The 30-60-90 formula for successful employee onboarding
- Kartikay Kashyap
- October 9, 2023
We need a concrete plan for the successful onboarding of employees.
Why do we make plans for our business? Because it increases the probability of business success. For instance, we make plans when we build a plan to capture more than 50% market share of a particular region. These plans will include researching the market, people’s needs, preferences, and the problem statement your product or service will solve. It will include doing a SWOT analysis and knowing other competitors who are eyeing the same pie of the market in the region. Why do we do all this? It leads to success. Then it would not be wrong to say that having a formal plan leads to success. Why can’t we follow the same to give a better employee experience? Building an onboarding plan for new employees needs a plan to give a better employee experience. That is where the 30-60-90 days plan help.
What is the 30-60-90 days plan for employee onboarding?
When we are making business plans, the modern way of businesses breaks down the financial year into four quarters, and every quarter is then broken into the 30-60-90 days plan, which helps the organization to build, execute and evaluate the business plans more effectively. Similarly, when a new employee is onboarded, the 30-60-90 days plan breaks down the first three months into 30, 60, and 90 days. The HR team creates objectives that onboarding should achieve in the first 30 days, 31 to 60 days, and the final 30 days. This plan helps better assimilate and transition the employee into the new role.
Suggested Read: Everything You Need To Know About Employee Onboarding
Preparing & designing the 30-60-90 days plan
Generally, the responsibility of giving a better employee onboarding experience falls on the shoulders of HR professionals. Ideally, HR designs executes and takes ownership of the 30-60-90 days plan. But it is better to see enthusiasm from the employees as well. They should create a plan and objective they want to achieve in the first there months of their joining.
Many successful organizations follow the 30-60-90 days plan to give a better employee onboarding experience. Some companies also follow this plan in the preboarding stage for better engagement with the employees. There are certain objectives we should aim to achieve in the first three months of the employee.
The first 30 days
- HR professionals should think of how we would want to design the new employee's journey for the first three months. We will have to think of the essential needs and expectations of the employee to devise this journey. Internalizing and visualizing the settings would help design a fulfilling and valuable journey. Initially, the employees would look forward to better understanding the culture, policies, procedures, and their immediate team members. We will have to plan orientation sessions and stakeholder meetings so that the employee can internalize the missions and values of the organization.
- After knowing the company's culture, values, and missions, the employee would want to know how they will contribute to the organization and what their employers expect from them. It is better to clear the basics, such as job responsibilities, goals, and expectations from the employee in the first 30 days. We will have to make the tools, systems, and resources available to the employee so that they can succeed in their role.
- Another important factor is building rapport with colleagues, team members, and stakeholders. Employees want to know all the stakeholders in the organization who can contribute to their success in the company and seek guidance, ask questions, and learn from experienced team members.
31-60 Days
- The second phase of this plan will focus on the skill development of the new employees. You will have to train the employees to carry out their tasks. In this phase, the new employee will attend training and workshops and may get some responsibilities to get the hang of what is expected.
- Coupled with the training sessions and skill-building activities, the employee should also start contributing to the organization. This is when they start taking ownership of the project and assignments given to them. With this, they also seek feedback from their managers for continuous improvement.
- In this phase, the employees should also seek further strengthening of their relationship with people in the organization. These stakeholders will include their colleagues and managers. They should be part of some cross-functional projects and enhance collaborations in the organization.
Final 30 Days
- In the third stage, the employee should work on taking on more complex responsibilities and demonstrating proficiency in their tasks. By the end of this stage, they should be able to take on tasks independently and start making informed decisions.
- In the last phase, the new employees should start taking more initiative in their roles. This will include giving ideas to improve existing processes, generate innovative ideas, and starting to take leadership roles wherever required. Contributing to team meetings, participating in problem-solving efforts, and offering more insights.
- By the end of the phase, the new employee should be able to achieve the proposed or set goals and work toward achieving the organization's goals.
The 30-60-90 Days plan template
The first 30 days
Goal 1: Attend all cultural workshops and orientation sessions for basic information about the organization and its values and missions.
Goal 2: Meet their direct managers and understand their roles and expectations.
Goal 3: Introduction and team building sessions with teammates and managers
31-60 Days
Goal 1: Complete all skill development trainings for the role.
Goal 2: Play a role in some projects.
Goal 3: Put into cross-functional projects.
Final 30 days
Goal 1: Independently work on projects.
Goal 2: Contribute ideas in team meetings.
Goal 3: Should be able to achieve proposed goals.
Benefits of following the 30-60-90 Days plan
The sign of a weak onboarding plan is always a lack of planning and organizing things in chronological order. An employee sitting clueless on their first day of office and failing to perform and get used to the organization’s culture results from a bad employee onboarding program. The 30-60-90 day plan will help keep things on track, achieve onboarding goals on time, and give the employees a concrete roadmap to success.
