Everything you need to know about Employee Onboarding

Our comprehensive guide on employee onboarding covers everything from the benefits of onboarding to best practices for designing the program.

Many companies today vastly underestimate the importance of proper employee onboarding. Statistics show that 22% of companies don’t have any formal onboarding program in place; only 49% of companies have a somewhat successful onboarding process.

An unsuccessful onboarding program can have a negative impact on the employees who may feel disconnected from the rest of the team or not stick around right after the process. Furthermore, companies without employee onboarding programs end up spending a lot more due to higher employee turnover rates. So, onboarding should be designed to assist your new hire in being comfortable and confident in the organization. A systematic and strategic approach is required to turn your new hire into a productive team member.

Employee Onboarding

Employee onboarding is the process of introducing a newly hired employee to the company and its culture, team members, and managers. It is about familiarising them with their work and role in the organization. The purpose of onboarding is to ensure the employee feels at home, develops connections with the team and manager, and moves into productive work mode swiftly. HR specialists believe the onboarding process should continue for at least a year for long-term employee retention. Bad experiences during the critical first few days and weeks can result in high attrition.

Why is Employee Onboarding so important?

Companies invest a considerable amount of their money, time, and resources in the hiring process. Yet, for various reasons, many people leave their jobs during their first few days. Poor employee onboarding could be one of the significant causes, as they do not feel welcomed into the new setting.

With proper onboarding, new employees adjust better to their roles, establish good relationships, improve their performance, and are happy in their jobs.

Secrets of Employee onboarding

4 Cs to design a successful onboarding process:

Employee Onboarding vs Employee Orientation

Employee onboarding and orientation are two completely different events but with similar goals. The aim is to ultimately help a new employee feel happy and secure in the company.

Employee orientation is a one-time general event that welcomes all new employees to the company. In contrast, employee onboarding is a series of role-specificity and team-specific events and training in which new hires become contributing employees.

Build a welcoming new Employee Onboarding Process

Employee onboarding is all about induction and building relationship with new employees. They will learn about company policies, systems, and protocols and meet their managers and teammates. Understand their role and responsibilities and settle comfortably into the company. It is crucial that they retain what is learned during the onboarding experience.

Onboarding is initiated when a candidate accepts the job offer and ends when they are fully integrated into the system. Not just HR but also the colleagues and management team need to be part of the process, which can last up to 12 months. Here is a comprehensive and effective onboarding program for welcoming your new hires into the company.

Hiring Process

Before the first day of your employee

On their first day in the office

During the first week

During the first three months

The First Year

An effective onboarding ensures the new hire is equipped with adequate information and tools to become a productive member of the organization quickly. With a good onboarding experience, the employee can adjust to the organization’s fabric and develop a long-lasting relationship with the company.