ONBOARDING

Business success in the present day, demands companies to retain, build,

and nurture talent boosting productivity. HR teams strive to build a
pipeline of talent and help to measure and manage employee
performance. In this process of talent management, a key aspect is
building an effective and robust on-boarding system.
On-boarding sets the pace and tone to an employee’s stint in the
organization. Hence, much care has to be taken, to handhold new
employees and ensure that they are assimilated into the organization
with a well-oiled on-boarding process.
On-boarding is the mechanism through which new employees acquire
the necessary knowledge, skills, and behaviors to become effective
organizational members. On-boarding plans are aimed to help new
hires be comfortable with the new company culture, environment and
business objectives of a Company. Initially, HR needs to guide them as
they undertake new projects in an endeavor to get them up to speed
quickly.
The ultimate goal is to reduce attrition and engage new hires to stay with
an organization for a longer period. While developing an on-boarding
plan for new hires, there are some important aspects with respect to the
individual and the company that needs to be addressed.
Prepare
The on-boarding process should start the moment a candidate visits the
company’s website or career site, so by the time the applicant comes in
for the interview, they already have a good impression about the
company. If the applicant is able to connect with the company branding,
culture, and goals the battle is half won. Prepare for the big day, well
ahead of time. As soon as the new hire accepts the offer, paperwork can
start.
Paperwork can be done electronically, at the comfort of their homes. Let
them in on what to expect on the first day and a career at the
organization. Send them an employee portal link, invite them to
employee group portals. Nothing zaps out energy on the first day as
spending hours filling paperwork.
At the office, prepare their work station, and their teams for the new
arrival. You can also forward an employee handbook earlier so that new
hires aren’t burdened with excessive information on the first day. As on-
boarding requires coordination between multiple departments, it is
imperative that they use a good on-boarding solution.
By providing credentials to the organization’s intranet, you can give the
new hire access to videos, resources, FAQs, and podcasts that display
your company’s vision, goals, values, features a welcome message from
the CEO, talks about your company culture and provide employee
 testimonials. In addition, you get to know your team leads and team
members, that will help understand the company’s chain of command
and reporting structure.
Things to look into on the first day
On the new hire’s first day, the HR department/technical team involved
in their interview process should be there to welcome him/her. This will
help to ease the nerves. It’s also important to introduce new hires to
colleagues, management, and team members. Also, a critical part of the
on-boarding process is making the new hire aware of the organization’s
culture and values.
▪ A welcome letter / email to greet your new hire. Keep the letter

personalized, welcoming and engaging

▪ Outline the company goals, its mission and ethos

▪ Configure the new hire’s e-mail ID.

▪ Get him/her an ID Card.

▪ Connect the employee to the manager and HR personnel

▪ Reiterate benefits and package, and explain roles and responsibilities

providing a more detail job description

▪ Provide details including the “when, where and how” of reporting to

work. This could include even the office dress code, parking
instructions, other unofficial norms at works. Also provide a guided
tour of the office space
▪ Prepare the new hire’s work station with all the tools in place including

name plate, computer, software downloads, ready and available

▪ Assign a buddy at work for the new hire, and brief that employee of his

role
▪ Inform team members and other stakeholder’s of new hire joining details,

and get them onboard in making the new employee feel welcome
▪ Describe the first day/ week itinerary. Briefly mention the duties and

responsibilities of the new job along with the expectations and key
performance indicators
Personalize the on-boarding experience
Giving a personal touch to the on-boarding process can engage new
employees, giving them the ability to visualize their career goals, chart
out their ambitions, and also be in alignment with the organizational
objectives. The organization needs to communicate to the new hires that
they value them and their work and they just don’t consider them as an
asset to make a profit.
Creating a unique and company-specific on-boarding ritual helps build
the connection with the new hire. Many companies have amusing and
distinct initiation traditions. On-boarding rituals can be developed
depending on the culture and work ethics of an organization.
The organization should focus on the unique needs of each new hire
instead of having a routine orientation program. Having a “buddy” or a
mentor in the first few days at a new place is a source of reassurance for
 all new hires. Making proper introductions with teammates, colleagues
and managers help to build connections and help ease the strain of
socializing.
Processes can be set up for managers and teammates to help new hires
integrate with the company culture, letting them in on company norms
and work ethics. Having a mentor or a buddy helps anchor the new
employee to company culture and traditions, and intricacies that
otherwise would be awkward for a new hire.
Make sure a new staff member understands what’s in it for them in the
company and how they can make a difference at the workplace.
Implement a transparent and credible employee recognition program and
communicate to new hires on how their performance will be evaluated
and how the performance appraisal system works so that they know
there will be rewarded and won’t go down the drain.
▪ Have a follow-up plan to check how your new hire is doing

It’s crucial for both HR and reporting managers to check in on a new

employee a week and month post-induction. Reviewing and providing
relevant feedback would help the new hire steer in the right direction.
High performing companies often have processes that review the
engagement levels of new employees at regular intervals during the
course of the first year.
After the first month of joining the company, the employee is expected
to have fully understood the performance expectations with regard to his
role, and the organization continues to handhold and equips the
employee, building connections, and facilitating relationship building.
Few actions that should be initiated after the first month are:
▪ Get feedback from the employee with regard to his “settling in” – in the

organization
▪ Review the new hire performance and provide feedback on specific tasks

▪ Provide relevant feedback – regularly and consistently. This could

include constructive criticism on how to improve new hire performance

▪ Review performance and development goals

▪ Facilitate one on one meetings with managers, skip level managers and

HR
▪ Facilitate relationship-building across business and functions

▪ Review the employee with their buddy with regard to any queries

▪ Facilitate socialization with the new hire taking an active part in office

events, work-related and otherwise

▪ Ensure the employee has attended the new hire orientation program fully

▪ Facilitate necessary training and mentoring to further equip the new hire

for the role and assignments ahead

▪ Review the employee with the assigned buddy for feedback

By extending your employee on-boarding program past 1 month to a

year, your new hires will benefit in the below 3 ways:
1. Complete and balanced learning
Progressive learning in stages and small quantities will avoid
information overload and ensure better understanding, retention, and
practical application of important concepts.
2. Improved performance
Assigning a mentor and promoting positional job training over an
extended time frame has tangible benefits in helping the employee
understand his role, sharpen his skill set and learn how to be aligned
with organizational goals.
3. Increased new hire retention
Investing time and resources in your employees will help them feel
valued, setting goals and expectations will enable them to understand
career growth opportunities. Giving new hires scope for growth will
keep them motivated. Opportunity to learn and improve their skill sets is
critical for improving employee retention.