Every employee goes through the onboarding process at their first job and subsequent shifts in job role, and company. The onboarding process has its own benefits and importance for the employees and their contributions to the company. Poor onboarding is also responsible for employee resignations. According to a survey conducted by Careerbuilder and Silkroad Technology, 9%, or 1 in 10, have left a company because of a poor onboarding experience, and 37% of employees said their manager did not play a critical role in their onboarding experience support. In contrast, companies with a great onboarding process retain 69% of employees for at least 3 years (Source: SHRM).
In this article, we will discuss why onboarding has such importance and how it helps both new employees and the company.
What Is Onboarding?
As soon as a new hire shows up on his/her first day at work, there will be hundreds of questions in their minds that need answering. They had joined the company and would be anxious or excited about the new workplace. To put it bluntly, onboarding is a process where a company's new hires are formally introduced and integrated into the company. This is where new employees are introduced to their peers, managers, team leaders, and other departments. Unlike orientation, which takes only a few hours, onboarding can take up to 12 months, depending on the company and the role of the new hires. This term is dedicated to employee training, and collaboration among the team members, management, and various departments.
Who should do the onboarding?
Typically, the team leader or the manager introduces the new hires to the company. In the case of office onboarding, the assigned mentor, team leader, or manager can do the first-day introductions and guide the new employee through their roles and next steps.
How long can the onboarding process take?
The duration of the onboarding depends on the complexity of the role, the experience of the new hire, the quality and methods of teaching/training by the company trainers, etc. It can last as short as a day or a week or as long as up to 12 months (Source: SHRM). The longer the process takes, the more exhaustive it becomes.
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Why is onboarding important?
1. Good onboarding helps with employee retention.
To start with the elephant in the room, 1 in 10 employees quit their jobs because of a poor onboarding process. The phrase "first impression is the best impression" is not only applicable elsewhere but also to the company as a whole. Gone are the days when employees would join a company and work there until they retired. Nowadays, employees frequently change jobs and companies in search of better opportunities, salary hikes, locations, and differences between them and their current companies. The modern workforce wants meaningful work, better relationships in the workplace, and career growth opportunities. New
employees certainly look for these qualities in the companies they join. As they judge the company as quickly as possible, companies have only months to convince them that they can be the best thing that has ever happened to their employees. The onboarding process gives new employees an overview of the company. Employees are adept at picking up workplace vibes. Without an effective and inclusive onboarding process, new employees feel alienated and neglected. According to Silkroad Technology's survey, 37% of employees were disappointed with their managers because they were not active in their onboarding process. As employee retention starts immediately after the hiring process, onboarding takes the foundational role in the strategy.
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2. Onboarding process increases employee engagement
Engaged employees are highly productive and prove to be an asset to the company. Because they understand and appreciate the company for the contribution it makes to their employees and society, engaged employees are generally more productive, find a sense of purpose in their roles, and motivate others to work with better results as well. Employees who are engaged develop a sense of belonging in the company and strive to bring it to better places and new heights in business.
Moreover, there is a correlation between an engaged workforce and a company's long-term outcomes as well. According to Gallup, engaged employees contribute to the company's higher profits.
As long as engaged employees are loyal, highly motivated, and self-accountable, they pose few challenges for managers. Due to this, the company's professional relationships bloom and productivity rates increase. An engaged workforce can also bring about a harmonical workplace where every employee is welcome because they all share the same company values. All of these things can relieve management's stress and allow them to devote more time to improving company results.
Onboarding is the first step in adapting the new hires to the ideal engagement levels. It provides the groundwork for management to prepare new employees for the ideal work patterns. Onboarding introduces the company's shared values and the other employees with whom the new hires need to work together. As a result, employee engagement increases and earns the company a loyal workforce.
3. It boosts acclimation
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Acclimation is not just pointing new hires towards the coffee machine and the canteen. It is a whole process of adapting the employee's mindset to the company's philosophies and goals. It teaches the new hire about his/her role and how he or she can contribute to the company effectively within the role's framework. It also informs the new employees about the benefits of the company. It informs the employees about the monthly dinners, career growth opportunities, and mentorship programs. Some companies not only contribute to society through business and the economy but also with social welfare programs as well. CDR is a new approach by several companies to contribute to society, the country, and the planet. Introducing new hires to these programs can instil a sense of purpose and pride in their work. As a result, the new employees learn to appreciate the company. Informing these during the onboarding process can help shorten the training period as the new hires become deeply engaged and strive to identify with the company.
4. Onboarding process teaches the company culture
The company culture is an underrated concept in most companies. However, this is a code of conduct that decides the survival and success of a company. Onboarding is a critical step in acclimating a new employee to the culture of the company. Everything the company stands for and follows, from clothing to management styles, is introduced to the employee during the process. While some aspects of the job are easy to become familiar with in a short time, others, like management-employee relationships, take more time to become familiar with. An exhaustive onboarding process can help new employees become familiar with the company culture as soon as possible.
5. Onboarding process familiarizes the perks and benefits
The onboarding process allows the employee to understand the company's perks and benefits in a better way. Due to the interactions with other employees, they can easily get to know the value of their position in the company. If the company has a well-thought-out onboarding plan, employees can easily get to know the value of their work more easily. It can also save time for employees who are searching for answers or are confused about whom to clarify their doubts.
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6. It teaches the company's rules and regulations
For a new hire, it takes time to adjust to the company's rules and regulations. Though they are at first briefed by the authorities, it takes time to become familiar with all the rules and regulations followed by the company's employees. A good onboarding process will always be there to inform and help the new hires follow them. Moreover, a good onboarding process is patient and supportive when the employee fails to keep all the company rules. For example, many companies prohibit using USB drives on their work PCs due to a recent surge in hacking activities. As a result, the USB ports on the computers would be locked and out of use. For a new hire who is uninformed, this safety precaution feels like shackles and is controlling their work. The onboarding process can be used to inform these and avoid some subconscious dissatisfaction about the company early on before they take root in the employee's mind.
7. Onboarding helps understand duties and expectations
Often, new hires are clueless about the expectations of the company without a good onboarding process. Even though they are briefed generally during the interview process, it won't be enough to start the new hires right away. According to a TalentTech survey, 43% of new employees are without essential job equipment, software, or tools for more than a week. After that, employees need to observe their peers or follow the instructions of the manager to follow along with the company's work breakdown structure. Even then, new hires are oblivious to the KPIs of the company and how much their peers are being productive. On the other hand, watching high-performing peers can also cause new hires to lose confidence in their own work.
The productivity gap between a seasoned employee and a new hire will always be large, and comparing them is counterproductive. If the new hire starts this comparison, they will certainly lose confidence and risk being disengaged. The good onboarding process, however, establishes different parameters to measure the performance of a new hire and sets achievable goals for them. This way, they can encourage the employees to keep on improving until they gain mastery and meet the expectations of the company. Indeed, the onboarding process is not complete until the new hires are working at par with seasoned employees. It might take 8 months to a year for a good onboarding process to achieve these goals (Source: Clickboarding).
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8. It gives training and guidance
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It is not enough to acclimate the employee to the company's rules and regulations. Providing adequate training and guidance to the new employee is also critical in the onboarding process. Without any training or guidance from the company, new hires are left in the dark to find out what goes on in the workplace, which tools should be used, or how to meet company expectations. Even in the case of an informed and experienced employee, working is hard in the absence of guidance as the company-specific working patterns and management styles vary largely from company to company.
This is even harder in the case of remote employee onboarding, as they need to figure everything out for themselves. Different companies use different tools and software with different work patterns to achieve their tasks. This is why proper training programs in the company's tools, software, and management style all need to be taught from a reliable source.
Mentorship programs are a great choice in the onboarding process. Assigning a personal mentor who knows the company better can be beneficial for new hires. The onboarding process establishes this valuable connection and helps in creating deep bonds within the company through professional relationships. These professional bonds help with employee retention and increase engagement.
9. It teaches working in a team
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Team building and group contributions are major traits that every employee looks for in an employee. For new employees, working with a team can get relatively hard if they know no one in the workplace. This is even harder for introverts and employees who have a hard time building relationships. A good onboarding process can help by introducing the team members to the new employees. It can also help by coordinating the tasks and creating an outlet for communicating with the management. This takes the weight of figuring things out from the shoulders of new employees and keeps them focused on getting acclimated.
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Conclusion
The onboarding process has become important in the recent era of surveys and research. The establishment of a good HR department that is keenly focused on the well-being of the company's workforce is an asset for the company. Due to HR professionals' efforts and research, the importance of the onboarding process has become known to the business world. A great onboarding process acclimates the employee to the company, their team, managers, and work environment. It teaches and trains them in the tools and software the company uses. It trains new employees and supports them with mentorship programs. A good onboarding process increases employee engagement and boosts retention rates. All in all, the onboarding process takes time, anywhere from weeks to a year, where the new employee perfectly fits into the organisation and performs at their peak capacity. The benefits of the onboarding process and the negative effects of its lack must be a serious concern for all HR professionals.
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