The Ultimate New Employee Onboarding Checklist For Maximum Engagement
Contrary to popular belief, employee onboarding doesn't have to bore new recruits to tears. This ultimate guide can help you launch an engaging, entertaining, and enlightening online training program that goes beyond orientation. You'll find out how to use storytelling, gamification, and experiential learning to bring new hires up to speed and give them a warm welcome. Before we get to the new employee onboarding checklist, let's recap some of the common training roadblocks. Namely, negative preconceptions that put your L&D program at a disadvantage from day one.
4 Common Preconceptions About Employee Onboarding
We've all been there at one point or another. We found a new job and are excited about the opportunities. Then, the onboarding training comes along to put a damper on things. It's not first-day jitters you have to worry about, but the new hire training hurdle. This typically involves nerve-racking compliance exams, PowerPoint presentations, and a healthy dose of uncomfortable group ice-breaking activities. Below are a few of the worst offenders and how to turn the tides with this new employee onboarding checklist.
Boring And Bland
A majority of your new employees have probably "been there, done that" when it comes to onboarding training. They know that they're in for a bland, boring, and tedious ride that lasts at least a week. The good news is that you can create an emotional connection right away with storytelling, gamification, and real-world activities. Imagine their surprise when they find anecdotes, interesting characters, and simulations when they log into the online training platform.
One Size Fits All
Every new recruit has different skills, knowledge, and performance gaps. Their personality traits also come into play. So, how can one-size-fits-all training experiences possibly work? This new employee onboarding checklist shows you how to develop custom-tailored content that doesn't just brush the surface. You'll be able to connect with your new hires on a personal level and address their specific needs, instead of giving them cookie-cutter resources and hoping that something sticks.
Theory Instead Of Practice
Truly memorable and meaningful onboarding courses facilitate real-world application. Let's face it, new employees generally expect an information dump. They've already linked onboarding to cognitive overload because of past experiences. You can turn this notion on its head by including task simulations, tutorials, and story-based scenarios to help them put their knowledge into practice. These activities also support mistake-driven learning so that they reflect on personal behaviors and habits that may hinder them in the workplace.
Inflexible
Most new hires expect printed manuals and on-site training courses that go on for days. Granted, the COVID crisis has reshaped this preconception to some extent, but inflexibility is still a major concern. Will they have to sit through an hour-long online lecture? For this reason, organizations should always take personal preferences and busy schedules into account. Chart the course, then let new employees go at their own pace and offer them diverse resources so that they can pick and choose.
About This eBook
This all-in-one employee onboarding guide walks you through every step of the process. You'll discover how to use stories, game mechanics, and other valuable tools to achieve next-level engagement. Here's a sneak preview of what you'll find inside:
- Making Your Employee Onboarding Process Fun (Even Online)
- How to Create A New Employee Onboarding Checklist Template
- Best Practices For Employee Engagement: Using Storytelling In Your Training
- The Learning Path: Creating A Company Culture Of Ongoing Employee Training
- Why Security Awareness And Phishing Training Is Required From Day 1
- How To Gamify Your Compliance Training
- Remarkable Remote New Hire Onboarding Best Practices + Ideas
- Getting Feedback To Improve Your Employee Onboarding Experience
Conclusion
New hires shouldn't have to settle for online training courses that are stressful or yawn-inducing. As the old saying goes: You only have one chance to make a good first impression. Do you want to ease them into your organization and make them feel right at home, or prompt them to start updating their CVs before they even clock in? One should never underestimate the importance of L&D for employee satisfaction.
Download the eBook How To Make Training Awesome: Your New Employee Onboarding Checklist for insider secrets to bring excitement to your onboarding experiences and create a culture of lifelong learning. You can also join the webinar to tap into the power of storytelling in employee training.