6 Tips for Onboarding Success

In its 2019 study, Gallup found that only 12% of employees strongly agree that their organization does a great job of onboarding new employees. What’s more, only 29% of new hires say that they feel fully prepared and supported to succeed in their new role.

Here are some tips for setting up your new hires for success.

• Don’t Confuse Onboarding with Orientation: Onboarding and orientation are two different processes. Orientation, which is part of onboarding, is a one-day event to provide information, tools and resources to get new hires set up to work. Onboarding, on the other hand, consists of activities occurring over several months to a year, to get employees fully immersed in your company. Gallup research shows that new employees typically take around 12 months to reach their full performance potential within a role. So make sure your new hires have the knowledge and support needed to perform at a high level.

• Take Time to Preboard: The onboarding process should begin as soon as the ink is dry. Send new hires a welcome email or video and have a follow-up call or virtual meeting – to explain when and where to arrive on day 1, share office dress code and orientation activities and provide any documents that need to be reviewed and completed.

• Focus on People, Not Paperwork: Requiring new hires to spend a good part of day 1 filling out forms doesn’t make for the warmest welcome. If possible, provide required forms and verifications ahead of time for employees to sign and submit electronically. That way, their first day on the job can focus less on paperwork and more on getting to know their new team and organization.

• Involve Managers in the Process: Managers play a pivotal role in the onboarding process by ensuring new hires feel engaged, involved and appreciated. Encourage managers to provide new hires with opportunities to partner with team members, take on meaningful assignments and actively contribute to team and company goals.

• Ask for Feedback: Give new hires opportunities to provide open-ended, anonymous feedback throughout the onboarding period. Understanding how new hires view their first-year experience with your organization will help you continue to improve the onboarding process for them and for future new hires.

• Have Regular Check-ins: Managers should check in with new hires at the end of day 1, week 1 and at regular intervals for the next several months to a year. Frequent check-ins will help ensure that expectations are being met on both sides and provide the opportunity to discuss what additional knowledge, support and resources new team members need to thrive in the organization.

Proper onboarding is an intensive and time-consuming experience for both the company and new hires. But investing critical time in this process and in your people will help ensure you have talented people who are engaged, committed and loyal during, and long after, the Great Reshuffle.