6 Steps To Implement An Employee Onboarding Process
By implementing a successful employee onboarding process at your company, you're making your new hires feel valued, welcomed, and productive at their new job roles. Research has it that about 20% of new employees leave their jobs for another one within 45 days on the job. That's mostly a result of a poor employee onboarding process. In this article, I'll be showing you 6 steps to implement a successful employee onboarding process at your organization.
1. Give Them A Pre-Assessment To Determine Their Learning Gap
As an organization, in order to achieve the best results with your onboarding program, you need to determine your new hires' gap. You can do that by pre-assessing them and asking what they are interested in knowing on the first day. You shouldn't be surprised to hear that most of them might have similar responses. You can also utilize the SWOT analysis to understand their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Also, ensure that you look into your organization's objectives. By doing so, you will be able to focus on your business objectives, their responses, and the results from the analysis to deliver to them a successful employee onboarding process.
2. Get In-House Employees Ready And Involved
Before the first day of your employee onboarding process, you need to carry your employees along. You can do that by creating necessary awareness either by sending them emails or telling them in person. Let them know about the new hires' roles and why they must welcome them. By doing so, the employees can get prepared ahead of the first day of onboarding to assist the new employees and welcome them onboard. This will help create a better first impression in the minds of the new hires and make them feel more valued.
3. Invest In An Employee Training LMS
Many organizations have different training systems that work well for them. While some prefer their new hires learning under their experienced employees, others prefer them working individually, with the assumption that they have the required skills. However, having a mix of the two systems of training is the best approach. They get to understand that the company has faith in their competence. At the same time, they get to understand the essence of seeking help when it's required. Make thorough research and opt for a tool that meets your requirements and budget.
4. Design A Training Path For Individual New Employees
No doubt, employees have different learning styles and learning paths. During interviews or while you were evaluating their strengths, you must have spotted individual potentials. As you welcome them onboard, ensure you share your thoughts with them. Also, design a progression chart with them choosing the position they can best thrive. By doing so, your new hires will get a feeling that you want the best for them and you see them as long-term employees. Also, you should provide them with personalized training to serve as a performance support tool for them to improve and become more productive for your organization.
5. Schedule Enough Time For The Training
You should focus your first week of the new hires' onboarding on training. It doesn't matter whether the new hires have a better knowledge of their roles or not. Giving them an effective training is paramount if you want to achieve a successful onboarding process. Your training should include compliance training, the organization's culture, procedures, processes, and new-employee job expectations. Giving them training on what they should expect in their roles will go a long way in preparing them for the jobs ahead. Also, ensure that you assign to them mentors, to put them through in case of unclear subject matters. This person must be able to attend to their questions and give them prompt responses when needed.
6. Ensure You Follow Up With The Process
Don't assume your new hires are getting along well with your onboarding program. Follow up regularly to ensure they're not lacking. Even if they're doing fine with the process, you can still make use of the opportunity to meet them and learn more about your onboarding program from their perspective. There will always be room for changes and improvements. So, ask them how they feel about your process, what they like, and what they think you can improve on for better onboarding.
Implementing a successful onboarding process at your organization has numerous benefits. One of them is helping your organization reduce the rate of employee turnover. Also, it can help improve their retention ability and make them more productive. So, follow the above-listed steps to achieve the best results with your onboarding process.
