Most companies today are welcoming new hires without a strategic onboarding plan in place. Those that are in place typically lack engagement and excitement, along with clarity. They also have the same onboarding process for any new hires with no personalization. To put it simply, the onboarding process needs a reboot.
A great onboarding experience is one that impacts other areas of the company and the components that drive its success – company culture, employer branding, workplace happiness, productivity, and employee motivation are all included. So, how do we amplify the standard onboarding process and turn it into an experience that makes a real difference at your company?
Ask: how do you welcome new people?
Research shows that onboarding is broken, with only 12% of employed people who were impressed by their company’s current onboarding process. That leaves 88% who weren’t pleased with their warm welcome at their new workplace. To make matters a bit scarier, 64% of new hires leave their company after an onboarding experience that wasn’t up to par, placing HR and management back at square one when it comes to recruitment and hiring.
How should we welcome your new hires? For example, at the very least, it is important that we make them feel prepared before their first day coming to work. You can do so by sending them any and all necessary logistics or information pertinent to accessing the office and then assigning them a mentor or buddy they can refer to for questions or requests they may have. It also helps to send over a training schedule so they know what to expect and feel confident that you’re expecting them in return.
How can we be better at onboarding? People need an engagement process that was personalized for them.
How new hires get acclimated to their surroundings depends on the comfort level they feel with others.
Our research shows that
-39% of people feel most welcome at a new workplace when brought in as a group of new hires. This shouldn’t come as a shock, seeing as how
-55% of employed men find that making friends with coworkers is most welcoming, and
-26% of women enjoy teaming up with a new hire buddy to alleviate first day jitters.
People feel most welcome when your engagement process is strong and inclusive. Types of activities, like introductory meetings, make them feel valued and included in a culture that up until that very morning, was unfamiliar to them. It’s also important to invite your new hires to join clubs aligned with their own personal interests, have a first-day team lunch, or initiate a new hire ritual such as a ShoutOut or orientation game.
Recommended For Further Reading
Empower: help HR make a real difference
Overall, 34% of new hires believe that HR contributes to a welcoming onboarding experience. HR can take several steps to create that unique and engaging onboarding experience, that has lasting effects on retention and positive company culture.
Don’t let poor onboarding keep your company from success and your new hires from feeling right at home from day one. By getting HR heavily involved in the overall experience using KPIs, tech tools, and social initiatives, your onboarding process can transform from standard to stellar. You’re bound to see the long term effects of a welcoming onboarding process that’s centered around engagement and excitement.
From Stephanie Stevens
Stephanie is Content Marketer at HiBob. She has a background in Clinical Psychology and Crisis Management, and enjoys abstract painting and watching horror films in her spare time. She believes that people can connect with themselves, their peers, and the world around them through creative writing, helping them foster a deeper sense of self and their life goals in the process.
