Setting Up A Good Onboarding Process
Collaborative post. I’ve seen a range of companies take on new staff, train them, hold on to them briefly, and then soon after, they’re off to pastures new. This is something that can be drastically reduced with a good onboarding process. In this post, we look at what this is and how it can be implemented to your business to help reduce staff turnover by up to 82%. That’s a huge figure, so why are so many companies still getting it wrong?
What is Onboarding?
It’s simple enough. Onboarding is the process businesses use to introduce a new member of staff to the organisation.
Many companies fall into one of two camps, they either have no onboarding process, letting new employees sink or swim, or throw them straight into an overwhelming process of tedious paperwork and online training sessions that last for days or weeks. You need to strike a balance between the necessary paperwork and training that needs to be done, such as security awareness training or learning a particular system, alongside bringing them into your company culture.
Why is Onboarding so important and How Do You Go About Setting up a Good Onboarding Process?
Begin the Process Before their First Day
Onboarding doesn’t begin when they walk through the door on their first day. You should begin preparing a new member of staff once they’ve accepted a job offer.
Whether this is a period of weeks or months, do your best to make them welcome by sending them any new starter merch you have, copies of handbooks and any paperwork they can do prior to starting.
Other things you can make provision for include:
Workspaces and tech
Security passes or software logins
Uniforms or other personalised items
Help Them Build Connections
New employees shouldn’t be isolated, either by themselves or within their teams. Include the opportunity to let them meet and connect with other areas of the business and form working relationships with them. This is even more important in a remote or hybrid working model, as they won’t get the opportunity to just bump into these people in the office. Try things like virtual coffees or informal training. Having a 360 degree view of the business can only benefit you.
If practical, let them meet the leaders of the organisation too, right up to the CEO or owner. Being able to get a grasp of the mission of the organisation directly from leadership is a great way to embed employee engagement in your company culture.
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Balance Process and Culture
Company culture is so important to the overall success of your business, so should be a priority for all employees. Cultural fit is important, but you need to embed new employees in the way you do things in both a process-driven and cultural way.
View the onboarding process as a whole to make sure that you’re including both the practical and cultural elements.
Set Expectations
It’s only fair that employees know what is expected of them in terms of their work, goals and achievements. Just as importantly, they should know what to expect from you too. All employees should know how they contribute to the company as a whole and the difference they will make in its success of it.
Final Thoughts
Onboarding is too important to get wrong, so put the effort into getting it right and you’ll start reaping the benefits almost immediately.
What do you think is useful to include in the process for those Setting Up a Good Onboarding Process?
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I’ve had jobs that do both… throw me into it all and do so much paperwork. Honestly, one of the best onboarding processes I’ve personally been through has been as a sub-teacher! We had to do an in-person training to learn the systems, paperwork was all completed online, then I just showed up to sub for the first job at the school when I took one. I do notice a lot of companies moving more and more to remote which doesn’t give the chance for new employees to actually meet their coworkers.
A great onboarding process is the first step to having a great team. Even the most talented person can be their best if they don’t have a clear understanding of what they’re doing.
My husband just got a new job and is going through the onboarding process. He is setting up his tech and accounts. He learned the expectations of working from home. It is a good process to have while transitioning into a new role.
This was an interesting post. I don’t have a business so I didn’t know about this! I think it’s always important for people to connect.
A new employee needs all the support they can get. This sounds like a great process.
Having new folks build connections with others is really important! I’m glad you included it, and yes – they should feel a part from the start.
The onboarding process can really make or break a work environment. I have found it helps to have good understanding coworkers if there is a poor onboarding process. It makes working easier. I feel like an open communication line and honesty from the upper management helps setting up a good onboarding process.
This is really nice that companies do this for new employees!
It can make such a big difference to their experience within a business.
HR practioners or company president perhaps, shoud read this. I agree that employees should be gradually introduced to the company culture and norms so that they will not feel unimportant.
Great advice! I think a lot of companies could benefit from this. I know so many companies that fail at both introductions and training altogether!
You think they’d have been better prepared. That’s a shame.
Hiring new employees isn’t only about getting them to sign their contract of employment. As business owners, we need to bring new employees into the business and introduce them to your company culture. And your post comes in really handy!
Thanks so much. It’s shocking how some businesses overlook the basics.
It sounds a lot like going through a thorough or more rigorous training period, basically! The companies I’ve worked with in the past that have been office jobs have been very good about that… not-so-much for customer service retail type jobs though.
It does depend on the work but new staff need to be settled in and trained well.
Definitely a great idea to promote camaraderie on stuff that is new to the company which will help them to blend it perfectly to have that amazing and harmonious relationship in the company. Loved this stuff and hope many with considering it!
This is a really great and very informative post! Thanks for sharing this with us!
Setting up a Good onboarding process is very important! This is such a very informative post!
Thanks Rose. I am glad you found the post interesting.
This is very helpful! Thank you so much for sharing these ideas!
A good onboarding process will create a great impression to a new employee.
And help them do their job better.
Hhhmmmm…I think being honest and realistic is a good addition to your list, when onboarding. It gives the other person a clearer picture of what’s coming ahead of them.
Proper onboarding makes a difference! Employees want to feel welcome and they want to start off on the right foot, since they are new and don’t know what to expect. It’s important to put their minds at ease. And I think taking all new employees out to lunch is a good idea, too.
This sounds a good solution for a business owner and the stuff. I will take it in consideration in the future!
I remember my going through onboarding in my company. Yes, my boss set up a zoom call to orient me with the logins, passwords and online systems. He also tried to connect me to some of our programmers (who were all snotty! haha!). But that wasn’t really much of a problem for me because I had a friend who was already in the company. In fact, it was her who recommended me.
I remember the first time I came into the company. My boss set up a zoom call with me to orient me with the systems and passwords and all that. He also introduced me to the team .
Oh man, if you can find a way to reduce staff turnover by that big of a percent, it’s a go!! I’ve been in workplaces where the turnover is swift. It’s not pretty for anyone, especially the customer.
What a really great post! It is so important to have a good onboarding process, it will help your new hires feel more valued, better understand their role, and increase their productivity and performance, resulting in increased engagement.
Great article, sometimes companies neglect the 1st 90 days of the employee and when they fail in the organization they associate with the employees skills. Onboarding is an essential to ensure that expectations are set upon the 1st day of the employee and to give a higher chance for the employee to succeed in the workplace.
A good onboarding process says a lot about a company. It’s an experience that new employees will not forget.
I can remember back to a previous job where clear communications on the onboarding process were not given and it was a much harder adjustment.
It is good to make sure employees are prepared when they begin work. It works out better for both the employee and employer!
Wow! Such an interesting topic! I am really glad to know about this.
It’s good to have a well thought out process for new staff.
This is one of the most interesting topics! Thank you for sharing this information with me.
I’m glad you liked the post Faith.
this is great infio. im sending to my husband
I hope he finds it helpful.
Ok, this makes sense. I wasn’t familiar with the term onboarding previously. Thanks for explaining!
It helps to be aware if you are looking to set up your own business.