Retaining great talent starts at the very beginning. The impression that people get, and their ability to succeed in a role, will be massively shaped by the onboarding experience they get. For retention, onboarding is make-or-break, but according to Harvard Business Review, 88% of employees have lackluster onboarding experiences.
So what’s going wrong?
We’ve put together our guide to the onboarding Do’s and Don’ts you should be aware of.
DO: Create channels for knowledge sharing
This is especially important now that employees may spend some of their onboarding period working remotely. In-person, knowledge sharing is ensuring time is spent with people across teams and the business. Make sure that contact time is blocked into calendars so people can proactively share ideas and info - and the newbie can ask any questions they have! Remotely, ensure that there’s regular contact across teams, and make an increased effort to loop the new starter in on any conversations they would benefit from hearing.
DON’T: Make the easy bits difficult
In the first few weeks, the best use of someone's time is gaining clarity on objectives, and absorbing as much information as possible - not constantly asking where they need to go to access resources. Onboarding should contain all info necessary: company culture documents, system info, FAQ’s answered by the team (these can be built up over time), a ‘useful resources’ list and career pathway info, for starters.
DO: Make it a team effort
Don’t think of onboarding as the sole responsibility of HR and line managers. Sure, they manage the overall process, but it takes a village. Matching up your new starter with a mentor or buddy, who can provide them with more context and information about the business is a great start. Involve senior leaders where you can; this will ensure your new starter feels valued from the offset. And get the team involved by ensuring they introduce themselves and their roles properly, and contribute to the knowledge building process.
DON’T: Be vague about what success looks like
There is nothing more stressful than arriving in a new role where success isn’t clear. New jobs are naturally anxiety inducing, and without any goals you don’t stand a chance. Before your new hire starts, and preferably before you even considered making a hire, get to grips with what the goals and measurables should be. Break it down into the first 3 or so months, what will be the metrics that mean success? Make sure that all stakeholders are looped into this process, so they are aware of the bigger picture this employee will face.
Looking for more tips and ideas on successful processes? Read the rest of this series here.