The Benefits Of A Successful Onboarding Program
Onboarding is the process your new employees go through that transforms them into competent and productive members of your organization. A good onboarding program provides your new employees with the information, training, guidance and work connections they need to be successful. Empowering new hires to succeed has some impactful benefits. An effective onboarding program improves employee retention, speeds up the rate to competency, boosts productivity and maximizes ROI. Unfortunately, most onboarding programs are no longer getting these kinds of results because their programs need to be updated. A shift in employee trends has changed the needs of new hires, what motivates them and the ways they best learn making most older onboarding programs ineffective. Millennials are now the largest group in the workforce. New industries and jobs are being developed all the time. This is why the most successful organizations are revamping their onboarding programs to better meet the needs of this new workforce helping them transition into successful members of their organization.
Most Organizations Are Not Onboarding Well
In a recent study by Gallup, 88% of employees reported that they think their organization does not onboard well [1]. Employee trends are also showing that 20% of new employees leave to pursue other opportunities within the first 2 months [2]. Glassdoor reported their findings from a recent study they conducted and found that good onboarding can improve employee retention rates by as much as 82% [3]. This suggests that low employee retention rates are heavily influenced by a new hires' onboarding experience, but most current onboarding practices are failing to meet the needs of their employees. Updating your onboarding program to better support employees is one of the fastest ways you can improve retention rates.
Is Your Onboarding Program Long Enough?
The average onboarding program lasts 90 days or less. It takes most employees between 8-12 months to reach full proficiency in a new role. This leaves about a 5-9-month period of time after onboarding where employees still need support while transitioning. Onboarding programs that last a year produce better results than those that are shorter. Employees whose companies have longer onboarding programs gain full proficiency 34% faster than those in the shortest programs [4]. Longer onboarding processes give employees time to check in with their supervisors to be sure they stay on track and have more time to learn the necessary skills in a structured way.
Employees Want More Training
New industries and trades are popping up every day making jobs with Learning and Development opportunities more appealing. More than 93% of employees would stay at a company longer if it invested in their career [5]. In a research study conducted by LinkedIn, it was found that the number 1 obstacle to employees continuing their learning was finding the time. Companies can invest in their employees by providing training opportunities throughout the onboarding process. This reduces employee retention and helps attract new talent.
Is Your Onboarding Program Attracting New Talent?
Your onboarding program leaves a significant first impression that impacts more than just your retention rates. Yes, new hires who have positive onboarding experiences are more likely to stay at your company, but they are also more likely to recommend your organization to people they know. 1 in 5 new hires is unlikely to recommend their employer to a friend or family member after the onboarding process [6]. Living up to your values and the promises you make when offering a potential employee a position at your company is more important than ever before. Today, people have the power to write reviews online on just about anything including their experience with your organization. What they have to say could influence potential candidates. Your onboarding process influences what they write.
Outdated Training Content
Another sign you need to update your onboarding process is outdated training materials. If you have videos, guides, handbooks or other training material that are not up-to-date then it is time to consider revamping. Having employees use outdated materials is worse than not giving them any training because you are giving them the wrong information. This will slow down productivity, time to competency, and cause a lot of confusion for the new hire. Modernizing the training materials could significantly improve your overall onboarding process.
Overwhelming Amounts Of Paperwork
If your onboarding process starts with new employees filling out a bunch of paper HR documents on the first day you should consider an update. Although filling out required documents is necessary there are ways you can make the process both simpler and more modern. There are many digitals tools that can be used to assist new employees with filling out HR paperwork. If you provide a way for new hires to fill out paperwork digitally it can be done before the first day saving everyone some time.
The Importance Of Social Integration
Incorporating social integration into your onboarding process can greatly improve new hire satisfaction and productivity. New hires have lots of questions and assigning a mentor gives new hires a specific person they can go to for answers. 87% percent of organizations that assign a mentor or a buddy during the onboarding process say that it's an effective way to speed up new hire proficiency [6].
Conclusion
Your onboarding process can bolster your bottom line, but only if your program is effective. Most organizations need to revamp their onboarding process. If you are wondering if your organization is one of them check for these 5 red flags:
- You are experiencing high turnover rates.
- Your onboarding program lasts 90 days or less.
- Training and learning opportunities are not a part of your onboarding process.
- Your onboarding process lacks activities centered around social integration.
- You are receiving negative feedback about your organization’s onboarding process.
A company's onboarding program leaves a lasting impression and sets up its employees for success. Employee habits and trends have changed over the past few years. Updating your companies onboarding process ensures that you are giving new employees what they need to be competent and productive members of your organization.
Download the eBook The Definitive Guide To Onboarding Programs and discover essential reasons why you should improve your onboarding program.
References:
[1] State of the American Workplace
[2] Onboarding Outcomes: Fulfill New Hire Expectations
[3] The True Cost of a Bad Hire
[4] [Infographic] The Onboarding New Hire Statistics You Need to Know (with 2018 Updates)
[5] 2018 Workplace Learning Report
[6] 50 Onboarding Statistics To Improve The Employee Experience