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A monthly online
publication designed to help employers recruit, recognize, reward,
and retain their workforce.
Creating a Successful Onboarding
Program
(By Dan
Simmons)
In last month’s issue, we discussed the concept of onboarding
and why it represents a solid investment both in terms of reducing
your turnover ratio and increasing your overall productivity.
But what does a comprehensive onboarding program include? And
when and how should you implement such a program? These are
two of the questions we’re going to tackle in this month’s
issue.
The type of onboarding program each company creates and
implements ultimately depends upon how much time and energy the
company is willing to spend. For the purposes of this article,
we’re going to analyze a fully comprehensive program, focusing on
how it should be implemented and when you should do
so.
Create Your
Program
At its essence, an onboarding program has
three main components—the people involved, the content involved, and
the timeframe
involved.
People
It’s important to identify
who’s going to be part of the process, since they will also be part
of the planning the creation of the onboarding program.
Typically, it should include the new hire, an HR professional, and
the manager or person to whom the new hire will report. That’s
in a literal sense. In a general sense, the entire
organization should have a working knowledge of the company’s
onboarding philosophy so that every member can deliver a strong and
consistent message to every new hire, reinforcing the program and
enhancing its
effectiveness.
Content
This can be broken down
into three areas: the administrative details, the
job duties and specifications, and the company culture. The
administrative details are the easiest to tackle, and they should be
completed as soon as possible, so that you can focus on the other
two areas, which are more important in terms of success and
productivity. The new employee should not have to worry about
voice mail, email, or even gaining access to the building, not to
mention all the necessary paperwork that must be in place prior to
the first day on the job. Be pro-active about these
administrative details so they don’t evolve into distractions later
on. I heard a horror story regarding a computer programmer who
quit his new job after only two weeks because the company had not
provided a computer for him to work
on!
Make certain your new hire feels welcome from Day One.
Below are a few basic ideas:
- Order business cards in advance so you can provide them on
the first
day.
- Have the workstation and (working) computer ready with a
working email
address.
- Schedule someone to take the new hire to lunch on their
first
day.
Job duties and specifications are just
that—the job description for the new hire, the things they’ll be
expected to accomplish. Prior to the employee’s first day,
they should talk with their immediate supervisor and discuss those
duties and expectations, including project deadlines and
timetables. The two should also discuss the employee’s initial
orientation and training schedule, which should take no more than a
week. The key is effective communication and exchange of
knowledge beforehand, which will help to speed up the process once
employment begins. There should be milestones for the first
few months and you should schedule meetings to assess progress and
discuss
obstacles.
Company culture is sometimes overlooked, but
is extremely crucial. The new hire should know as much as they
can about the culture before they start. (Keep in mind that
culture embodies many criteria, including language, methodologies,
mission statement, ways of interacting, traditions, etc.) A
good idea would be for the hire to meet informally with a few
members of the current team and talk about how things worked at the
hire’s previous company and the way in which they operate at their
soon-to-be present place of
employment.
Timeframe
The beginning of the
onboarding process is easy to identify—it’s the moment that the
candidate accepts your offer. Between then and the first day
of the new hire’s employment, the steps we’ve discussed to this
point should be completed, especially the administrative
matters. However, the onboarding process doesn’t stop
there. Once the hire begins work, their progress should be
tracked and there should be almost constant communication between
the employee and their supervisor. The more quickly potential
problems can be identified, the faster they can be solved—or avoided
altogether. And remember, the first 30 days are vitally
important because it’s during this time that the new hire makes a
subconscious decision regarding whether or not joining your company
was the right move. After 90 days, it’s recommended that all
parties involved meet to discuss progress, solicit feedback, and
plan for the
future.
Customize Your
Program
As you can see, onboarding is a
multi-faceted endeavor. However, it’s one that can pay huge
dividends for your company and its employees. What’s important
to remember is that onboarding programs should be
individualized to the needs of the company creating
and implementing them. There isn’t just one model for
everybody. There’s a basic framework and formula, to be sure,
but in order for the program to be the most effective, you and your
team must create and implement a version that you can incorporate
easily and seamlessly into your company’s business
model.
If you have any questions regarding the onboarding
process—its creation, customization, or implementation—feel free to
contact
me.
(While onboarding is a tremendously effective way to
increase retention on your team, striking the proper work-life
balance is another method. In fact, that balance has become
more and more important to candidates and employees during the past
few years. In next month’s issue, we’ll take a look at the
subject of work-life balance and discuss ways in which you can
increase retention through strategies revolving around that growing
concern.)
© Copyright
2007
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