Hiring new employees is no small task: it takes hours of company time and money to recruit, interview, and select top talent. Once you’ve got a new employee on board, you want to turn that hiring investment into a good experience for both of you. That’s where onboarding comes in. Read on for some effective onboarding practices that can ease the transition and boost retention.
What Is Onboarding?
Onboarding is a series of events that introduce a new hire to company policies, culture, colleagues, managers, tasks, responsibilities, and give a detailed overview of the benefits and perks of their new job.
More than a single day of introductions, it’s an ongoing process that lasts weeks or even months and helps a new employee feel integrated and comfortable.
How Onboarding Serves Individuals
A Gallup poll found that “only 12% of employees strongly agree that their organization does a great job onboarding new employees.”
Small businesses hiring new workers can be stretched thin, with existing employees covering open positions. Adding another set of tasks may feel like too much and fall by the wayside. The most effective onboarding programs are well organized and include clear markers and milestones to reduce confusion and simplify administration.
Employees who leave within the first 18 months of employment can be a huge disruption to the productivity you set out to achieve with your new hire, not to mention the human and monetary cost of starting over with the hiring process. Thoughtful onboarding is one of the most effective ways to guard against low retention rates.
“Employees feel an onboarding experience is negative when it’s incomplete, outdated, or purely focused on process,” says recruitment specialist Bryan Lake. “An isolating onboarding experience leads them to consider leaving the company earlier than expected. A sense of belonging is key to retention and onboarding is the best time to make new hires feel connected to a company’s objectives.”
New hires come into a job with a variety of emotions: excitement, fear, hesitation, ambition, apprehension, and more. They have likely left another job or returned to the job market after some time away. They’ve considered their options and found your company to best match their goals. They’ve spoken with all members of the hiring team, who have likely been welcoming and enthusiastic. The challenge for every organization is to channel all these feelings into confidence, productivity, and collaboration in the new role. Effective onboarding offers a slow and steady introduction to the new workplace, with support at every step.
90-Day Checklist
A 90-day onboarding checklist gives managers and new employees concrete milestones and metrics, reducing anxiety about immediate expectations. The new hire’s experience level and training for the job will determine the specific tasks, but in general you can use the following concepts to set up an onboarding program that works for your company:
The First 30 Days
This period is focused on learning and orientation for employees. They should:
- Complete all required legal and company forms
- Review company mission, values, and policies
- Complete any required training or orientation modules
- Connect with a trainer, mentor, or onboarding buddy as the first point of contact for questions or clarifications
- Create logins for time clocks or company portals
- Receive technology or uniforms required for their jobs
The First 60 Days
This period focuses on applying training and further understanding their new role. They should:
- Take over key responsibilities of the role
- Actively participate in team meetings
- Be assigned tasks in collaborative projects
- Receive feedback for each completed task
- Take advantage of open-door policies for questions or concerns
- Feel professional relationships developing with team members
- Use their point of contact for checking in and evaluation
The First 90 Days
The last phase of onboarding sees more independence and productivity from the new employee. They should:
- Produce work more independently
- Demonstrate their understanding of tasks and responsibilities
- Contribute ideas to projects
- Identify and discuss their professional goals with managers
- Discuss concerns or problems integrating with the team or supervisors
- Continue to receive feedback from supervisors
Download our free onboarding checklist here!
How ApplicantStack Can Help
ApplicantStack provides a seamless transition from applicant to potential candidate to new hire, with an organized onboarding module that supports Human Resources, trainers, managers, and new hires. It pays to be precise in keeping employee records from day one, and ApplicantStack securely gathers and stores all relevant personnel data with easy access. New employees can upload tax and other required documents for a seamless transition to payroll and HR. It acts as the central hub for orientation packets and questionnaires, with clear status indicators and reminder options.
Organization is key to an onboarding program everyone can commit to long term. Keeping a checklist in front of key players ensures the busyness of daily life doesn’t get in the way of helping new hires feel supported and like a valued part of the company mission.
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