your Onboarding Process

When was the last time you reviewed your onboarding process for new hires? It turns out that onboarding can make all the difference between a new employee’s success and him/her leaving the job prematurely.

There are solid statistics to back this up: The average company loses 1 in 6 new hires within the first three months. (Not to mention the costs of a new hire – those can be significant.) Newly hired employees are 58% more likely to be with the company three years later if they had completed a structured onboarding process. This is based on my understanding and observations with some of my clients.

  1. So how to make it happen?
  2. What can we do differently?
  3. Simple or extravagant?
  4. Understanding the Generation you are employing!
To make this easier for you, we have gathered six tips that will help you to optimise your onboarding process:

1. Start before the new employee sets foot in the door

Your new hires await their first day excitedly and are anxious to learn as much as possible about their new employer and their responsibilities. Keep them engaged from the start with an email from HR walking them through their first day or a phone call from their new manager. This is also a great time to get everything administrative out of the way.

2. Make the first day memorable

It’s no secret that first impressions last. A bit of thoughtful planning can ensure a positive experience on the first day and will set your new hires up for success. Here are a few ideas:

Have the desk ready with employee ID, laptop and stationary
Give a welcome package
Schedule lunch with co-workers
Send a team or company-wide email introducing the new hire
3. Assign a buddy and provide plenty of opportunities to socialise

You want your new employees to feel comfortable in the unfamiliar environment and to get to know their team members as quickly as possible. Assigning an experienced employee to assist the new hires throughout the first weeks helps tremendously.

4. Involve senior leaders

Senior leader engagement is an important ingredient for a successful onboarding process, states a study by ATD. You can already schedule one-on-one interactions between the new hire and key leaders that he/she will encounter in the job. It’s a great way to break the ice early.

5. Gather feedback

Don’t miss the opportunity to ask your new employees about their experience of the onboarding process and if they have recommendations for improvement. The new hires will feel heard and appreciated when the company takes their opinion seriously.

6. Set up a system to guarantee success

Your new hires have attended all training sessions, and they start to take over their new responsibilities. How can you be sure that they will remember and actually apply the newly acquired knowledge about your company’s processes and culture?

There is a way to continuously evaluate your new hire’s progress and keep them fully engaged: Apply our tested and proven Behaviour Change System to your onboarding process!

You’ll increase your new employees’ productivity and engagement right from the start, so they are ready to hit the ground running and start bringing in the first results.

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