Creating a Successful
Onboarding Program
(By Melinda
Pittman)
In last
month’s issue, we discussed the concept of onboarding
and why it represents a solid investment both in terms
of reducing your turnover ratio and increasing your
overall productivity. But what does a
comprehensive onboarding program include? And when
and how should you implement such a program? These
are two of the questions we’re going to tackle in this
month’s
issue.
The
type of onboarding program each company creates and
implements ultimately depends upon how much time and
energy the company is willing to spend. For the
purposes of this article, we’re going to analyze a fully
comprehensive program, focusing on how it should be
implemented and when you should do
so.
Create Your Program
At
its essence, an onboarding program has three main
components—the people involved, the content involved,
and the timeframe
involved.
People
It’s important
to identify who’s going to be part of the process, since
they will also be part of the planning the creation of
the onboarding program. Typically, it should
include the new hire, an HR professional, and the
manager or person to whom the new hire will
report. That’s in a literal sense. In a
general sense, the entire organization should have a
working knowledge of the company’s onboarding philosophy
so that every member can deliver a strong and consistent
message to every new hire, reinforcing the program and
enhancing its
effectiveness.
Content
This can be
broken down into three areas: the administrative
details, the job duties and specifications, and
the company culture. The administrative details
are the easiest to tackle, and they should be completed
as soon as possible, so that you can focus on the other
two areas, which are more important in terms of success
and productivity. The new employee should not have
to worry about voice mail, email, or even gaining access
to the building, not to mention all the necessary
paperwork that must be in place prior to the first day
on the job. Be pro-active about these
administrative details so they don’t evolve into
distractions later on. I heard a horror story
regarding a computer programmer who quit his new job
after only two weeks because the company had not
provided a computer for him to work
on!
Make
certain your new hire feels welcome from Day One.
Below are a few basic ideas:
- Order
business cards in advance so you can provide them on
the first
day.
- Have
the workstation and (working) computer ready with a
working email
address.
- Schedule someone to take the new hire to lunch
on their first
day.
Job duties and specifications
are just that—the job description for the new hire, the
things they’ll be expected to accomplish. Prior to
the employee’s first day, they should talk with their
immediate supervisor and discuss those duties and
expectations, including project deadlines and
timetables. The two should also discuss the
employee’s initial orientation and training schedule,
which should take no more than a week. The key is
effective communication and exchange of knowledge
beforehand, which will help to speed up the process once
employment begins. There should be milestones for
the first few months and you should schedule meetings to
assess progress and discuss
obstacles.
Company culture is sometimes
overlooked, but is extremely crucial. The new hire
should know as much as they can about the culture before
they start. (Keep in mind that culture embodies
many criteria, including language, methodologies,
mission statement, ways of interacting, traditions,
etc.) A good idea would be for the hire to meet
informally with a few members of the current team and
talk about how things worked at the hire’s previous
company and the way in which they operate at their
soon-to-be present place of
employment.
Timeframe
The
beginning of the onboarding process is easy to
identify—it’s the moment that the candidate accepts your
offer. Between then and the first day of the new
hire’s employment, the steps we’ve discussed to this
point should be completed, especially the administrative
matters. However, the onboarding process doesn’t
stop there. Once the hire begins work, their
progress should be tracked and there should be almost
constant communication between the employee and their
supervisor. The more quickly potential problems
can be identified, the faster they can be solved—or
avoided altogether. And remember, the first 30
days are vitally important because it’s during this time
that the new hire makes a subconscious decision
regarding whether or not joining your company was the
right move. After 90 days, it’s recommended that
all parties involved meet to discuss progress, solicit
feedback, and plan for the
future.
Customize Your
Program
As you can see, onboarding is
a multi-faceted endeavor. However, it’s one that
can pay huge dividends for your company and its
employees. What’s important to remember is that
onboarding programs should be
individualized to the needs of the
company creating and implementing them. There
isn’t just one model for everybody. There’s a
basic framework and formula, to be sure, but in order
for the program to be the most effective, you and your
team must create and implement a version that you can
incorporate easily and seamlessly into your company’s
business
model.
If you
have any questions regarding the onboarding process—its
creation, customization, or implementation—feel free to
contact
me.
(While onboarding is a tremendously effective
way to increase retention on your team, striking the
proper work-life balance is another method. In
fact, that balance has become more and more important to
candidates and employees during the past few
years. In next month’s issue, we’ll take a look at
the subject of work-life balance and discuss ways in
which you can increase retention through strategies
revolving around that growing concern.)
©
Copyright, 2007
