Devoting efforts to an effective onboarding process is crucial as it directly impacts new employees’ first impression of the company. This is essential for familiarizing them with the company’s operations, facilitating initial connections, and promoting commitment to the job and the new role.
However, challenges exist when creating an effective onboarding plan, especially in hybrid and remote environments, where building connections among colleagues is more challenging, and there are fewer opportunities to introduce key individuals in the company.
In this article, discover the best practices for creating a memorable employee onboarding process, ensuring that new team members start making a difference in the business as soon as possible.
The Power of the First Impression
Investing time and energy in an excellent onboarding program not only leaves a positive impression on the person joining the team but also translates into cost savings.
This is because the first few months are decisive in the worker’s relationship with the employer. In a survey, 17% of employees claimed to have left their job within the first 9 weeks due to a lack of clear guidance and training.
In the past, employees used to show higher commitment during the first year in a new position. However, this research, which evaluates the same data annually, has found that newly hired employees exhibit lower levels of commitment, well-being, and inclusion compared to more experienced employees.
There is no second chance to make an excellent first impression, making the onboarding period for new employees a crucial process within the HR strategy.
Onboarding Process in Hybrid Times
When onboarding happens in person, connections are more likely to be established more quickly. Often, a group of people starts the process at the same time, fostering closeness and commitment, and allowing feedback through observation by the HR team.
Hybrid and remote work models, on the other hand, may not always offer this type of experience. However, this does not hinder an onboarding process for new employees that positively impresses the worker and provides support and welcome during this period.
In reality, the main challenge of the employee onboarding process in hybrid and remote environments is the need to increase contact in a new worker’s early days in the organization without causing exhaustion due to excessive virtual meetings.
In practice, it means it is important to have tools that offer concise, direct, and efficient explanations (such as initiatives that break down the initial information load into bite-sized pieces, as in microlearning) to assist in the professional’s learning.
9 Best Practices for a Memorable Onboarding Training
Ensuring effective onboarding training for new employees is essencial to establish a solid foundation for workers’ success and satisfaction. Here are nine of the best practices to make the employee onboarding process memorable and impactful.
#1 Build a Welcoming Atmosphere
In the first weeks, there is often much to assimilate, but it is essential to assess the onboarding plan to avoid overwhelming new members.
The focus is on creating a welcoming reception, emphasizing the need for a clear structure (the lack of it being one of the main reasons for employee turnover) and ensuring total support in the initial days.
This has the potential to make a more positive impact than simply overwhelming with information and meetings in the first few months.
#2 Tools Support
To create a captivating and well-organized onboarding process, there are diverse tools available to consolidate all elements, including tasks, learning modules, documentation, and feedback.
Moreover, it is possible to efficiently manage onboarding tasks through project tools like Asana. This ensures the process is smooth, from the new worker’s entry into the team to their complete adaptation to the company’s dynamics.
#3 Corporate Culture Training
A Gartner research highlighted priorities for HR leaders this year, revealing that culture is among the priorities due to the challenge posed by hybrid work; however, 47% of HR leaders do not know how to drive change to achieve the desired culture.
People engage with work when they identify with the values proposed by the company, and this commitment can start on the first day of work.
Invest in a clear culture code and present examples of how the company culture can be applied in work situations that make sense for the roles people hold.
#4 Onboarding Mentors Assignment
In an onboarding process in a company, a “mentor” or “buddy” refers to a colleague designated to offer support and guidance to a new employee during their initial period in the organization, and can be from any department.
Having this person facilitates creating a network of contacts, clarifying doubts, and providing social support, from showing around the office or factory to inviting for a lunch.
By providing this personalized support, the mentor plays a vital role in the new employee’s smooth transition into the company, contributing to a more positive and effective onboarding experience.
#5 Expectation Management
Lack of clarity in company expectations has been a hindrance for many employees, and this survey revealed that in recent years, this lack of clarity has worsened.
Even though candidates may have gone through a selection process with a detailed job description, it’s valuable to reserve time to review the job description again.
This includes understanding how performance will be assessed and what employees can expect in terms of feedback on their work.
#6 Welcome Kit
Offering a welcome kit to employees starting a position in the company is an important way to demonstrate that the company values the joining person. In companies working in hybrid and remote modalities, it’s a way to materialize the onboarding moment.
Personalized items such as T-shirts, caps, or office supplies with the company’s branding help create a sense of identity and belonging, strengthening the emotional connection with the brand and the organization.
Apart from delighting new team members, it’s common for people to post on LinkedIn, sharing with their network the start in a new position, accompanied by photos of their workstations with kit elements, tagging the company and increasing the organization’s visibility and employer branding.
#7 Continuous Feedback
Develop processes to continuously assess the effectiveness of the onboarding process, ensuring that the content remains relevant and subject to continuous improvements.
This feedback can be obtained through interviews, including specific questions about onboarding in regular performance evaluations, or through the platform used to coordinate the process.
Surveys and inquiries can cover various aspects of onboarding, from the quality of the information provided to social integration and the effectiveness of training.
#8 Documented FAQs
Compile the most common questions asked by new employees during the employee onboarding process and create a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document or page that can be easily accessible through a tool equipped with search functions.
This will provide workers with a quick and efficient source to clarify doubts and obtain relevant information during the company’s onboarding process, contributing to an onboarding experience focused on people and their initial needs.
#9 Communication
In addition to ensuring direct and transparent communication with the new team member, promote general announcements on communication platforms such as Slack or Teams, and during general meetings. This way, the entire team will have the opportunity to welcome the new member.
This approach contributes to building a welcoming environment and strengthens the sense of belonging from the start of the worker’s journey in the company.
Final Thoughts
Investing in an effective onboarding plan is more than a mere formality; it’s a fundamental strategy for talent success and retention.
The importance of the first impression cannot be underestimated, and the onboarding period emerges as a crucial opportunity to make a lasting positive impact.
By adopting these practices, organizations not only train their new talents but also lay the groundwork for a bright and productive future.
