You Need More Engaging Onboarding

You Need More Engaging Onboarding
Summary: Considering that a company’s employees are its greatest asset, not investing enough in making a great first impression on new hires, that is by creating engaging onboarding experiences, can be a critical mistake. Is it a mistake your company can afford?

4 Ways To Create Engaging Onboarding Experiences

It may be cliché, but it’s hard to deny the importance of the first impression. The higher the stakes, the more important it is that the first impression be awesome. Considering that a company’s employees are its greatest asset, is not investing in creating engaging onboarding experiences for your new hires a mistake your organization can afford?

Replacing employees is expensive (about $4000 each time you need to hire a new employee, according to Bersin by Deloitte), and high turnover rates can put a damper on employee morale and create an uncomfortable work environment. As much as 20% of staff turnover happens within the first 45 days of employment. This means you have a limited amount of time to make a first impression on your employees and ensure they are engaged in your company. Just like any new relationship, long-term success in an employer-employee relationship relies on a solid foundation.

This is why your onboarding experience needs to be engaging.  

Rather than treating onboarding as a pure formality, treat it as an opportunity to build on the enthusiasm your new employees are likely to bring with them during their first days, weeks, and months on the job.

First, let’s talk about sure-fire ways you can damage the foundation you are trying to build!

  • Bore them.
    Make sure employees spend most of their first day or two filling out paperwork, reviewing company policies, and getting their workstation set up (things that have little to do with job performance).
  • Overload.
    Squeeze the entire onboarding process into just a few days so employees can start being super productive ASAP.
  • Tell, don’t show.
    But how do I do my job? Provide long-winded explanations of the critical skills they need for success, but don’t provide any real opportunities to practice those skills!
  • Focus on the company.
    Most importantly, don't discuss their personal goals! That'll just take the focus away from what’s most important – the business’ goals!

If you laughed because your organization is guilty of implementing some of the above methods, consider trying these strategies to create a more effective and more engaging onboarding experience:

  1. Get a head start.
    There’s not much that’s less engaging than spending hours filling out paperwork. Jumpstart the onboarding process by allowing new hires to complete paperwork in advance so their first day or two begins with learning about the company culture and getting to know their new colleagues. After all, 70% of employees believe that the most crucial element to a happy working life is having friends at work.
  2. Spread it out.
    Don’t be fooled into thinking it’s a good idea to squeeze the entire onboarding process into just one week so employees can become super productive team members more quickly. Onboarding is about more than meeting your manager and learning where the copy machine is. It is how employees learn what it will take to be successful on the job, and this is going to take time. The most successful and engaging onboarding programs last many months or even as long as a year.
  3. Provide opportunities for practice.
    Don’t just tell them what skills they need to perform their job successfully – provide them with actual opportunities to practice the skills on the job. Getting them involved in a small but meaningful part of a project early will help build their skills and their confidence. Plus, with a bit of experience under their belt, it will be much easier to have conversations about expectations and milestones with the new employee later.
  4. Personalize the experience.
    Make sure to work in opportunities for discussion around the employee’s career goals and how they fit in with the business’ goals. What special experience does the employee bring to the table, and how do they hope to contribute to the company? Making your employees feel appreciated and respected –both as employees and as individuals– can go a long way toward building happy and productive employees and a great company culture.

An engaging onboarding experience will prime you employees for long-term success and engagement on the job. Investing in improving your onboarding is good for your employees, and it’s good for the company.

Want to create a more engaging, effective new hire or onboarding training? Check out these guidelines from AllenComm about using video in onboarding.