Eddy’s HR Mavericks Encyclopedia
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Employee Onboarding Experience
Employee onboarding: it’s just completing new hire paperwork, right?! Let's explore the opportunities involved in onboarding, how you can make it great, and why onboarding is such an important part of the employee experience.
What Is an Employee Onboarding Experience?
Onboarding encompasses an employee’s introduction to the company by way of new hire documents, perhaps an orientation of some sort, introductions to coworkers and other leaders within the organization, and most importantly, immersion into a company’s culture. Within that immersion, a new employee is introduced to the company’s mission, vision, and values. Essentially this is a system of organizational behaviors at the time of hire that focuses on retaining the new employee. Onboarding is far more extensive than orientation. It may take up to a year for an employee to integrate into the company culture and be a fully functioning member of the team. Like any first impression, onboarding sets the course for your company's relationship with that employee.
Why Is a Good Employee Onboarding Experience Important?
- Retention. It is important to make a good impression from the start so employees know you’re invested in their success. If you’re invested, they’re invested; it’s that simple. Negative onboarding experiences increase the odds that a new employee will leave.
- Engagement. Engaged employees are productive employees, and productive employees are what makes the company run. Not only are you doing the employee a disservice by not having a good onboarding program, but you’re damaging the company as well, as this can impact the employer brand. Happy, engaged employees impact your bottom line, but so does your reputation. Think about employee referrals, LinkedIn, and other social media and media platforms. If your employees are engaged, they will say great things about the business.
- Advance the business. Having an onboarding program reduces the amount of time it takes for your new employee to become a productive member of the organization. The sooner you get them integrated into the culture, their team, and their jobs, the sooner they start contributing positively to the overall business mission. Invest up front in your team members and you will see a larger return on investment.
How to Create a Positive Employee Onboarding Experience
Let's take a look at three things you can do to give new hires the best onboarding experience possible.
Step 1: Have an Agenda
Do not go in cold turkey on an employee’s first day! Have a plan and an outline to share with the employee so they know what to expect. Being unprepared is not only disorganized but may make your new hire second-guess their decision to join your team.
Step 2: Incorporate Team Members and Leaders
Your new team member should be able to understand all facets of your business, not just their own job. Getting the employee acquainted with other team members and leaders outside of the specific department they are working in is beneficial. You want them to start getting to know some names and faces in the organization, and this is a great way to do that and to learn about the business as a whole.
Step 3: Start Before Your New Employee Does
The onboarding process doesn’t start on your employee’s first day; it begins with the recruitment process. Throughout the recruitment and once an offer is made, be timely about your communication. Once they accept the job, maybe have a special picture or saying you can send them, welcoming them to the team and telling them they can share their new journey with their network on LinkedIn. Before that first day, have them enrolled in any training programs you require, set them up with a mentor, and have their equipment, passwords, name tags, desks, and workspaces, etc., ready with all of the supplies they need. Lastly, send them a nice welcome gift, if the budget allows. An employee can tell if you’ve planned for their arrival or if you’re winging it. Make the right first impression.
Costs of Not Having a Good Onboarding Program
Many employers mistakenly think that having employees fill out new-hire paperwork is onboarding, and it’s enough. They leave the employee to fend for themselves, depending on their teammates (who may or may not be motivated themselves) to train and integrate them into the company. Not taking the time up front to set your employee up for success can lead to:
- Increased turnover
- Increased overhead costs
- A bad reputation
- Lower productivity
This will in turn impact your company culture and your customer experience.
On average, companies lose 23% of employees before they hit their one-year mark
Hiring StatisticsOther Tips for Creating a Powerful Employee Onboarding Experience
Here are a few last tips for creating an onboarding experience that will make new employees want to stick around for years to come.
Tip 1: Help Build Connections
Whether it’s scheduling lunches with key personnel or creating shadowing opportunities for employees to connect, it is important to create a space where employees can build relationships. Friendships and relationships are critical to retention and engagement. One great way to help a new hire connect with someone right off the bat is to assign them an onboarding buddy.
Tip 2: Communication/Check-Ins
Be sure to check in with your new hire. Set up regular checkpoints throughout the process to ensure your employee is doing okay and to answer any questions.This allows you to understand how they are feeling and for them to tell you. This is also a good opportunity for feedback on the onboarding program.
Tip 3: Remote Hires
Remember to customize your onboarding experience so it can cater to remote as well as in-person hires. Be sure the onboarding experience is set up to easily adjust for hires who will never be physically present in the office. Make sure remote hires feel included and immersed into the culture just as much as someone who is physically in the office.
Topics
Ashley Liberatore
Ashley is no stranger to Human Resources, acting as a strategic partner to a variety of businesses over the past 6 years by applying expert compliance knowledge and forward thinking to business growth. A graduate of Rutgers University with a degree in Psychology and minor in Sociology, Ashley began her career working for a small Professional Employer Organization working with 250 different businesses and aiding them with day-to-day human resources issues. She then moved to perform internal HR for a growing multi-state, 500+ employee group in the electrical field. Then went on to serve as a Senior HR Generalist for 3 years at one of the largest Professional Employer Organizations in the country. Most recently Ashley serves as an HR Supervisor overseeing multiple Human Resource Advisors who are guiding small businesses with compliance, employee relations, policy development and more.
Ashley was elected chancellor of the HR council within her organization, which was comprised of 13 HR members across the nation to lead the group in process improvements for the Human Resource Team. She is PHR, SPHR, and SHRM-SCP certified and continues to advance her knowledge of Human Resources by staying abreast of ever-changing legislation and continuing education courses.
When not working, she is an advocate for women’s wellness, enjoys learning about nature, and spending time with her husband and dog outdoors.
Frequently asked questions
Other Related Terms
Eddy’s HR Mavericks Encyclopedia
Employee Onboarding Experience
Employee onboarding: it’s just completing new hire paperwork, right?! Let's explore the opportunities involved in onboarding, how you can make it great, and why onboarding is such an important part of the employee experience.
What Is an Employee Onboarding Experience?
Onboarding encompasses an employee’s introduction to the company by way of new hire documents, perhaps an orientation of some sort, introductions to coworkers and other leaders within the organization, and most importantly, immersion into a company’s culture. Within that immersion, a new employee is introduced to the company’s mission, vision, and values. Essentially this is a system of organizational behaviors at the time of hire that focuses on retaining the new employee. Onboarding is far more extensive than orientation. It may take up to a year for an employee to integrate into the company culture and be a fully functioning member of the team. Like any first impression, onboarding sets the course for your company's relationship with that employee.
Why Is a Good Employee Onboarding Experience Important?
- Retention. It is important to make a good impression from the start so employees know you’re invested in their success. If you’re invested, they’re invested; it’s that simple. Negative onboarding experiences increase the odds that a new employee will leave.
- Engagement. Engaged employees are productive employees, and productive employees are what makes the company run. Not only are you doing the employee a disservice by not having a good onboarding program, but you’re damaging the company as well, as this can impact the employer brand. Happy, engaged employees impact your bottom line, but so does your reputation. Think about employee referrals, LinkedIn, and other social media and media platforms. If your employees are engaged, they will say great things about the business.
- Advance the business. Having an onboarding program reduces the amount of time it takes for your new employee to become a productive member of the organization. The sooner you get them integrated into the culture, their team, and their jobs, the sooner they start contributing positively to the overall business mission. Invest up front in your team members and you will see a larger return on investment.
How to Create a Positive Employee Onboarding Experience
Let's take a look at three things you can do to give new hires the best onboarding experience possible.
Step 1: Have an Agenda
Do not go in cold turkey on an employee’s first day! Have a plan and an outline to share with the employee so they know what to expect. Being unprepared is not only disorganized but may make your new hire second-guess their decision to join your team.
Step 2: Incorporate Team Members and Leaders
Your new team member should be able to understand all facets of your business, not just their own job. Getting the employee acquainted with other team members and leaders outside of the specific department they are working in is beneficial. You want them to start getting to know some names and faces in the organization, and this is a great way to do that and to learn about the business as a whole.
Step 3: Start Before Your New Employee Does
The onboarding process doesn’t start on your employee’s first day; it begins with the recruitment process. Throughout the recruitment and once an offer is made, be timely about your communication. Once they accept the job, maybe have a special picture or saying you can send them, welcoming them to the team and telling them they can share their new journey with their network on LinkedIn. Before that first day, have them enrolled in any training programs you require, set them up with a mentor, and have their equipment, passwords, name tags, desks, and workspaces, etc., ready with all of the supplies they need. Lastly, send them a nice welcome gift, if the budget allows. An employee can tell if you’ve planned for their arrival or if you’re winging it. Make the right first impression.
Costs of Not Having a Good Onboarding Program
Many employers mistakenly think that having employees fill out new-hire paperwork is onboarding, and it’s enough. They leave the employee to fend for themselves, depending on their teammates (who may or may not be motivated themselves) to train and integrate them into the company. Not taking the time up front to set your employee up for success can lead to:
- Increased turnover
- Increased overhead costs
- A bad reputation
- Lower productivity
This will in turn impact your company culture and your customer experience.
On average, companies lose 23% of employees before they hit their one-year mark
Hiring StatisticsOther Tips for Creating a Powerful Employee Onboarding Experience
Here are a few last tips for creating an onboarding experience that will make new employees want to stick around for years to come.
Tip 1: Help Build Connections
Whether it’s scheduling lunches with key personnel or creating shadowing opportunities for employees to connect, it is important to create a space where employees can build relationships. Friendships and relationships are critical to retention and engagement. One great way to help a new hire connect with someone right off the bat is to assign them an onboarding buddy.
Tip 2: Communication/Check-Ins
Be sure to check in with your new hire. Set up regular checkpoints throughout the process to ensure your employee is doing okay and to answer any questions.This allows you to understand how they are feeling and for them to tell you. This is also a good opportunity for feedback on the onboarding program.
Tip 3: Remote Hires
Remember to customize your onboarding experience so it can cater to remote as well as in-person hires. Be sure the onboarding experience is set up to easily adjust for hires who will never be physically present in the office. Make sure remote hires feel included and immersed into the culture just as much as someone who is physically in the office.
Topics
Ashley Liberatore
Ashley is no stranger to Human Resources, acting as a strategic partner to a variety of businesses over the past 6 years by applying expert compliance knowledge and forward thinking to business growth. A graduate of Rutgers University with a degree in Psychology and minor in Sociology, Ashley began her career working for a small Professional Employer Organization working with 250 different businesses and aiding them with day-to-day human resources issues. She then moved to perform internal HR for a growing multi-state, 500+ employee group in the electrical field. Then went on to serve as a Senior HR Generalist for 3 years at one of the largest Professional Employer Organizations in the country. Most recently Ashley serves as an HR Supervisor overseeing multiple Human Resource Advisors who are guiding small businesses with compliance, employee relations, policy development and more.
Ashley was elected chancellor of the HR council within her organization, which was comprised of 13 HR members across the nation to lead the group in process improvements for the Human Resource Team. She is PHR, SPHR, and SHRM-SCP certified and continues to advance her knowledge of Human Resources by staying abreast of ever-changing legislation and continuing education courses.
When not working, she is an advocate for women’s wellness, enjoys learning about nature, and spending time with her husband and dog outdoors.
Frequently asked questions
Other Related Terms
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