5 Ways An Employee Onboarding Program Improves Performance And Productivity

Employee Onboarding Programs: Learn The Benefits
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Summary: Employee onboarding programs increase productivity and performance by addressing the most 5 challenging aspects of being a new hire and by continuously providing training at the right time.

Employee Onboarding Programs: Learn The Benefits

Onboarding has a direct impact on the productivity of new employees. Organizations with a standard onboarding process experience 54% greater new hire productivity [1]. In fact, employees at companies with longer training programs gain full proficiency up to four months faster than those with the shortest programs. Onboarding has an impact on performance as well. Employees who experienced onboarding programs were more successful in meeting the targets and goals in their performance reviews than those who didn't go through onboarding. 77% of employees who go through onboarding programs do well and meet their goals in their first performance reviews [1]. On the other hand, almost half of the new hires, who do not go through formal training, do not hit the required milestones by their first performance reviews [1].  Successful onboarding programs help guide new hires step by step through learning all that comes with a new job, making it easier for them to start working. Listed below are 5 ways employee onboarding programs improve new hire performance and productivity.

The Definitive Guide To Onboarding Programs
Learn how to improve new hire retention rates, speed up the rate of competency and increase productivity.

1. Provides Clear Expectations And Guidelines

In a recent survey, it was found that 28% of new employees were unsure of their responsibilities and goals [2]. One way onboarding programs promote success is by providing a progression roadmap for new employees early on. This roadmap is a resource that shows them the tasks they will be expected to complete, what they need to know, how it’s achieved, and if they do all of this, what they will get in return! Giving these kinds of clear instructions prevents confusion and frustration early on and encourages employees to do the type of work that you want them to do.

2. Creates Connections

Quality work relationships help create a strong company culture and help cultivate collaboration and teamwork. They also increase job satisfaction and company loyalty. 70% of employees said that having friends at work is the most crucial element of having a happy work-life [1]. An employee onboarding program helps new hires connect with their team members by planning activities such as a welcome lunch, assigning a buddy for the first couple of weeks, who can answer their questions or other activities. 19% of employees said being invited to join employee communication apps before their first workday would make them feel connected within a company’s culture [2]. Employees who are comfortable with their co-workers are able to ask more questions and work with the team more easily, resulting in overall better performance.

3. Establishes A Culture Of Learning

Much like the onboarding process itself, learning should continue after the first 90 days. Giving training opportunities throughout employment and encouraging employees to learn new skills promotes a culture of learning. It was found in a recent survey about workplace happiness by CNBC that 14% of employees would like more training opportunities at work. Employees who regularly update and learn new skills become more valuable to the company and experience more job satisfaction. This not only increases performance and productivity for new hires but continually increases productivity by allowing them to continue to grow their skills.

4. Tracks Progress

Onboarding programs give organizations the ability to track the progress of their employees in a few different ways. If there is an onboarding checklist, it can always be reviewed to see if there is anything missing that still needs to be completed. Frequent check-ins with new employees are a good way to make sure onboarding and training goals are being met. This also opens up time for the employee to share anything they may be struggling with. Many training programs also include eLearning, simulations, and even mobile learning applications. Most of these digital learning tools allow you to track the progress of a new hire and see if they are having trouble with a specific concept. It is also helpful for employees to be able to track their progress, so they can also see where they may be struggling so they can ask for help.

5. Helps New Hires Get To Work Faster

The biggest way onboarding programs increase performance and productivity is by helping new hires get to work faster. Without a structured onboarding program, information is given to new hires all at once much like a fire hose. This style of training doesn’t give much thought to what information an employee will be needing and when. The benefit of an onboarding program for new hires is that it is structured in a way that gives new employees the information they need when they need it. This style of delivery makes it easier to learn and retain information. An onboarding program, also, aims to deliver information and training content in the best way possible. For example, sales training might be more easily learned through simulations, where they can go through the steps of traditional role play in a digital format and where their progress can be recorded and tracked. A checklist would probably work best in a paper or PDF format. There are many more mediums that can be used for training, but onboarding programs try to find the best fit for each part of the training process. Overall, this structured approach speeds up training by delivering content in the right way and at the correct time making it more effective for the learner.

Conclusion

Employee onboarding programs increase performance and productivity in these 5 ways:

  • They establish clear guidelines and expectations for the new hire which reduces confusion and gives them some direction.
  • They help new employees build connections with their team and company culture making teamwork more cohesive and enjoyable.
  • They establish a culture of learning where they train throughout their employment and not just during the first 90 days.
  • They plan for tracking employee progress and check-in frequently, in order to work through any challenges employees may need help with.
  • They get new hires to work faster by providing the right information at the right time in the right format.

Overall, employee onboarding training programs increase productivity and performance by addressing the most challenging aspects of being a new hire and by continuously providing training at the right time.

You could alternatively go further and beyond the 5 ways an employee onboarding program improves performance and productivity, by downloading the eBook The Definitive Guide To Onboarding Programs.

References:

[1] [Infographic] The Onboarding New Hire Statistics You Need to Know (with 2018 Updates)

[2] 2019 Employee Engagement & Loyalty Statistics

[3] Beyond a raise, this is what the majority of American workers want to be happier at work