How to Transition New Hires Through the Employee Onboarding Process
A surefire recipe for disaster? Banking on a one-day new hire orientation replete with a binder of paperwork to sign and a bunch of administrative tasks unrelated to the candidate’s new role. Maximizing your recruitment ROI requires implementing a strategic employee onboarding and consulting process that begins before the new hire’s first day and continues through the duration of their first year on the job.
From strengthening long-term retention to optimizing productivity, there are a myriad of benefits that can be reaped from developing an in-depth onboarding process. What’s more, it’s important to recognize the various stages of the onboarding lifecycle, including when to transition from initial training to skill development to business performance.
Game-Changing Onboarding & Retention Stats
- Employers with a high-quality, engaging onboarding program retain an estimated 91% of their first-year workers. These new hires are also 69% more likely to stay with the company for up to 3 years (SHRM).
- Employers who possess an efficient onboarding process see a 60% improvement in revenue year over year (Aberdeen Group).
- A well-developed onboarding program can improve company ROI by over $79,000 annually (Aberdeen Group).
When onboarding is carried out strategically, it can improve employee retention by up to 82%. However, according to a Gallup study, a measly 12% of employees strongly believe their company has a successful onboarding program in place. Onboarding and retaining workers go hand-in-hand, and a well-orchestrated program can serve as the impetus for boosting everything from retention rates to productivity and performance.
Forbes researchers found that 22% of employees opt to leave their employer within 45 days of starting due to an insufficient (or nonexistent) onboarding process. With these stats in mind, here’s a look at how to effectively approach your employee onboarding and consulting efforts during a worker’s first year.
During the First Day & First Week
A pivotal piece of setting your business up for success is ensuring expectations and objectives are clearly communicated right from the start. On a new hire’s first day, they should “clock out” with an in-depth understanding of what their job responsibilities are – and how those tasks tie into larger company goals. Aligning expectations is key.
Introducing cultural values and facilitating social interaction are also vital aspects of an employee’s first week on the job. Whether you treat them to lunch or host a virtual happy hour, it’s important to start building rapport and relationships on day one. Not only do these efforts communicate that the company is invested in the success and well-being of their employees, but they’ll also help new hires better navigate the work environment moving forward.
During the First Couple of Months
As training, mentorship and collaborative practices are carried out, it’s crucial to also schedule periodic check-ins. Speaking with SHRM, CEO of BambooHR Ben Peterson shares, “It’s important for HR to have a one-month check-in to make sure that the new employee is comfortable, happy and engaged. Reviewing and giving thoughtful feedback on your new hire’s early contributions are also important during onboarding.”
Setting new hires up for success early requires business leaders to establish an open line of communication while equipping employees with the resources and tools needed to accomplish the tasks laid out for them.
Eager to accelerate your employee onboarding and consulting process? Think again. Inundating employees with tutorials and learning exercises will only serve to stymie training efforts. Instead, deliver information and introduce new workflows in a manner that’s both digestible and manageable.
High-performing businesses are 2.5X more likely to provide a new hire with a coach or mentor during their first month of onboarding. This could mean simply assigning the new hire a “buddy” that acts as their go-to person when needs or questions arise.
Microtraining helps onboard employees faster and easier. Through the use of platforms like ConveYour, the team at Concannon Business Consulting has been able to customize microtraining platforms and learning systems that provide engagement and confidence. Easy to learn and easy to deploy, microtraining systems are the new, modern way to onboard employees.
Within the First Six Months to a Year
“Unfortunately, only 15 percent of companies continue onboarding after six months,” Peterson shares with SHRM. “Remember, nearly 90 percent of employees decide whether to stay or go within that first six months. You have a huge impact on that choice. Sometimes you just have to show that you sincerely care.”
Part of demonstrating your genuine investment in a new hire’s success relies on performance check-ins and continual feedback loops. By setting the right foundation, an employee should be fully productive, with performance metrics to speak for their work, by the close of their first year.
At the one-year mark, the employee should transition out of the training phase and into the continued education and professional development phase. When you provide new hires with an expertly crafted and robust onboarding program, they’ll feel as if you’ve put them on the path to success. And subsequently, by doing so, it’ll effectively contribute to greater employee satisfaction and retention.
In our ever-evolving business world, it’s imperative to implement initiatives aimed at driving long-term, sustained success. To learn more about how we can help further your organization’s business goals, contact our experts today.
