The onboarding process, in many ways, sets the pace for a new hire’s tenure in a particular organisation. A great onboarding process has the potential to leave an employee with a real conviction to make a difference at the organisation, come what may. Whereas a dissatisfactory onboarding process only serves as a mechanism to quickly guide them to the exit. It is important to understand that an onboarding process is not the sole responsibility of the HR department. In fact, management and the new hire’s immediate team has a bigger role to play in helping the employee integrate easily and comfortably.
- USE INTERACTIVE TECHNOLOGY
Traditionally onboarding has been a paper-heavy process that requires new hires to provide their mandatory personal information over and over again for various purposes. Insurance information details, provident fund information, previous experience details, bank details, the list goes on. Interactive technology fast tracks this process and cuts down on all the paperwork by shifting the process online. You can choose from the plethora of onboarding software available in the market. Interactive technology is also a great way to keep employees engaged and attentive during organisation inductions and orientations.
- BEGIN BEFORE THE FIRST DAY
Often organisations wait for the employee’s first day to begin onboarding formalities. However, this seems to be a dated method according to HR experts. The best time to begin the onboarding process is right after candidates accept the offer you extend to them, even if they are scheduled to join at a much later date. Ensure all the paperwork is completed remotely at the employee’s convenience, plan for their presence in the office, arrange for laptops, ID cards and stationery, have their emails set up, provide them with the list of their login passwords, numbers for various departments and familiarize them with internal communication platforms. This leads to immediate assimilation and nurtures a bond with the employee even before they begin their first day.
- CREATE CHECKLISTS FOR THEIR PROGRESS
It is difficult to determine definitely how long or short an onboarding process should be as each employee assimilates information at their own time. However, as an organisation, it is always better to have a broad linear structure that ultimately leads to successful assimilation with minimal stalling. The best way to do this is through checklists, by charting a definite onboarding path for the employee to ensure everything is on schedule. Hold the new hire accountable through regular reviews, ask them for their feedback and check-in with the department about how well they are fitting in. This will help you catch any problems and fix it immediately thereby fast tracking the onboarding process.
- ENGAGE WITH THE EMPLOYEE REGULARLY
Often a poor onboarding experience leaves a bad taste in the new hire’s mouth causing them to reconsider working at the organisation. During the onboarding process, not only are new hires still deciding whether it was a good decision to work at the organisation, they are also assessing if the role is indeed the same as discussed during the interviews. Ensuring the employee is comfortable and has a clear-cut idea about their roles and responsibilities is as important as not overwhelming the employee with too much work immediately. An employee who does not know how they are effectively contributing to the organisation is more likely to leave as soon as they get an offer from another company.Thirty-one percent of people have quit their jobs within the first 6 months due to poor onboarding Therefore, it is important for the manager as well as the HR representative to interface with the employee and ensure they are happy in the organisation, engaged in their roles, interacting positively with teammates, and contributing fruitfully overall. This not only assists in quick assimilation but also lowers attrition.
These quick and easy techniques to fast track the onboarding of new employees is a broad but very important base upon which you can build further depending on the specifics of your organisation’s culture and practices. A happy and satisfied new employee will go the extra mile to make the effort to quickly integrate themselves into the system and begin to chart out their career path in the organisation. At the end of the day, every employee wants to feel valued for the value they add to any organisation.
