Improving The Employee Onboarding Experience

Onboarding should be an exciting time for new employees who are still a little starry-eyed about their new role. However, the statistics tell a very different story. 40 percent of employees who leave their jobs voluntarily do so within six months of starting in the position and over half will do so within the first 12 months. You might be surprised to know that many new hires will decide whether or not to stay after just one day in their new workplace.

These are some intimidating numbers, to be sure. But there’s no need to panic just yet! Large or small, any company can easily mitigate new employee disengagement and dissatisfaction by making a few tweaks to the onboarding process. Here are a few simple ways to adapt your onboarding processes that will drastically increase employee loyalty and longevity.

Make it personal

First and foremost, you want your new employee to know that they are wanted. Everybody wants to feel valued so show them that you feel as though you’re just as lucky to have them as they are to have you. This warm welcome could come in many forms and it really will depend on the existing culture of your organisation. Perhaps a personalised gift in the post to their home address before they start or a friendly email with a checklist of everything they will need for their first day. It doesn’t have to be extravagant - remember, it’s the thought that counts.

Help them connect

Whether it's a team lunch or strategic introductions to key employees, forming strong relationships with the existing people in your organisation is critical to retention. We’ve all had the awkward first day where everyone is a stranger and everywhere is unchartered territory - it’s no fun, and your priority is to make that social anxiety go away as quickly as possible. Inform reception or security of your new employee’s name and arrival time and have someone personally escort them from the door into the office, or even better, greet them yourself. Encourage current employees to introduce themselves. Consider providing some sort of mentorship or buddy programme to give your new hires an additional safety net in their new role and another potential relationship that may continue past the first few weeks.

Make it interactive

Gamification is a popular new approach to onboarding which can be extremely effective in keeping your new hire engaged while they take their first steps with your company. A number of successful organizations such as Ford, Google, Disneyland, Microsoft, Cisco, and Deloitte are using gaming to enhance workforce alignment, study new employee skills, solve complicated in-house issues and improve retention and productivity. Consider the value of a scavenger hunt designed to bring new employees up to speed on culture and industry jargon or a simulated safety trainer where employees can accumulate points for engaging in and successfully completing different health and safety scenarios.

Check in on them

A new employee’s manager is one of the most important people in the onboarding experience, gaining this person’s support may directly improve or undermine a new hire’s chances of success. If you are that person, it’s important to touch base with your new hires once they have had some time to settle into their new position. Put a communication plan in place with your new employee where you can monitor their experience and develop rapport based around a shared knowledge of values and goals.

Get feedback!

Finally, by actively gathering qualitative feedback from your new hires, you are involving them in the inner workings of the company and this ultimately gives them a sense of worth and power within the organisation. And, of course, without feedback, you have no way of measuring the success of your onboarding program.

Your organization, and the potential employees who want to work with you, invest a great deal of time and resources in the hiring process. A proactive approach to the onboarding process will help you keep your top talent and avoid re-recruiting. Make it personal, make it exciting, make it social, and, most importantly, make sure it works!