You’ve hired that perfect candidate. You’ve sent the welcome email. Your HR department has a swag bag ready when they hit the front door on day one (or log onto that first virtual meeting). You may have even used your HRIS to push out all that first-day paperwork for completion before they come to the main office at 8:00 a.m. (wise move, by the way). Once the heavens part and that perfect employee comes in on Monday, however, what do you have planned? What is onboarding to you?
If you run your place like most, there will be a little orientation, some meet-and-greet activities, connecting the new-hire with their manager (and the rest of their team), and then, like a kindergartner on the first day of school, they’re off and become the responsibility of that manager and/or team. Consequentially, HR, the executive team, and others are “off the hook” and can return to focusing on their own responsibilities.
What about onboarding? Orientation is an event in a process. Onboarding is that process. Effective onboarding requires multiple key events. These include:
Pre-boarding
This includes you preparing new hires for their arrival at the company. It may involve sending them welcome emails, providing them with information about the company, and setting up their workspace. A quick check with HR and you’ll know it also involves the mountain of new-hire paperwork, polices and procedures, NDAs, and other important documents to sign.
Orientation
Typically, orientation starts at the proverbial 8:00 a.m. Monday time slot. This is the process of introducing new hires to the company, its culture, and its policies. This may also include tours of the office, meetings with key employees, and training on company procedures. You might even have them introduce themselves at a Monday all-hands meeting. (A fun little practice in these meetings is to have them share an obscure fact about themselves in that meeting that only a privileged few know. I’ve been privy to meetings where individuals confessed an obsession with fruits snacks, a powerful urge to coordinate socks with outfits, and one individual who shared how he nursed more than 25 cats back to health! Meow!)
Training
This is the process of teaching new hires the skills they need to do their jobs. This may include classroom training, on-the-job training, and e-learning. Beyond the skills training, you may want to include training on your company’s core values. You should’ve discussed these as part of the hiring process. Now is your chance to ensure that they’re known and that your new hire knows they matter at your company.
Mentoring
This is the process of pairing new hires with experienced employees who can provide guidance and support. Statistics consistently show that employees who are paired with a mentor learn faster, connect more readily, and stay longer in their roles. Their loyalty to the company is stronger earlier on, too.
Assessment
This is the process of evaluating progress for new hires and providing them with feedback. Effective assessment is based on objective metrics, a well-defined positional scorecard, and an eye on the long game. Additionally, when an employee knows what success in their role looks like, how it is measured, and who can help them achieve it, they are set up to be a full participant in the culture of accomplishment that you and your management team ought to champion.
What Now?
You may be reading this and have realizing that your onboarding program is really a “new-hire orientation,” and you know you need more. You’re not alone. So what do you do now?
Companies who make a time investment in onboarding their employees can expect happier, better acclimated, and more loyal employees long-term. What does this mean? This manifests itself in ways as varied as productivity to loyalty and efficiency to your company’s net promoter score (NPS).
Still have questions? These are the conversations we have on a daily basis with companies like yours. At NVSI, we have made it our business to help yours thrive. Contact us today and let’s talk.
