Do you remember your first day at your job? Did you feel like your welcome was uncaring?
Imagine landing your dream job after years of experience and hard work. You reach the office just on time with high spirits and motivation. You walk to the reception, but no one knows you’re coming. Your manager is not available! In simple words, you’re not expected.
“When people are financially invested, they want a return. When people are emotionally invested, they want to contribute.” -Simon Sinek
As a manager, you might have experienced something similar at the start of your career. So, you must do something to change this trend- welcome new employees and make them feel like a part of the group.
The process of welcoming the new employee is called onboarding. Onboarding helps the new employee understand the dynamics of the work and office culture. Thus, an effective and practical onboarding process should be part of the standard protocol of the company.
Phases of Onboarding
Pre-Boarding
The process of pre-boarding starts right after an employee is hired, until their first day. In this phase, you need to build the excitement and provide them with the first-day schedules and anything else they need to be prepared.
Onboarding
The onboarding phase starts from the new junior’s first day. The whole process includes everything from receiving them at the reception, introductions, meet and greets, a full office tour, and job-specific training.
Why is Onboarding so Important?
Onboarding Process Helps with Productivity
An engaging onboarding process instills passion in new employees to work harder and prove themselves. Organizations with an onboarding process experience 50% better new employee productivity.
“The simple act of paying positive attention to people has a great deal to do with productivity.” -Tom Peters
In the US and UK alone, $37 billion is spent annually to retain unproductive employees who are a burden on the shoulders of the company.
Better Employee Engagement Rates
Individuals who didn’t get proper onboarding take 32-48 weeks to reach their full potential. They feel less engaged and motivated to get the job done.
However, if employees feel welcomed and included, their engagement rate can exponentially increase. Inc reports that 87% of engaged employees have lower chances of leaving the company compared to unengaged ones.
Effective Onboarding Results in Higher Retention Rates
Harvard Business Review reports that employee turnover costs 100-300% of the replaced employee’s salary. So, with an effective onboarding process, about 69% of the employees will stay with the company for the next three years at least.
Furthermore, automating onboarding saves the cost of pen and paper and results in higher retention rates as reported by HR Technologist.
Employee Feels Part of the Clan
The new employee feels part of the team when a special meet and greet is arranged. They can easily acclimatize to the new environment and freely engage with others. Here, a good peer advisor has a vital role. They make the new employee comfortable and heard in the new environment.
“There’s no magic formula for great company culture. The key is just to treat your staff how you would like to be treated.” -Richard Branson
Effective Onboarding Activities that New Juniors will Love
Make a “Getting To Know Everyone” Card/ Introductory Videos
Whether you’re hiring for remote or on-site work, this pre-boarding activity is a must. New employees on the first day have to meet a lot of team members. An introductory video of the whole team beforehand will make it easier for the new joiners to recognize their colleagues.
Similarly, the existing employees can make a “Getting to Know Everyone” card where they tell their name, designation, and interests. If the new employee has similar interests there is the potential for an unbreakable friendship to evolve.
Provide Schedule for the First Day
Pre-boarding in remote and on-site work includes a thorough schedule of the first day. In remote or virtual hiring, it’ll be a schedule full of meetings with new colleagues. For remote vacancies without experience, this schedule may involve introductory sessions on company tools and platforms, virtual tours of the workspace, and orientation on remote work best practices.
As for on-site work, hiring managers should elaborate on who will be receiving the new member at the reception. Give them a proper schedule of meeting with managers. Make sure that the meet and greet event does not collide with their job-specific training.
Provide a Welcome Kit Beforehand
According to Enboarder, 35% of companies choose to spend nothing on the onboarding process. What is the result? Unproductive employees.
So, set aside part of the budget for the welcome kit to guarantee a higher retention rate as well as a better employee engagement rate.
Who doesn’t love a free set of office necessities? Make a welcome kit including cabin equipment and some basic essentials with the company’s and employee’s name. Your employees will love this gesture!
Assign a Peer Advisor
A peer advisor is like a moon glowing in the dark. First-day anxiety can even take a toll on an out-going person, but having a peer advisor can help them get in the groove a lot quicker. This buddy can give the new joiner an office tour and make them comfortable in a new environment.
Throw a “Meet and Greet” in the Office
A little get-together at the office’s cafeteria will melt the ice quicker than you think. Set the time and send out an email to the whole team for a “Meet and Greet” with the new joiner. It’s even better to arrange this event on the first day of the onboarding process.
Meet Up with New Colleagues, Especially Managers
It’s the responsibility of the hiring manager to set meetings with the new employee’s managers.
An informal meet-up with high-level management will build confidence and a good working relationship in the long run.
In remote onboarding, the best method of welcoming the employee virtually is by holding online meetings. Whereas, in on-site hiring, a face-to-face meetup will get the job done.
Give Full Office Tour
A peer advisor along with the new employee’s manager gives the new joiner a full office tour.
Your new employee will get accustomed to the new office environment faster when they know where to go and who to meet for fulfilling work-related tasks.
Set Up the Cabin
Here comes the fun part. Provide the employee everything they need to set up their cabin, this includes a functional keyboard, table calendar, and more. The peer advisor can take care of giving these things to the new joiner and making sure they know how everything works. You can ask other employees to bring customized cupcakes or cookies to make the new joiner feel even more special.
Job-Specific Training
Job-specific training is a key part of the perfect onboarding process. You can include some general training as well as more in-depth. The new employee is now ready for the next phase.
Conclusion
The onboarding process is as vital as hiring the right candidate for the job. Integrate exciting activities with work-related ones to make the whole process more fun.
A happy new joiner will reach his fullest potential quickly and help generate the desired results in no time. Thus, make a standard onboarding process considering all the above-mentioned tips. If you’ve any other suggestions in mind, do let us know in the comments!
Want to get more insights on the future of Training & Onboarding? Check out our related resources:
- Remote Employee Onboarding - Essentials Checklist & Advice
- How to Create an Effective Training Program
- The Essential 10 Step Employee Onboarding Process
