How a Great Onboarding

Experience Can Lead to

a Successful Employee
Overview

Onboarding is the process of integrating new hires into a company. The word
itself originated in the 1970s and gained popularity only within the past decade
amongst businesses. It began when companies started recognizing the
importance of preliminary training for new hires. Orientation and onboarding
has changed tremendously over the years, and the steps to a successful
onboarding plan are adaptable depending on the position. Most commonly,
onboarding has four phases:

1. Pre-Boarding
2. Welcoming
3. Role-Specific Training
4. Easing the Transition into a New Role

Poor onboarding can result in high turnover and the time spent on recruiting
workers goes in vain. To combat this, it is important to know how to
implement a great onboarding and orientation experience!
Onboarding vs. Orientation
and the Importance of Both

Let’s start with the basics. What exactly is onboarding?

Onboarding itself is the thorough process of adapting new

employees into their respective departments and roles. The process
can take anywhere from 3 months to even a year. Onboarding is commonly
confused with orientation, which is a separate process altogether.

Orientation introduces the company’s mission, values, and visions. An

orientation program typically is a one time event that will last up to a week. It
is typically more of a personal interaction between all new hires where they are
able to look at presentations and answer questions with Human Resources.
Both have their advantages to new hires and retention.

Onboarding Orientation
advantages include: advantages include:
Supporting new hires in their first Introducing new hires to
projects and increasing their company policies and
productivity procedures

Increasing employee retention Getting employees acclimated

with their workplace
Helping employees understand
their duties and roles at work Building a strong relationship
amongst the new hires
Focusing on each individual new
hire rather than all
Onboarding vs. Orientation
and the Importance of Both

Both onboarding and orientation compliment each other and are necessary in
retaining new hires and getting them settled into their new position.
Orientation helps new employees familiarize themselves with the organization,
and onboarding helps them get acclimated with their day-to-day job
responsibilities. Well structured orientation and onboarding processes helps
foster positive employee engagement!

HELLO MY NAME IS
How Does Each Industry Benefit?

While all industries benefit from onboarding and orientation, this ebook will
focus on 4 overarching industries: Healthcare, Retail, Hospitality, and
Restaurants/Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs).

Healthcare N T R
CO EWAL
ACT

REN

Healthcare is one of the most regulated

industries in the United States. Strong healthcare
onboarding and orientation provides multiple benefits
in ensuring that employees stay compliant with all
regulations. Onboarding ensures that all new hires are
up to date on medical knowledge, know how to provide
quality care to all patients, and makes them more
likely to remain with their organization.

According to the National Healthcare Retention and RN Staffing Report,

hospitals lose 5.2 to 8.1 million annually due to staff turnover. Proper
onboarding can cut this cost tremendously, because it can improve the
retention rate and overall help the organization's bottom line. In a 2017 study,
it was found that implementing a strategic plan reduces turnover by 50
percent. If new hires experience a smooth onboarding process and have a
positive first impression of the organization, the transition into their role and
their care for patients will be quicker.
How Does Each Industry Benefit?

Retail

A great onboarding program has many benefits for retail companies, especially
considering that retailers report some of the highest turnover rates out of any
industry. The majority of retailers are made up of part-time or seasonal
workers, which makes the industry at a higher risk of those workers leaving
and looking for other opportunities. Because of this, it is important to hire the
right retail workers, and provide them with a great onboarding and orientation
experience.

For retail workers, the best time to set up an

onboarding and orientation experience is on
day one. Making sure that hires feel welcomed
and reassured on their first day by providing a
welcome kit including a name tag, T-shirt, or
other personalized items will create a positive
orientation experience from the beginning.

Then, providing help and advice throughout the first few months will provide a
good onboarding experience. A well executed onboarding and orientation
strategy can be the difference between employees who quit within months
and those who stay and continue to grow with the organization.
How Does Each Industry Benefit?

Hospitality

The first step in hiring the best candidate is creating an organized onboarding
strategy. Onboarding is the pillar to customer satisfaction, which is the
backbone to the hospitality industry. Employees are the face of any
hospitality industry and they interact with guests every day. Setting
the standards and explaining the processes from day one will make a
more consistent line of business for a hospitality organization.

Hospitality industries can use the first few days to a week for orientation,
which can help employees feel more confident and excited to be a part of the
job. This could be the time to have new hire bonding activities like scavenger
hunts or company quizzes, to promote a culture of teamwork.

Onboarding can be a longer process, and can consist of a seasoned employee

mentoring the new hire and being a sounding board and support system if
they have any questions or concerns.

Proper onboarding and orientation is

extremely crucial in this industry because
well trained employees will improve the
customer’s experience.
How Does Each Industry Benefit?

Restaurants/ QSRs

No matter if it is a waiter, cook, hostess, or dishwasher, every team member

of a restaurant should experience a great onboarding and orientation
experience. Every restaurant is different, so going over the policies and
expectations such as dress code, behavior, and staff meals are important to
establish during onboarding and orientation.

No employee wants to be left in the dark, so providing clarity on shifts, breaks,

scheduling system, and how to cover shifts is something that should be
included in the orientation efforts during their first few days.

Then, providing check-ins when they are at their respective stations will allow
for an open line of communication on how they are acclimating to their job.
A thorough orientation and onboarding process prevents turnover by
showing the new hire that the
company is investing time
into their training. Creating
this impression early on will
NEW HIRE
be beneficial in the long run. INFORMATION
Onboarding Challenges

Without proper onboarding and orientation, you may find your organization
losing employees faster than you hired them. The good news is that the most
common onboarding challenges are easily fixable.

Length of the onboarding process.

The first challenge is that the onboarding process is simply too short.
Onboarding should be a journey. To put it into perspective, new employees
typically take around one year to reach their full performance within a role. It’s
crucial to check in with your employees frequently and provide regular
feedback. Some organizations have a desire to shorten the onboarding
process because they falsely believe that it will increase speed to productivity.
However, if it ends too fast, then the employees don’t have enough time to
get acclimated.
FINISH

Lack of company culture.

The next challenge is that some companies do not incorporate their company
culture shown into their onboarding process. Including the company culture is
important because it keeps employees engaged and excited to show up to
work each day. Making the onboarding experience immersive and
representative of the company culture will help new hires understand the
company mission and beliefs, and how they can contribute to it!
Onboarding Challenges

Unclear expectations and goals.

The next challenge is that new hires have unclear expectations and goals. It is
common for new hires to need clarity on what is expected of them from their
role. The onboarding process is the best time to introduce expectations and to
explain how their job performance will be measured and assessed. Lack of
communication can make the onboarding process unsuccessful, and can result
in new hires feeling alone without the support they need to succeed.

Lack of engagement.
The last challenge, and one that is most common, is lack of engagement. Low
engagement leads to low productivity and creates a challenging scenario for
the new hire. Showing new hires why their role is important and how their
duties play a role in the success of the business helps boost employee
engagement.
Onboarding Best Practices

There are several things that will take your onboarding experience to the next
level. As discussed above, proper onboarding is key to long term employee
retention as well as other various factors.

Let’s go over some important best practices to create an onboarding

process that your new hires will be excited to participate in.

1. Pre-Boarding

Onboarding actually starts with pre-boarding. All of the tasks that need
to be completed should be sent before the new hire’s first day. Advise
the new hire of their start time, date, and meeting location (or how to
login if the position is remote) so that there is no confusion. Also, send an
agenda for their first day and organize all necessary paperwork to create
a smooth onboarding process. Pre-boarding simply takes care of the little
things that employees need to get off to a good start so they can spend
more time learning about their position.
Onboarding Best Practices

2. Orientation

Many employees are eager to learn about their role and the company as a
whole. An employee orientation will let the new hire know the company
goals and the expectations for their position. During orientation, dress
code, employee conduct, and other specifics can be discussed and a copy
of an employee handbook should be given to them. Giving new hires a
rounded view of the company on their first day is an excellent step to
take.

3. Arranging Training and Development

Scheduling some time during the first few weeks for training and
development is a step in getting new hires familiar with their role and the
operations of their position. showd.me is a compliance training platform
that provides simple and effective solutions for hiring, developing, and
retaining employees remotely. Platforms like this are great for companies
to use because the training can be done on-demand and remote, so new
hires can do it on their own time and at their own pace.
Onboarding Best Practices

4. Check-Ins

Onboarding should not just take place in the first few weeks or months, it
should be an ongoing process. Each new hire is different, and may need
different guidance depending on how quickly they adapt to their work
environment. Scheduling regular check-ins is important to gauge how
each individual employee is doing. This also allows the opportunity for
them to provide feedback and ask for additional support if it's necessary.

Utilizing these tips will create a solid and successful

onboarding experience for your organization and
its new hires.
Measuring Results

A simple way to measure the results of an onboarding process is by first

looking at how quickly the new hires are becoming efficient and productive.
Getting your current employees to become productive is a process, as detailed
in this blog.

However, for new hires, it is important to get

them productive as quickly as possible, and
proper onboarding can aid in that process.

Next, examine the retention rates.

As mentioned above, a proper
onboarding process lowers turnover
rates tremendously. If employee
retention is high, then it is safe to
assume that employees are happy
with the organization.

Also, conducting exit

interviews when people
leave the organization is crucial. Be sure to ask them what
they would change about the organization, and what the
organization should do differently.
How To Pick An Onboarding Partner

When picking an onboarding partner it’s important to look at the offerings and
industries that the training provider works with. For example, showd.me
partners with healthcare providers, restaurants, and other industries! In
addition to this, showd.me lists out their key features and different package
levels. Some of the features include:

On-Demand Training
Easy to Use Interface
Accessible On Any Device
Multilingual Platform
White Glove Customer Support
A Dedicated Account Manager
E-forms and E-signature
Analytics to help keep track of completions

These are things that are important to consider when choosing an onboarding
partner. For more information on how showd.me can help your organization,
click here.

In all industries, onboarding is a critical component of every company’s

success. It is vital for companies to invest in their employees and provide an
appropriate and useful onboarding experience. Joining a new company can be
daunting, and ensuring that new hires are able to hit the ground running is a
great way to achieve success!
FAQS

Q: What is onboarding?

A: Onboarding is the process of integrating new hires into an organization.

More specifically, it includes setup of the new hire's workstation,
orientation with new colleagues and managers, familiarization with work
processes, expectations and cultures, alignment with a company's
mission, vision and values, and other elements designed to maximize a
new employee's performance potential in their job.

Q: How does onboarding differ from orientation?

A: Orientation is typically a one time event that welcomes the new hires to
the company. It is less personal, and is more of a general overview of the
company. In contrast, onboarding is a series of events that helps each
new hire individually progress into their role and it is specific to their
unique position.

Q: What industries benefit from onboarding?

A: Every industry can benefit from an effective onboarding process.

Effectively onboarding new employees helps improve their speed to
productivity, reduces turnover at organizations and increases employee
morale.
FAQS

Q: What is virtual onboarding?

A: Virtual onboarding is a type of onboarding that takes place virtually, or in

other words, without a physical meeting space. The trend to onboard
remotely accelerated due to COVID, and many companies prefer this
method because it is efficient and cost effective.

Q: How does virtual onboarding differ from in-person onboarding?

A: Virtual onboarding is done through the computer and does not require a
face to face meeting, whereas in-person onboarding takes place in a
physical location and is face to face. Virtual onboarding is efficient and
cost effective. An added benefit is that some virtual onboarding
providers, such as showd.me, feature a multilingual platform, so all
employees can get onboarded in their native language.

Q: How do you evaluate your onboarding program?

A: You can evaluate your onboarding program by looking at new hire

turnover, compare the performance of new hires to that of current
employees, and ask for feedback.
FAQS

Q: What is a pulse survey?

A: Pulse surveys are an efficient way for companies to measure employee

feedback using short, frequent check-ins. Pulse surveys reveal how a
company is doing in the eyes of their employees on topics such as
employee satisfaction, job role, communication within and between
departments, work relationships, and corporate culture.

Q: What is a turnover rate?

A: Turnover rate refers to the percentage of employees that exit a company

within a certain period of time. It is important to track both turnover rate
and why employees are leaving. Employees leave jobs for many reasons,
but some common reasons include a clash with the manager, no room
for advancement, low wages and lack of benefits. Exit interviews help
employers identify the reason that the turnover rate is high so that they
can address these issues before they become a bigger issue. A high
turnover rate impacts employee morale, and can unnecessarily burden
team members who stay with additional workload. Therefore, it is
important to keep an eye on your company’s turnover rate and address
it before it becomes an issue.
FAQS

Q: How do you onboard remote workers?

A: Utilizing video calls, training videos, and other tech tools are a great way
to onboard remote workers! The same principles as in-person onboarding
can be used for remote workers. If you’d like more information, please
reach out to showd.me.

Q: Is remote onboarding effective?

A: Remote onboarding can be highly effective! In order for remote

onboarding to be successful, it is important to choose the right partner.
If you’d like more information, please reach out to showd.me.

Q: What are some common challenges of onboarding?

A: A few challenges are:

Training is too monotonous
Onboarding isn’t straightforward
Lack of engagement
Lack of communication
There are many more, but these are a few of the common ones.
FAQS

Q: What are the benefits of effective onboarding?

A: 6 benefits of onboarding include:

Promoting a strong employee experience amongst new hires
Better employee engagement in the workplace
Less turnover
Quicker talent attraction
Positive company culture
Higher productivity
The End!